Big Sky SHRM Circle of Excellence

Our ability to celebrate and acknowledge the contributions made by those who have chosen the Human Resources profession is the founding purpose behind the Circle of Excellence Award. Established 2011, this award recognizes human resource professionals who have advanced our profession in a significant way. We celebrate our honorees who have served as a role model for their peers and community, acted as an education resource, set a standard of performance excellence, or advocated for relevant advancements in the profession.


2026 Circle of Excellence Guidelines

2026 Circle of Excellence

Congratulations Brittany Waiss!

Brittany Waiss, SHRM - SCP, PHR
Kettlehouse Brewing Company

Brittany is passionate about elevating the HR profession and is active in the HR community and several other professional organizations. Experience has shown her that organizations that put intentional effort into improving their communication and building strong company cultures not only see improved retention, higher-quality candidates, and increased job satisfaction but also see better bottom-line results.

Brittany has had several positions in the Big Sky Chapter, including president and is currently on the MT State SHRM Board. Brittany has actively supported Big Sky SHRM by presenting several times for the community partners (Pre-Ets, Voc Rehab and Youth Homes) to help the workforce of the future.

2025 Circle of Excellence

Congratulations Alona Simonovich!


Alona Simonovich, SHRM-SCP
Director of Human Resources People Solutions
Clearwater Credit Union

Alona is an experienced HR leader in the financial services industry who has elevated Big Sky SHRM through innovation and strategic vision. Having served as both Treasurer and President of our chapter, she now brings her expertise to the state level as the President-Elect of the MT State SHRM Council. She was instrumental in bringing Johnny C. Taylor as a guest speaker to the 2025 MT State Annual conference in Butte. In her role as president of Big Sky SHRM, she pioneered flexible networking solutions that kept our chapter thriving during the 2020-2021 Coronavirus pandemic. She consistently shows up as a leader that strengthens the HR profession and the HR community in Missoula.

2024 Circle of Excellence

Congratulations Deborah Derrick Gass, PHR, SHRM-CP

Deborah Derrick Gass, PHR, SHRM-CP     
Workforce Consultant
MTDOLI - Job Service Missoula

Deb Gass is an absolute volunteer rock star for the Big Sky Chapter of SHRM. She has served on the board continuously since 2009, volunteering in various roles including Membership, Marketing, President in 2016, and currently as Webmaster. Deb's outstanding organizational skills have been crucial in guiding the Big Sky SHRM Board through our annual responsibilities and tasks. She ensures that nothing drops through the cracks and does so with grace and compassion. We would be lost without her exceptional advice and institutional knowledge!

Deb started her HR career in the private sector and is currently a Workforce and Business Consultant with the Missoula Job Service, recently celebrating 20 years of dedicated public service. She is the go-to person for knowledge on employment law. When citizens contact the Job Service with employment law questions or on filing a complaint with the Department of Labor and Industry, Deb is able to seamlessly guide them through their concerns. She is very good at explaining laws in a way that make it easier for people to comprehend. In addition, Deb has been involved with many organizations including the Missoula Businesswomen's Network, Missoula Downtown Association and the Job Service Employers' Committee. She has served as the Montana SHRM State Council as Technology Service Director for the past two years, making major improvements to streamline processes and ensure the State Conference goes smoothly. Deb continuously demonstrates her dedication to the HR community and we are lucky to have served beside her.

2023 Circle of Excellence

Congratulations Jodie Rasmussen!

Jodie Rasmussen, SHRM - SCP, SPHR
Adult Education Director
The Lifelong Learning Center

Jodie was recruited to the Big Sky SHRM board by Barbara Blanchard in 2010 and has served in just about every position on the board except Treasurer.  She facilitated the Certification Study Group and became SPHR certified in 2013 and later obtained her SHRM-SCP certification.  In 2018, she became President and served on the Montana SHRM board for several years.

As a Montana Native, Jodie graduated from the University of Montana with a MBA and has spent most of her professional career working in Nonprofits and Education.  She has worked in HR/Management roles at Child Care Resources, Missoula College and for the past 19 years Missoula County Public Schools, most recently as the Adult Education Director.   Jodie has served on numerous committees and boards including Missoula Chamber Workforce Development, Community Management Teams, Job Service Employment Council, and Leadership Missoula.
  

Jodie has been married to her wonderful husband, Troy for 34 years and has two daughters and two grandsons. She spends every moment possible with her family at their cabin on the river in Thompson Falls, MT where she plans to spend her retirement.  

2022 Circle of Excellence

Congratulations Tina Hanninen!

Kristina (Tina) Hanninen SHRM-CP, PHR, PMP

Senior HRIS Analyst

Providence Health & Services

Tina Hanninen is a Senior Human Resource Information System (HRIS) Analyst at Providence Health & Services a comprehensive health care organization that employees 120,000 people. Tina started her HR career in 2004 at ELM Locating & Utility Services as a benefits administrator and worked her way into an HR Generalist role. In 2008 she accepted a position at St. Patrick Hospital where she worked for 5 years. During this time, she found that she had a knack for working with HR technology and finding ways to streamline HR processes which led to her current role in HRIS. In 2013 she was promoted to an HRIS Analyst position in the Providence Corporate office supporting the Talent Management and Compensation teams. She credits much of her career success to leaders who always believed in her and mentored her over the years; Don Malerk, Barbara Blanchard, Karyn Trainor, and Christi Zeigler.

Over the years Tina has volunteered to serve in various roles on Big Sky SHRM board and is currently serving as the Director of the Montana SHRM State Council. She loves the HR community and strives to give back to the HR profession.

2021 Circle of Excellence

Congratulations Adam Ragsdale.

Adam Ragsdale has been a member of the Big Sky Chapter of SHRM since 2011 and has been on the State Council since 2014.  He has had the opportunity to serve in a variety of roles such as Secretary, Webmaster, Workforce Readiness and President of the Big Sky Chapter in 2015 and Director of the State Council in 2019.

Throughout his professional career he has focused on the non-profit world.  After receiving his Bachelor of Arts in History from the University of Montana in 1999, he and his wife moved to Tucson, Arizona in 2001 and worked for the Primavera Foundation until they returned to Missoula in 2009 to take up the position of Operations Director of the Missoula Housing Authority.

Adam has always worked in an HR Shop of 1 and appreciates the variety that every day brings.  From recruiting, onboarding, disciplining and the occasional termination he has always been a “Jack of all trades and master of none”.  In addition, working in a small organization means that many of the “unwanted” tasks such as Safety, IT, Risk Management and other things are all hats he wears depending on the day.  After almost 13 years at the Missoula Housing Authority he can still say he’s never had the same day twice.

2020 Circle of Excellence

Congratulations Rebecca Morgan, SHRM-CP, PHR, for your contributions to the Missoula Human Resource Community. Thank you for sharing your Rebecca's Ramblings during our  virtual celebration! 

Rebecca was also nominated by the Big Sky SHRM Chapter and received the Montana State SHRM HR Leader of the year award for 2021.

2019 Circle of Excellence  

Congratulations Liesel Brink, SHRM-CP, PHR, for your contributions to the Missoula Human Resource Community.

2011 Circle of Excellence

 Congratulations, Mary Oestreich and Roberta Smith, Circle of Excellence award winners for 2011. 2011 Circle of Excellence Program

Mary Oestreich	Roberta Smith