Work With Us

Ashley Schwader has extensive experience working in the non-profit, government, public and private sectors. She has dedicated her life's work to serving others, especially youth. She most recently served as a senior leadership team member as the Director of Youth Programs at the national non-profit No Barriers. She supported youth organizations and schools with experienced-based learning to help them overcome visible and invisible challenges in their lives.

Previous to that role she was the State of Colorado's Healthy Schools Manager for the national non-profit Alliance for a Healthier Generation where she worked with high needs districts, schools and communities to support a whole child approach in education.

Before expanding to the state of Colorado, Ashley worked at the ninth largest school district,  Poudre School district, where she helped to create, implement and deliver an integrated and award winning wellness program to over 5,000 employees and 30,000 students as the District's Wellness Manager.

Before entering public and non-profit work, Ashley prepared for systems change by serving as a National Account Coordinator, Program Manager, and Specialist for a Fortune 500 Corporate Health and Wellness provider, HealthFitness, where she oversaw the Hewlett Packard and Avago contract in Fort Collins and supported the national contract at 11 different locations.

Enjoying all work that creates positive change, Ashley has also served on non-profit boards, participated in community impact, grant writing, partnership building, program delivery, free lance writing, health coaching, personal training, teaching group exercise, public speaking, policy advocacy, and has even been the president of an HOA.

Ashley holds a Masters Degree in Organizational Leadership with a Specialization in Change Management and Innovation from Colorado State University. She also has a Bachelor's Degree in Health and Exercise Science with a Specialization in Health Promotion from Colorado State University and is a first generation college graduate. She is a certified American Council on Exercise Health Coach and Personal Trainer and is WellCoaches trained.

Ashley currently lives in Gallatin Gateway Montana with her husband and two kids. She started Two Suns Consulting as a dedication to her two sons as a way to continue to serve others and also have the flexibility to invest in the positive development of her own children as a mother. She lives on seven acres with her family and is a self-proclaimed adventurist who enjoys hiking, travel, reading, wine, running, yoga, and anything that brings a smile to her children's faces.

Jared Schwader has extensive experience working in the government, public and private sectors and he prides himself as a versatile Software Engineer. He is currently employed at Guidehouse as a Cloud Solutions Architect and specializes in government and public IT consulting.

As part of his role, he serves as a software consultant performing architecture reviews, software business logic assessments, and software recommendations. This includes working on a variety of software applications implementing leading edge technologies.

Prior to his role as an architect, Jared was a Software Quality Assurance Engineer focusing on leading a large team of 30+ engineers and writing software applications and tools to assist in the development of enterprise large scale applications for several government agencies. As a part of his leadership roles, Jared has been a manager of 10+ people teams performing full HR lifecycles, such as interviewing, hiring, managing, performance reviews, and terminations.

Jared has over 18 years in the IT/Software industry participating in a variety of roles such as Manager, Developer, Web Developer, QA Engineer, Business Analyst, Scrum Master, Project Manager, Automation architect, Cloud Solutions architect and Consultant. This includes working for organizations such as CA Technologies and Hewlett-Packard.

He as a Bachelors Degree in Computer Science from South Dakota State University. He is a certified Scrum master, Certified AWS Cloud Practitioner, and Certified AWS Cloud Solutions Architect.

Jared currently lives in Gallatin Gateway Montana with his wife and two kids. He loves to design, build, and analyze in both personal and professional life. He likes to automate and eliminate wasted time so he can spend it on the important things in life. He is known as a family man and hobbyist. He enjoys camping, hiking, fly fishing, hunting, cooking, wood working, sports, traveling, and spending quality time with his family including his two sons.

Merritt has spent recent years with an innovative Montana-based Health Consulting company, Healthy Is Wellness, developing a comprehensive framework and curriculum for training, certifying, and scaling teams of community-based Health Coaches across the region.

She has remained actively engaged in community outreach, most notably through providing support and public speaking to youth programs in her years as an elite level Track and Field athlete representing Nike N7. Currently, she passionately promotes community wellness, personal development, health behaviors, movement, and nutrition through multiple initiatives including an Indigenous student recruitment and retention program within Montana State University, as well as the “Unreserved” school based project supporting rural and tribal students across Montana.
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Merritt Grace Davis, Natoyii Nimoikin Aki (Holy Lily Woman), is a descendent of the Muskokee Creek Nation and relative of the Blackfeet Nation. She holds a Masters of Public Health with a focus on Community and Behavioral Health Science and a Specialization in Maternal and Childhood Health from Tulane University of New Orleans, Louisiana.

Merritt holds numerous accolades from years as a competitive Pole Vaulter, including the New Orleans Sugar Bowl and the Tulane University Halls of Fame, and considers herself a lifelong athlete whether this means chasing her kids on hiking trails or competing in local races.

She lives in the Valley of the Flowers (Four Corners, Montana) where she loves to ride her horses, hike, paddle board, create indigenous artwork, and attend community events. Most of all, Merritt loves to take on adventures with her husband, Steven, and their two sons.

Nichole has lived and worked in the Gallatin Valley for the past decade. Throughout her career, she has gained skills in communication, grant writing, and professional development. Nichole connects her expertise with organizations and businesses while bringing positivity, focus, and organization to her work.

Nichole received her bachelor’s degree in graphic design from Champlain College in Burlington, VT. After moving to Montana, she worked in adventure travel as a group travel planner, developing skills in logistical planning and project management. With a desire to provide greater support to her local community, she transitioned to the role of Development Coordinator for Thrive. Here she learned skills in fundraising and donor retention.

Nichole grew with Thrive and soon found her passion in Grant Writing. In her role as a grant writer, she identified and pursued new grant opportunities, while developing and maintaining new and existing grantor relationships. Nichole saw notable success securing Federal, State, and foundational grants.

Beyond working for a non-profit, Nichole dedicates her time to other organizations in the Gallatin Valley.

Nichole has served as a board member, volunteered as a CAP Mentor, and participated in many local events to help bring positive impacts throughout the community.

Nichole lives in Bozeman, Montana with her husband, two young children and golden retriever Emmy Lou. Outside of work, she can be found horseback riding, hiking, skiing, traveling, and spending time with family and friends.

Kallie Cooper has spent over a decade working as a freelance graphic designer, specializing in helping businesses develop their unique brands.

Kallie currently serves as the Communications Director for a large charter school, establishing the school’s brand identity with internal and external audiences by managing a multifaceted communications strategy in support of the school’s mission and vision.

Kallie has a passion for building a culture of entrepreneurship, previously working as the Executive Director of the Wellington Main Street Program, a 501(c)(3) non-profit dedicated to revitalizing downtown commercial districts.

In 2021, Kallie was named Colorado Main Street Manager of the Year and was the recipient of the BizWest 40 Under 40 award for her work in the community, developing innovative strategies to support small businesses.

Kallie is an Iowa native and graduated with a degree in Television Production and Marketing from Wartburg College in Waverly, IA. Kallie and her husband Brandon moved to Colorado in 2017 with their two boys. She loves all things art and music and in 2018, partnered to illustrate the children’s book, “Ivan the 1/2 Inch Worm.”