The Gardiner Chamber of Commerce's mission is to serve our community through developing local tourism while endorsing stewardship of the Yellowstone Ecosystem.
Executive Committee
Maria Koppelberger -Rogers
Executive Director
Maria is originally from Michigan and first moved to the Yellowstone region for a summer internship with Yellowstone National Park Lodges. One summer became two, and then three, as she quickly developed a love for the mountains, wildlife, and people of Montana. After graduating with a master's degree back East, she decided to make Gardiner her home. Maria joined the staff of the Chamber of Commerce in 2023 as Operations Manager and became Executive Director in 2024.
Mike Skelton
President
Mike has served on the Chamber Board since 2019. He is the owner of Yellowstone Wonders LLC, offering private tours of Yellowstone National Park and the company is based here in Gardiner. He was the President and CEO of a privately held corporation in the Dallas, TX area for over 20 years. He has served as President of a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit, educational organization in the past as well.
He and his wife Ann became full-time Gardiner residents in 2015. They both continue their volunteer work at the Heritage and Research Center that first began in 2014. They have supported local organizations such as Yellowstone Forever, North Yellowstone Education Foundation, Electric Peaks Art Council, the Mammoth Community Center and the Livingston Center for Art and Culture.
Mike believes that the Gardiner Chamber of Commerce is an indispensable asset to the local businesses and a valuable resource for our visitors. “The efforts of the Chamber, directly and indirectly, benefit our entire community”.
Sarah Ondrus
Vice President
Sarah came to Yellowstone in the summer of 2000, since then she met her husband, started a family, and established Gardiner as her permanent home. With over twenty years of tourism industry experience, Sarah enjoys co-owning & operating Paradise Adventure Company and Yellowstone Rafting Company alongside her husband Patrick. She began her story in the area in Yellowstone by spending four summers working at the Roosevelt Corrals & Lodge. She is thankful to serve our vibrant community, is always seeking ways to support our town, and embraces its thriving tourism industry.
Debbie Mackey
Treasurer
Debbie came to Gardiner in 1993 to manage the Best Western in Gardiner and has since stayed and raised her daughters. She loves Gardiner for having a great school and a vibrant community you would never find in any other corner of this State. She has served in the hospitality industry for over 25 years; and additionally worked successfully with the National Park Service, Fish, Wildlife & Game, and other government departments. She successfully marketed the Best Western - increasing the Winter & Shoulder business year after year.
Board of Directors
Amanda Hagerty
Born and raised in southwest Montana, Amanda is an enrolled member of the Little Shell Chippewa Tribe. Amanda and her family have lived in Gardiner since 2018, where she is the Director of Education at Yellowstone Forever. She has been working professionally in the field of environmental interpretation and education for nearly 20 years with a variety of federal, state, and non-profit organizations. In addition to serving on the board of directors for the Gardiner Chamber of Commerce, she has also served on the board for Montana Environmental Education Association, Lewis & Clark Caverns Association, and regional representative for the National Association for Interpretation. Amanda and her family have a deep love and respect for the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, including a strong passion for connecting and engaging with the Gardiner community. Go Bruins!
Karrie Kahle
Karrie Kahle is the Business and Community Partnership Director for Park County Environmental Council. She develops and maintains PCEC's relationships with businesses and community organizations, especially in the tourism and outdoor recreation spaces. Karrie worked in the food and beverage and hospitality industries for over 2 decades including locally with Xanterra Parks and Resorts, Chico Hot Springs and Gil's Goods. She also served as the Community Director of the Yellowstone Gateway Business Coalition and has been a member of the Gardiner Community Center Board.
Maria Sascha Khan
Maria Sascha Khan, an internationally renowned Principal Ballerina, is the founder of Bespoke Ballet and co-founder of the Yellowstone International Arts Festival. Born in Pine Creek, Montana she began her pre-professional ballet journey training at prestigious institutions like the Kirov Academy of Ballet, the Royal Ballet in London, Joffrey Ballet, American Ballet Theatre and the Académie de Danse Classique de Princesse Grace, Monte Carlo on full scholarship.
Maria Sascha's illustrious career commenced with the Staatsballett Berlin, at the invitation of Vladimir Malakhov. She excelled in both classical and contemporary ballet, performing works by renowned choreographers such as Neumeier, Forsythe, and Balanchine. Her journey continued with the Bayerisches Staatsballett, Munich, the English National Ballet, and as the Principal dancer of the Ekaterinburg State Ballet, Russia.
A cultural ambassador and advocate for the Arts, Maria Sascha had her first business at the age of 12, and has been actively involved in organizing and producing arts events since age 19. She is also a respected jury member for ballet competitions, runs masterclasses locally and globally, and mentors artists.
As a public speaker, Maria Sascha has been featured at the World Economic Forum as a "Global Shapers" keynote speaker and as cultural ambassador. She holds a Master’s degree with Distinction in Arts & Cultural Enterprise from the University of the Arts Central Saint Martins, London. She supports various non-profit arts organizations and serves as an ambassador for the wildlife organization Save Wild Tigers.
Billie Taylor
Billie Taylor worked as a wrangler and corral manager in Yellowstone National Park for a decade and has been actively involved in the Gardiner community since 2006. After seasonal jobs in the horseback realm took her all over the Rocky Mountains and Pacific Northwest, she was drawn back to the heart of Montana and the wildness of Yellowstone National Park. Purchasing and operating Yellowstone Roughriders was her calling, fitting together the puzzle pieces of her passions for people, horses, and business together.
Chamber Staff
Zondra Skertich
Newsletter Coordinator
A native of Gardiner, MT, Zondra has traveled the world and lived abroad, but has always returned to the mountains of Montana – her favorite place in the world.
Building on her experience as a whitewater rafting photographer on the Yellowstone River, Zondra graduated from Montana State University with a degree in photography. She uses her background in graphic design and photography every week when putting together the Gardiner Community Newsletter. Zondra is also a massage therapist with her own practice in downtown Gardiner. An avid musician, Zondra can often be found performing around Gardiner, and throughout the region. She sits on the board of the Electric Peak Arts Council and enjoys promoting music and the arts in Gardiner.
When not working or playing music, Zondra can be found recreating in the local outdoors – hiking, bicycling, skiing, boating & gardening. She has hiked every trail in the Absaroka-Beartooth Wilderness and boated (raft, canoe & kayak) most of the Yellowstone River.
Frances Ragsdale Visitor Experience and Community Engagement Coordinator
Frances is a western woman at heart, although she spent years in the Midwest. She is one of those perpetual learners with too many degrees but insatiable curiosity. She was classically trained in comparative physiology from the University of Idaho and has numerous publications on record. She retired as a full professor from higher education with the advent of Covid19 and remote learning, returning to Yellowstone where she had spent several summers volunteering as an information specialist. Paradise Valley is her forever home.
