Our Staff

Becky L. Kington

becky@mtweed.org
MWCA Executive Director
2000 – present

Becky Kington has been the Executive Secretary/Director of the Montana Weed Control Association since 2000. She was hired as a part-time employee and in December of 2006, the Board of Directors decided to fund the Executive Director position on a full-time basis. Becky is a native Montanan, born in Missoula and raised in Helena. She graduated from UM Western Montana College in 1990 with a degree in secondary education art and English. She taught school in Montana and Oregon for 9 years, and in 2002 Becky accepted a job as the project coordinator for the Madison Valley Ranchlands Group Weed Committee in Ennis, MT. There she began a full-time career in the nonprofit realm.
She currently resides in Twin Bridges, Montana, where she volunteers for the local arena club secretary, the local mosquito district and serves in an advisory capacity for the Big Hole Watershed Weed Committee in producing the annual Weed Whacker Ball. She actively participates in jackpot team roping, and likes to camp and fish in the high country when she can. She enjoys taking scenic photos of Montana, and she occasionally she picks up the pencil for some artwork.

Kara Maplethorpe

kmaplethorp2600@gmail.com

MWCA Membership & Technology Assistant
2018-present

Kara has been working in the Centennial Valley of rural Montana for five seasons. She has worked her way up from an AmeriCorps Member to Community Organizer and currently as the Executive Coordinator. Her position in the Centennial Valley has challenged her to learn and implement various management skills, including managing staff, working on multiple projects at one time, managing various databases (in Microsoft Access and Excel), and co-creating and managing the organizational website, created on Drupal software. She has also provided consistent, extensive and quality outreach with landowners, partners and the community, rebuilding community communication and trust.
In addition to organizational management, she has been instrumental in reestablishing and maintaining an active membership within the CVA. She has developed membership dues drives, maintained consistent contact with members via email and mailings, and generated thank you notes for each member. Her enthusiasm, drive, and passion to keep members and supporters engaged in programs, projects and the organization will benefit the membership of the MWCA.