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Helping Hands Are Never Far

Meet the fantastic folks who can help make your college dreams a reality – our admissions counselors and the visit team at the University of Montana. These are your go-to guides for turning questions into answers, uncertainties into plans, and possibilities into real-life opportunities. Let our team of professionals steer you toward success!

Meet the Admissions Counselors Meet the Admissions Counselors Meet the Visit Team Meet the Visit Team
Michelle smiles for a portrait wearing University of Montana apparel along the Oval on the University of Montana campus in Missoula, MT.

Michelle Flores

Admissions Counselor

Bio: Michelle is a graduate of UM and loves everything about campus, especially events like the Homecoming Parade and Homecoming Weekend. Her natural habitat is found atop a paddleboard and she can eat bagels with cream cheese from the University Center every day. Her best way to reset? A long run up Mount Sentinel.

Serving students in Montana counties: Missoula, Ravalli, Granite

Also serving students in: Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Maryland, Delaware

Email: michelle@umontana.edu

Call: 406-243-6266

Tara smiles for a portrait wearing University of Montana apparel, in in front of the Grizzly Bear statue along the Oval on the UM campus in Missoula, MT.

Tara Bush

Admissions Counselor

Bio: Tara, originally from the Northeast, followed her sister to Montana and hasn't looked back since. She enjoys exploring the mountains, diving into Tarot cards, and sipping on Boba Tea from Pearl Boba in the University Center.

Serving students in Montana counties: Blaine, Phillips, Valley, Daniels, Sheridan, Roosevelt, Richland, McCone, Garfield, Petroleum, Fergus, Musselshell, Yellowstone, Big Horn, Treasure, Rosebud, Custer, Powder River, Carter, Fallon, Wibaux, Dawson, Prairie

Also serving students in: Washington, Alaska, Hawai’i

Email: tara@umontana.edu

Call: 406-243-6266

Zen smiles for a portrait, wearing a cowboy hat and University of Montana apparel in front of the Grizzly bear statue along the Oval on the University of Montana campus in Missoula, MT.

Zen Brewer

Admissions Counselor

Bio:  Zen was born and attend college in Texas and resided in both the Carolinas before trekking over to Montana in 2024. She’s guided by a love of helping and assisting students in their academic journeys. She’s a big fan of winter despite growing up in warmer climates, and she heads to the Relaxation Station in the UC if she’s ever feeling stressed.

Serving students in Montana counties: Powell, Deer Lodge, Silver Bow, Beaverhead, Madison, Jefferson, Broadwater, Gallatin, Park, Meagher, Judith Basin, Wheatland, Golden Valley, Sweet Grass, Stillwater, Carbon

Also serving students in: Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, Wyoming, West Virginia, Virginia, District of Columbia, Kentucky, Tennessee, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Texas

Serving all international applicants and all transfer applicants, both domestic and international.

Email: zen@umontana.edu

Call: 406-243-6266

Brittany smiles for a portrait holding hiking poles with a pair of hiking boots dangling from their shoelaces from the hiking poles along the Oval on the University of Montana campus in Missoula, MT.

Brittany Smith

Associate Director of Recruitment

Bio: Brittany loves adventures of all sizes and feels lucky to live in the big, beautiful state of Montana. Her go-to order on campus is boba tea at Pearl Boba in the University Center, and whenever she needs unwind, find her strolling the trails at Waterworks Park. Her favorite UM tradition? The Kyiyo Pow Wow.

Email: brittany@umontana.edu

Call: 406-243-6266

Daylee smiles for a portrait wearing University of Montana apparel in front of the grizzly bear statue along the Oval on the University of Montana campus in Missoula, MT.

Daylee Dahl

Admissions Counselor

Bio: Daylee was born and raised in Montana and has traveled across the world, including Shanghai, South Korea and Japan (where she lived for five years). She’s a huge fan of Tonkotsu ramen from Michi Ramen Bar in downtown Missoula, and you can find her relaxing on her front porch or amongst the plants in the UC Arboretum.

