our team

Zariah is an entrepreneur with a love of learning and adventure. She graduated with dual degrees in neuroscience and biochemistry, double minors in biomedical engineering and global health, and highest honors in 2020. The first person in her family to earn a graduate degree, she has a master’s degree in Innovation and Management and a master’s degree in Developmental Psychology. Her rural upbringing in Wyoming and experiences with mental illness inspired her to found Positivity Outward. She is a trail runner, Spartan racer, and motorcyclist.

Joaquin is an entrepreneur and creator. He graduated from Montana State University with degrees in Business and Computer Engineering. He grew up in Alaska before moving to Montana for school. He currently lives in Australia, where he runs his most recent company, Atonish Software.

Michael is a Montana State University graduate with degrees in biological and chemical engineering with a microbiology minor. He studied for the Master’s in Translational Neuroscience program at Imperial College London exploring the use of psychedelics for mental illness treatment. He hopes to one day open his own psychedelic therapy clinic. From Portland, Oregon, Michael is passionate about helping people find their unique ways to impact the world, he is also a musician and snowboarder.

board of directors

Ruby graduated from Montana Sate University with a degree in psychology and minor in Hispanic studies. She is currently studying abroad in Spain before applying to medical school. Her passion for medicine came after completing a sports medicine class in high school. Her love of working with youth and participation in the MSU Positive Youth Development research lab, drew her to PO, where she hopes she can help provide resources to youth in rural communities across Montana. Raised outside of Bozeman, Montana, Ruby loves riding horses, skiing, rafting, and hiking.

From Billings, Montana, Joey is an MD/PhD student at Washington University St. Louis. He has a master’s degree in microbiology. After doing research on transposons in high school, he studied the genetics of viruses while he majored in biology and minored in chemistry and entrepreneurial leadership at Gonzaga University. He plans to pursue a career where he treats patients and conducts medical research on their diseases.

Peter is a marketer, entrepreneur, and business development expert. He founded and led the rare disease marketing and communications firm, Compass Healthcare Marketers for 13 years, after holding marketing positions with companies such as P&G, J&J and Burton Snowboards. He manages Peak Advisory, providing startups, small businesses and entrepreneurs critical positioning, marketing and new business development expertise. He is also an Adjunct Professor at Montana State University, teaching classes in Entrepreneurship, Marketing, and Strategy in the Jake Jabs College of Business & Entrepreneurship and the Norm Asbjornson College of Engineering. Currently, he is looking to leverage his business and teaching experience to disrupt and greatly improve the higher ed product and its delivery through his new venture NalesEd.

He holds BA in American Literature and Marine Biology from Middlebury College and MBA from Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management in Marketing, Policy and Management. He is board member for Warriors and Quiet Waters, Chair of the David A. Nalen Foundation and performing member of the Bozeman Symphonic Choir, as well as performing musically as Slate Hudson.

Mark Schure is an associate professor of community health at Montana State University’s Department of Health & Human Development. Dr. Schure’s research focuses on developing and evaluating culturally tailored mental health interventions for the general population and populations with known mental health disparities. He has recently been the Principal Investigator evaluating the effectiveness of an Internet-based cognitive behavior therapy program to help reduce depression and anxiety among adult Montanans. One of his current projects aims to develop and evaluate the impact of a trauma-informed program designed for the Apsáalooke (Crow) nation. He is also the Principal Investigator of a youth-led community mental health awareness project based on two of Montana’s reservation communities.

Kristen is an executive-level product design leader, creative thinker, experience strategist, innovator, and co-founder with a career that spans over 20 years at both startups and Fortune 500 companies. Kristen has built, managed, and launched digital companies, brands, and platforms, and has led cultural research, product design, user experience, branding, content strategy, and innovation initiatives and groups for companies like Razorfish, Vivaldi_, and Yieldstreet.

Henry empowers businesses and nonprofits to achieve their goals by offering strategic planning and impact alignment. He is deeply committed to sustainability and ethics. Driven by a deep-seated belief in business as a force for good, he leads through listening, understanding difficult problems, and distilling them through pragmatic and creative approaches.

Arturo is a senior finance and strategy executive with over 13 years of experience in leading and scaling start-ups and global companies in the fintech and SaaS sectors. He is currently the Head of New Business / New Ventures at Digital@FEMSA, the digital arm of the largest beverage and retail company in Latin America. As a mentor at Founder Institute, he shares my insights and expertise with aspiring entrepreneurs and help them achieve their goals and vision.