MPAC Board & Staff
Board of Directors
Tom Webster
President
The Mother Lode Theater, Butte
Montana Tunehound Productions, Missoula
Tom Webster is currently the volunteer Board President of the Montana Performing Arts Consortium and is also a board member of the Camp Paxson Preservation Project. Tom has been promoting and producing entertainment events throughout the Northwest since 1985. He worked at the University of Montana from 1994 to 2022, initially as Program Advisor for UM Productions and UC Programming and later as the Director of the Dennison Theater (formerly the University Theatre) Tom was also an adjunct instructor for the Entertainment Management Program classes 101, 275, and 401. His beginnings in the entertainment profession began as a student at The University of Montana at UM Productions (formerly ASUM Programming). Tom was also the Program Advisor for UM Productions from 1994 to 1996. Tom is a University of Montana alumnus with a B.A. in History. From 2024 to 2025 Tom has served as the interim Operations Director for the Motherlode Theater in Butte. He currently operates as a consultant under Montana Tunehound Productions LLC.​​​
Jill Dostert-Wagner
Vice-President
Northeastern Arts Network
Sidney, Glasgow, Malta
I have had the pleasure to serve on the MPAC Board for 18 years (thanks to Tom Webster twisting my arm) and it’s been a great journey! I’ve met so many wonderful artists and performing arts presenters and I’m always amazed by the creative talents of both groups. I’ve been a Controller for Blue Rock Companies of Eastern Montana for many years and I’m thankful to work for a Company that also supports the arts in our communities. When I first moved to Sidney in 1986, one of my friends invited me to a Northeastern Arts Network (NAN) concert; I was hooked - and before you know it, I was the Treasurer, then the President. I stayed involved in NAN because I wanted my two daughters to experience the “live” outreaches in the schools. Watching the children’s reactions at the school performances is the most rewarding feeling and keeps our volunteer organization going strong! When I’m not working or volunteering, you can find me hunting with my hubby, hiking or kayaking (come and join me on the Yellowstone!).​
Misty Annala
Secretary
Judith Arts Society
Hobson
Misty serves as the President of Judith Arts Society, based in Geyser, MT, where she has lived since 1990. Judith Arts Society serves several communities in Judith Basin County, including Hobson, Stanford, Geyser, and Utica. She is a retired K-12 music educator, and works as a booking agent for the Great Falls Symphony. Misty also works on a family cattle ranch with her husband and two adult sons. She joined the board of MPAC in 2019 to learn more about the presenting organizations in Montana, and how they collaborate to bring the arts to their communities. ​
Connie Jenkins
Treasurer
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​Choteau County Performing Arts
Fort Benton
Rob Kohler
Artist Representative
Musician
Great Falls
A bassist and composer with a unique voice, Rob Kohler has been a fixture of the Pacific Northwest music scene for forty years. He has appeared on over 100 diverse recordings as bassist or engineer. He first caught international attention as a member of the trio In Flight, through their appearance at Montreux Jazz Festival in 1989. Recently, Kohler has played in the trio Betty Jane, appearing with them on 11th & Grant on Montana PBS in 2020. In 2018-19 he toured in North America and Asia with Halie Loren. In 2019, he released the critically acclaimed album Winter Colors on Origin Records, with his brother Lee Kohler, cousin Dave Peterson, longtime colleague Brent Jensen, and Origin founder John Bishop.
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Kohler is also a beloved educator. For twenty years he taught K-12 music at Headwaters Academy, Oak Hill School, New Orleans Center for Creative Arts, and Inglewood District Schools. He has been a regular at the Stanford Jazz Workshop since 1991, serving as education director there from 2006-07. Kohler has also been an integral part of the South Delta Jazz Workshop in Vancouver B.C. since 2003. While on the NOCCA faculty from 2007-09, he created and directed the school's first middle school jazz program. In 2013 he wrote a beginning jazz theory textbook, Music Theory from A to G.​​
Gary Fjeldstad
Director
Kootenai Heritage Council
Rocky Mountain Talent Services & Global Attractions Unlimited
Libby
Gary Fjelstad began his entertainment business career through association with Archie Campbell the star of the 70’s and 80’s hit television series, “Hee Haw.” Working closely with Archie and his Nashville agency Gary established a regional office which booked concert events spanning the Rocky Mountain Region.