Serving students in Montana counties: Lincoln, Sanders, Mineral, Flathead, Lake

Also serving students in: Idaho, California, Arizona, Nevada

Email: daylee@umontana.edu

Call: 406-243-6266

Kate smiles for a portrait wearing UM apparel in front of the grizzly bear statue along the Oval on the University of Montana campus in Missoula, MT and is holding a framed portrait of a dog.

Kate Lacy

Admissions Counselor

Bio: Kate is originally from California but has been living in Montana for over 30 years and is an alum of the College of Education at UM. It’s Montana’s massive natural beauty that has kept her in Montana for so long, and she resets by floating the Clark Fork or Blackfoot Rivers.

Serving students in Montana counties: Glacier, Ponderosa, Teton, Lewis and Clark, Toole, Liberty, Hill, Chouteau, Cascade

Also serving students in: North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Iowa, Ohio, Kansas, Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana

Email: kate@umontana.edu

Call: 406-243-6266

Sophia smiles for a portrait, wearing UM apparel in front of the grizzly bear statue along the Oval on the University of Montana campus in Missoula, MT.

Sophia Holter

Admissions Counselor

Bio: Sophia comes from a long line of UM alumni and loves helping students navigate the world of higher education. She was a theater major at UM and has been a part of multiple productions, including a nationally touring production of “On Golden Pond.” Her words to live by? “To thine own self be true.”   

Serving all Missoula College applicants. 

Email: sophia@umontana.edu

Call: 406-243-6266

Colin, wearing University of Montana apparel, stands and writes in a notebook in front of the grizzly bear statue along the Oval on the University of Montana campus in Missoula, MT.

Colin Johnson

Admissions Counselor

Bio: Colin is a first-generation college graduate who loves swimming in the Blackfoot River near Johnsrud Park and sitting under the fiddle leaf fig tree in the University Center with a book. Colin’s favorite class at UM was Introduction to Tap Dancing.

Serving all international applicants and all transfer applicants, both domestic and international.

Email: colin@umontana.edu

Call: 406-243-6266

Director of Admissions Kelly Nolin smiles for a portrait in front of the grizzly bear statue along the Oval on the University of Montana campus in Missoula, MT.

Kelly Nolin, PhD

Director of Admissions

Bio:Kelly moved from Colorado to Montana in 2023.  She loves the mountains and rivers. On summer weekends, you can find her rafting the Blackfoot and Clark Fork rivers or camping in one of our state parks. However, Kelly’s favorite season is Griz football season, when she cheers along with 27,000 other screaming fans nearly every Saturday in the fall.

Email: directorofadmissions@umontana.edu

Call: 406-243-6266

Meet the Visit Team

Planning a visit to UM? These staff members are here to help tailor your visit to your specific interests.

Sam Jones holds a pair of shoes in each hand and smiles

Sam Jones

Campus Visit Coordinator

Bio: Sam moved from Portland, Oregon in 2016 to attend UM. He earned a history education degree, played intramurals and was a student tour leader. Hiking is his best way to reset, no matter the time of year, and Missoula’s easy access to nature is what kept him here after graduating.

Email: BeAGriz@umontana.edu

Call: 406-243-6266

Anna smiles for a portrait wearing University of Montana apparel in front of the grizzly bear statue along the Oval on the University of Montana campus in Missoula, MT.

Anna Bruning

Community Engagement and Visitor Coordinator

Bio: Anna came from New England after graduating college and loves the slower pace found in the Rocky Mountains, plus the recreation opportunities, live music and great arts scene in Missoula. Find her eating sandwiches from Orange Street Food Farm or walking through Greenough Park in Missoula, if not on a weekend backpacking trip.

Email: BeAGriz@umontana.edu

Call: 406-243-6266

Julie Ann Williams stands her skis next to her and smiles for a portrait wearing University of Montana apparel in front of the grizzly bear statue along the Oval on the University of Montana campus in Missoula, MT.

Julie Ann Williams

Associate Director of Visitor Services

Bio: Julie Ann grew up in Northern Minnesota and joined the UM Admissions team in 2024. When not at work, find her doing something fun and adventurous in the mountains, especially during the winter, when she volunteers as a certified ski patroller. She’s just as comfortable on the water as she is atop the snow, and you can find her floating the Clark Fork River throughout the summer.

Email: BeAGriz@umontana.edu

Call: 406-243-6266