MEET THE TEAM

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Elizabeth Kraus | Chair

  • Elizabeth Kraus earned her B.A. in Marketing from the University of Colorado Leeds School of Business, and has been founding, working for, and investing in startups for over 20 years. Elizabeth started her career at the rapidly growing startup Exclusive Resorts and co-founded her own startup, myUsearch.com, at the age of 25. After building that business, Elizabeth was an active angel investor. She made 22 personal angel investments, and founded and grew the Impact Angel Group before negotiating a successful merger with Investors’ Circle, the largest and most active impact angel investing organization in the U.S.

    In 2014, Elizabeth co-founded MergeLane, which invests in early-stage startups and venture capital funds led by at least one female leader. MergeLane has invested in 54 companies and recruited a network of over 300 mentors and 600 investors to support this portfolio, which is now valued at 2.5x its investment. The MergeLane investments made in the early days, which have had the most time to mature, are valued at 8.2x its investment. Idaciti, one of its portfolio companies, was acquired by FactSet (NYSE: FDS | NASDAQ: FDS), yielding a 4.3x DPI (distributions to paid capital) for MergeLane’s first fund. 

    Elizabeth became a full-time Montana resident after MergeLane made its last investment in 2023. After a serious health scare and a perfect storm of related and unrelated events (including her move to Montana), Elizabeth co-founded Imperfectly Honest to share the lessons she learned and is still learning from this transformative life experience. Through her podcast, blog, and upcoming book, she shares her successful and not-so-successful attempts to be the person she wants to be. 

Christina Calabrese | Treasurer

  • Over the past 10 years, Christina has worked at the interface of growing the Big Sky community while preserving and enhancing its exceptional natural environment. In her role as Vice President of Design at Lone Mountain Land Company, she has strived to build a roster of award-winning design teams that are at the forefront of sustainable design, and most recently, achieving onsite net zero energy in our Montana climate. Christina actively participates in Big Sky’s non-profit and community-oriented initiatives, having contributed her design and planning expertise as a board member of the Arts Council of Big Sky and several task forces and subcommittees of the Big Sky Community Organization; Big Sky Community Housing Trust; and most recently as a participant in the production of the Big Sky SNO Climate Action Plan. Christina holds a Masters of Urban Planning from Harvard University, and a Bachelor of Science in Architecture, with a second major in French, from the University of Virginia.

Amy Fonte | Secretary

  • Amy is a passionate sustainability professional who has a natural affinity for systems-thinking and enjoys complex environmental, social and economic problem solving. After graduating from Furman University with a B.S. in Sustainability Science, she moved to Billings to serve as an AmeriCorps VISTA on a Community-Wide Methamphetamine and Opioid Response Initiative. Following her year of service, she moved to Washington D.C. where she attended American University’s Kogod School of Business and served with United Way Worldwide as an Economic Mobility Project AmeriCorps Vista Leader. Amy earned her M.S. in Sustainability Management and returned to the beautiful state of Montana. She resumed work in the field of Substance Abuse Prevention, as Yellowstone County’s Prevention Specialist, before moving to Big Sky in 2021. Amy is the Sustainability Specialist for Big Sky Resort, where she oversees the ForeverProject, the Resort’s commitment to Net Zero and roadmap for sustainability. Amy also serves on the Montana Prevention Certification Board.

Max Scheder-Bieschin | Vice Chair

  • Max is passionate about coaxing as many of us as possible to be better stewards of our environment. He is optimistic we can do this without major sacrifice, by using our existing economic system and our ability to introduce new technologies and business models.  In addition to joining SNO, Max volunteers with Citizens’ Climate Lobby, a national lobby focused on bipartisan solutions to climate change. Max first visited Big Sky in 1982 and started coming to Montana regularly ten years later, after meeting his wife, Ann, whose family homesteaded in Roy. He has lived and worked in many countries as a banker, executive and entrepreneur, and considers himself fortunate to also have enjoyed the outdoors and natural environment everywhere he has been. Ensuring that his and his friends’ grandchildren can ski, sail, hike, fish and hunt - as he has been able to do - is his latest venture.

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Emily O’Connor | Board Member

  • Emily has a broad range of experience in the environmental sector including green building, natural resource management, and recreation planning. In her current role as Conservation Director, Emily leads ecological restoration and water conservation efforts throughout the Upper Gallatin watershed. Emily is a Syracuse, NY native and graduate from the State University of New York, College of Environmental Science and Forestry. Emily and her husband Joe moved to Montana in 2012 to explore the mountains and wide-open landscapes. Emily’s passion for protecting the natural environment began at a young age and will continue to be a source of inspiration and motivation in her personal life and career. Emily is the Conservation Director of Gallatin River Task Force.

STAFF

Lizzie Peyton |
Dir. of Community Sustainability

  • Lizzie has led SNO since 2021. Under her leadership, SNO published Big Sky’s first Community Climate Action Plan and began implementing impactful emissions-reduction efforts in transportation, waste, and energy. With a background in International Studies from Boston College and global experience ranging from Paris kitchens to Tanzanian farms, Lizzie brings a unique blend of cultural insight and ecological passion to her work, driving community-based sustainability solutions and building regional climate resilience. 

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Zosia Skiba |
Baucus Climate Institute Scholar

  • Zosia will be a senior this upcoming fall at Montana State University where she is pursuing a degree in Environmental Science. Zosia is currently an intern with Big Sky Sustainability Network Organization through a program provided by the Max Baucus Institute. After she graduates, Zosia hopes to use her knowledge and experience from this opportunity to pursue Environmental Law or Environmental Advocacy.


    Growing up in the mountains of Colorado and then moving to Bozeman has shown her how important our environment is for the well being of communities. She has found a passion to help protect these communities and their environments. She is excited to be a part of SNO to help contribute towards the Big Sky and Bozeman community this summer.

Ali Chipouras |
Marketing & Communications

  • Ali Chipouras is a sustainability professional with nearly a decade of experience in both private and public sector roles in Montana. She is passionate about building community and believes in the power of collective action to drive meaningful progress toward a more sustainable future. Outside of work, you can find Ali riding her bike, skiing, practicing yoga, and enjoying all that life under the Big Sky has to offer.

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