Upon Mr. Campbell's retirement, Gary assumed leadership of the agency, eventually transitioning it into Rocky Mountain Talent Services, Inc (“RMTS”). Gary’s guidance has propelled its expansive growth into the robust entity that it is today. The company offers comprehensive booking services through enduring partnerships with major artist agencies nationwide. Its hallmark is continuing involvement in each booking which is tailored to presenters, venues, and events of all sizes.
Based upon the RMTS reputation of personalized, cost effective, professional service, Gary was contacted by Gaylord Hotels / Marriott International to play a key role in the production of “ICE!” an annual walk through attraction which features 2-million pounds of large block ice sculpted into scenes from beloved holiday films. Produced by the RMTS subsidiary, Global Attractions Unlimited, “ICE! runs simultaneously at the six Gaylord Resorts and convention centers annually during the holiday season. Nashville, Orlando, Dallas,National Harbor Maryland,Denver, San Antonio. ​​
Jim Peaco
Director
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Electric Peak Arts Council
Gardiner
MPAC Staff
Emily Wolfram
Executive Director
A Northern California native, Emily received a Bachelor of Music in music management and cello performance from California State University, Sacramento. During her time in Sacramento, Emily freelanced, taught cello lessons, and worked with several arts organizations including the Sacramento Ballet, New Millennium Chamber Music Series, and the All Hallows Academy Orchestra. She also completed Suzuki Cello Book 1 teacher training at the Intermountain Suzuki String Institute in Draper, Utah.​
In 2009 Emily moved to Hartford, Connecticut where she continued to teach cello and freelance. In 2010 she joined the staff of The Hartt School Community Division at the University of Hartford where she served as the Marketing and Communications Administrator for a community music and dance school serving over two thousand students from the region. In this role, Emily managed a $57K annual marketing budget to plan, execute, and oversee strategies for generating $2M in programming and production each year. In 2014 she moved to Chicago after accepting the position of Director of Admissions and Finance at the Western Springs School of Talent Education and the Naperville Suzuki School, one of the most highly regarded Suzuki programs in the nation. This position culminated in Emily leading the organization in successful planning and production of the 35th Anniversary Concert and Celebration: an event at Chicago’s Symphony hall including 300 student performers, 100 returning alumni performers, and an audience of over 2,000.
Emily moved to Great Falls, Montana in 2016 with her husband, bassoonist Dorian Antipa, when he was appointed principal bassoon for the Great Falls Symphony and the Chinook Winds Quintet. Emily served the Great Falls Symphony as Manager of Core Ensembles from 2016 to 2019 and created the first websites and marketing strategies for the Core Ensembles. These initiatives resulted in exceeding budgeted revenue goals for performance booking in her second year with the organization.
In August of 2022 Emily returned to the field of arts administration and advocacy, joining the Montana Performing Arts Consortium (MPAC) as its Executive Director. In her short time with MPAC, she swiftly put her marketing background to work by revamping mtperformingarts.org and utilizing email marketing, social media, and other online platforms to engage with the organization's members and streamline its processes. Emily has initiated new partnerships with other arts organizations to increase the visibility of the MPAC network, recruit new members, further the organization’s mission, and amplify arts advocacy impact. Since Emily joined MPAC, the organization has enjoyed steady growth in membership, showcase application rates, financial support from local businesses and member organizations, and increased engagement with performing arts professionals throughout the state and the country.
In addition to serving as MPAC’s Executive Director, Emily also runs a website design and marketing consulting business, WDesignMT.com. She currently maintains a private teaching studio and performs as a substitute cellist with the Billings Symphony and Helena Symphony.