staff & Board

ABWF Staff

Joe Josephson, Executive Director

Joe Josephson joined the Absaroka Beartooth Wilderness Foundation as executive director in 2023 after many years of leadership in both the conservation field and the outdoor industry. Born in Big Timber, Montana, along the Yellowstone River, Joe has long considered “the AB” the backdrop of his personal and professional life. He spent his early years with the US Forest Service in the Big Timber and Gardiner ranger districts before being called away by an opportunity to conduct research on a high-elevation glacier in Canada. Subsequent career high points included founding the non-profit organization Friends of Hyalite, leading campaigns to stop two destructive gold mines on the border of Yellowstone National Park, and writing and publishing more than two dozen outdoor books, guides, and maps. Through his leadership of the Absaroka Beartooth Wilderness Foundation, Joe strives to build connectivity between people, their communities, and the landscape — all with a vision toward a better future. Joe spends his free time with his partner, Paola Feher, chasing huckleberries, summits, ice climbs, ski runs, and their two amazing kittens.

Lauren Swett, Program Manager

Lauren Swett joins the Absaroka Beartooth Wilderness Foundation from Gardiner, Montana, the tiny high desert basin that grabbed her heart during a research assistant position in Yellowstone National Park. Lauren’s introduction to The AB took place with the Wilderness Institute and evolved into an internship on the Gardiner Ranger District. Lauren gained experience in ecology, education, and project implementation in her years as a field educator in Southeast Alaska and Yellowstone, and as a crew lead and habitat restoration specialist in her home grounds of Oregon. One wonderful summer leading volunteer crews in the Bob Marshall Wilderness Complex cemented her appreciation for the work that we do. Lauren believes in community as knowing and caring for a place and its people. She looks forward to continuing to learn and grow in this landscape with ABWF’s volunteers.

Jarret Kostrba, Operations Manager

After over a decade as Park Manager for Pictograph Cave State Park and Fishing Access Sites along the Stillwater River, Jarret’s thrilled the road has brought him closer to home in Red Lodge, Montana. “Dedicating my time supporting the stewardship of these vast mountains is something I had only dreamed of,” he shares. Born in Butte and raised in the Gallatin Valley, Jarret attended college at University of Montana-Western and majored in Environmental Interpretation with minors in both Biology and Geology. Jarret spends free time with his family backpacking and fishing the AB Wilderness, trying to knock off a new location every summer.

Board Members

  • Steve Caldwell

    PRESIDENT

  • Peter Aengst

    CO-VICE PRESIDENT

  • William Hopkins

    CO-VICE PRESIDENT

  • Bernie Quetchenback

    SECRETARY

  • Will Jones

    TREASURER

  • Grace Stevens

    DIRECTOR

  • Carol Endicott

    DIRECTOR

  • Donna Watson

    DIRECTOR

  • Garry Edson

    DIRECTOR

  • Rosanne Lockhart

    DIRECTOR