Leadership Montana alumni in action: John Trudnowski, Butte - Class of 2018
Tory Atkins
August 31, 2022
Dave Phillips
November 30, 2022

ALUMNI IN ACTION

Frank Garner, Kalispell – Class of 2005

Frank Garner, Kalispell, Class of 2005

Interviewed by Danielle Allen, Helena, Class of 2021

Frank Garner was raised in Kalispell, Montana where he currently lives with his wife of 40 years. He feels blessed to have three grown children that also live in Montana. He has had a long career in law enforcement and security, serving in the Kalispell Police Department as chief of police, in Afghanistan as a police advisor, and in security for Kalispell Regional Medical Center. Now he is employed as a security consultant and is currently serving his fourth term as a Montana State Representative.

He was part of the inaugural Leadership Montana class in 2005 and hopes to one day be a part of the master’s program. His favorite memory of his time spent in Leadership Montana was creating strong relationships with his class members and getting to have different experiences around the state. He still has relationships with Leadership Montana Alumni even 16 years later and works in the legislature with some, like Terry Moore.

Frank shared that the biggest impact Leadership Montana has made on his life is creating a stronger appreciation for the state of Montana and the people in it. He especially enjoyed learning about what makes it “tick”. Even though he was raised in Montana, he feels he learned so much in this program. He also added that learning about how to collaborate and have open conversations helped him appreciate the differences of those in his class as well as others around the state.

Frank thinks the role of Leadership Montana in our state is to bring diverse groups of people together and teach them to appreciate the differences of one another. It is so easy to be polarized and Leadership Montana’s role is to break down the barriers and create shared future success.

When asked what he appreciates most about Montana, he simply said the people.  Even though he was born here, he chooses to live here because it is a blessing of life to make relationships with people from all areas of the state. Frank said he wants his legacy to be that he found a way to leave it better than he found it. His final thought was how important programs like Leadership Montana are right now and that we participate in them. It is essential for our future.

Frank was featured in Leadership Montana’s Podcast, Listen First Montana. Click here to Listen.