Meet Our Team

Director of Career, Internship & Student Employment Services

Elizabeth serves as the Director of Career, Internship & Student Employment at Montana State University, where she leads university-wide efforts to connect students with meaningful, career-building experiences. She works closely with employers, alumni, faculty, and community partners to expand access to internships, on-campus jobs, and applied learning opportunities that align with regional workforce needs. Elizabeth is deeply committed to building talent pipelines that strengthen Montana’s economic resilience and ensure all MSU students are prepared for success beyond graduation.

Before joining MSU, Elizabeth led complex, multi-stakeholder workforce initiatives across high-risk and remote regions—spanning Arctic economic security, civil-military coordination, and cross-sector partnerships. She is a workforce strategist with over 25 years of leadership experience across public and private sectors, including work with USAID and the Outdoor Industry. She brings a global systems perspective to creating local impact.

Elizabeth holds a BSBA in International Management from Boston University and an MBA from Thunderbird School of Global Management. Outside of work, she enjoys exploring Montana’s mountains with her husband and embracing an active, outdoor lifestyle.

Associate Director, Career Services

Crissina serves as the Associate Director of Career Education and Development in the Allen Yarnell Center for Student Success at Montana State University. As an MSU grad, she is thrilled about the opportunity to give back to the institution that helped develop, shape, and cultivate her love for education and Servant Leadership. Crissina obtained a B.A. in Secondary Education from MSU-Bozeman in 2014, a B.A. in English from UM-Missoula in 2019, and a M.Ed. in Educational Leadership from UM-Missoula in 2020. Prior to returning to Bozeman, Crissina acted as coordinator and director of a 21st Century Community Learning Center after-school program and taught high school in a small rural town, as well as served as the Dean of Students at a large AA high school in Montana. She believes education can be transformative for students and develop successful and contributing members of society and looks forward to being a key component in MSU students’ search for and attainment of vocations and careers, as well as impacting others in the same positive way she experienced here at Montana State University. 

Assistant Director, Industry & Employer Relations 

Halley is a 3rd generation alumnus from Montana State University and has worked in the nonprofit sector for 10 years. During her time as a student at MSU, Halley worked as a student associate for Career, Internship, and Student Employment Services. She is excited to return to The Allen Yarnell Center of Student Success and to apply her skills she learned throughout her career.  

As the Assistant Director of Industry & Employer Relations, Halley is excited to help students find their career path by connecting them to industry leaders. She knows MSU students have a reputation of being innovators, critical thinkers, and all-around talented individuals. She will be working hard to develop on-campus recruiting efforts and opening opportunities to MSU students.  

Career Education Coach

Kristen grew up on a working cattle ranch in Eastern Oregon where she was introduced to hard work early in life – by age 11 she was running a tractor and rake in the hay fields! She enjoyed the lifestyle and learning that came along with ranching alongside her family. She attended Oregon State University (another land grant university!) and received her Bachelor’s Degree in Public Health. She spent a year working at an assisted living facility before moving to Washington, DC where she received her Master’s Degree in Public Health from George Washington University. In 2019, Kristen and her husband and three children moved to Bozeman to pursue career opportunities and enjoy the amazing Southwestern Montana lifestyle.

Kristen’s experiences have helped her understand how to collaborate, communicate and problem-solve with people. She has engaged with diverse groups and populations throughout her career and enjoys connecting with them all. She is excited to continue this engagement with students at MSU as they navigate the world of higher education and transition to their next steps in her role as a career education coach. Her varied career and life experiences in agriculture, youth coaching, public health, event management and planning, and education help her connect with students across many different areas of interest.

Kristen enjoys spending time with her family in her spare time. They enjoy hiking, skiing, fishing, and camping together. She also enjoys fitness, reading, volunteering her time for the Alzheimer’s Association and in Bozeman’s public schools, and cheering on her kids at sporting events.

Career Education Coach

After a 35-year career as an environmental and natural resource scientist, Tracy is excited to now support and empower college students with tools, strategies, mindsets, relevant resources, and helpful feedback as they navigate career planning. She believes strongly that a fulfilling career, with all its twists and turns, adds immeasurably to a fulfilling life.

In her role as a consultant scientist, Tracy mentored and trained college-aged students in the areas of field investigations, data analysis, and developing recommendations – all to produce high-quality natural resource investigation reports for clients. From this experience, she understands students’ need for support and information on how to navigate their unique career path. She is thrilled to work with this age-group through MSU AYCSS.

Tracy has lived in Bozeman since 1990 and enjoys ALL of Montana’s natural resources—especially the snow! She has an M.S. in Land Rehabilitation from Montana State University (1999) and a B.S. in Forestry from Michigan State University (1984).

Industry Expert and Resume Coach

 Jon Ventura has 35 years of national security experience working in private industry (ANSER), the federal government (U.S. Department of Energy) and Los Alamos National laboratory. He has worked in the United States Congress and the House of Commons, United Kingdom. He has a detailed understanding of the Nation’s nuclear deterrent posture and policy, the capabilities of the weapons systems as well as the leading-edge science and technology (S&T) at the Nation’s National Security Laboratories to ensure the continued safety, security and reliability of the nuclear deterrent. His responsibilities have included: Congressional and legislative affairs, liaison activities with the National Security Council and elements of the Nation’s intelligence community. He has extensive experience in briefing military officers on the S&T portfolio of Los Alamos and has lectured at the U.S. military academy at West Point and the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs. He remains a guest scientist at Los Alamos and retains an active security clearance.

Jon's objective is to help MSU students appreciate the broad set of skills/degrees needed to address the dynamic challenges of U.S. national security in the 21 st century.

Jon earned both his undergraduate degree in Political Science and History, and his Master’s in National Security Studies from George Washington University.