About Us

Karen retired in 2014 after serving for 35 years as Executive Director of Area II Agency on Aging serving 11 counties in central Montana. In addition to providing a wide array of Older Americans Act services in Area II, she was instrumental in developing the Area II Guardianship Program and the Representative Payee Program through Social Security.

She was a founding member of Conservator Guardian Corporation of Montana (CGCM) and has served on the Board since its inception in 2009, serving as Chairperson and Secretary. She is a founding member of Montana Generational Justice, and is the current Chairperson.

After retiring, she moved to Billings and serves in the following capacities: as Treasurer on the Board of Directors of the Billings Senior Citizens, Inc. at the Billings Community and Senior Citizens Center; on the Board of Directors of Big Sky Senior Services in Billings, which is a home care agency; on the Advisory Board of St. Vincent Healthcare Foster Grandparent Program; and as Secretary of the Wellington Place Homeowners Association in Billings where she owns a home.

Susan has worked with the with Area IX Agency on Aging for over 35 years. Her jobs include Local Ombudsman, State Health Insurance Program counselor, Information and Assistance Technician, Reverse Annuity Mortgage counselor, and Program Manager for in-home services. She worked with Adult Protective Services, Summit Independent Living, Northwest Human Resources, et. al., on advance directive issues, creating a legal documents brochure outlining the need and benefits of developing powers of attorney, and educating her community on different legal resources available. Out of this endeavor, the group started the Western Montana Chapter for the Prevention of Elder Abuse, which started in Kalispell and expanded into Missoula. This program was for elders who were being exploited, could no longer handle their finances or were spending money but not paying their bills.  Susan has also taught classes at Flathead Community College for Certified Nursing Assistants (CNAs) regarding subtle abuse in nursing homes and rights of residents.  She is a founding member of Montana Generational justice and has served on the Board over 5 years.

Lisa is a lawyer and a librarian. She has served as Montana’s Legislative Librarian, a legislative attorney, a public librarian, the State Law Librarian of Montana, and the Executive Director of the Montana Innocence Project, which seeks to exonerate
the wrongfully convicted from prison. Lisa is currently in private practice in Missoula. She is passionate about access to justice issues and getting people connected to the legal resources they need. She has volunteered at a number of legal document clinics as well as helped draft Indian Wills. She volunteers with Montana Legal Services regularly and serves on the Western Montana Bar Pro Bono Committee. Lisa is President of the Sentinel High School Booster Club and she volunteers for a number of Missoula-area efforts including Habitat for Humanity Missoula, CASA of Missoula, Homeless Connect and the Big Sky Documentary Film Festival. Lisa serves on several State Bar committees including law-related education, technology, and continuing legal education.

Judy served as a professional law librarian for 35 years. She taught legal research for Providence University (formerly University of Great Falls) for 8 years. She was a visiting professor at the University of Washington, School of Law during a sabbatical. 

What she is most proud of was work she did as the Montana State Law Librarian for the Court. She chaired the Commission on Self Represented Litigants for 10 years. As part of that effort, plain language legal forms were approved for use in all Montana courts. Judy traveled around the state a few times each year with Judge Michele Snowberger, holding workshops for court personnel on customer service and the difference between legal information and legal advice. 

Judy also served on the Equal Justice Taskforce of the Montana State Bar for about 10 years. One practice she started (first in the country) was to train Vista workers and have them staff a limited legal advice clinic in the law library. She also chaired a working group for the Court that approved new rules on privacy in court documents. 

Judy’s volunteer work has included serving on the Boards of the Myrna Loy Centre, the Holter Museum, the Helena Education Foundation, the Foundation for Montana Public Libraries, and the Lewis & Clark Public Library (current.)

Since retirement, she has volunteered for Montana Legal Services (doing intake), conducted legal needs surveys around the state, and interviewed retired Montana Supreme Court Justices for their oral histories.  Finally, Judy has participated in several of the legal document clinics developed by MGJ. 

Doug has worked in aging services and advocacy for over 35 years.  He served as the State Long Term Care Ombudsman for over 13 years, developing the foundation for a statewide program.  For the next 14 years, he coordinated data collection and reporting for Aging Services statewide.  In addition, he wrote grants and coordinated the initial development of the statewide Aging and Disability Services program, the Alzheimer’s disease services grant, the Senior Farmers’ Market program, the statewide Respite program, and the Veterans Self-Direct  program. Upon retirement, he has worked for 8 years with the on-site legal documents clinic program.

Graduated from the University of Illinois in education. Master’s in Special Education from Eastern Montana College (MSU-B now). Supervised a regional special education program, establishing and providing services to rural and smaller districts in twelve counties in south western Montana. Advocated for disability rights with the Montana Independent Living Program; was a Special Education monitor for the Office of Public Instruction, assuring appropriate services were provided to students with disabilities; served as Manager of the Early Assistance Program, intervening in disputes regarding the appropriateness of special education services to students; provided consultation to schools regarding services under Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973; was Director of Special Education for Montana with OPI. Was a member of the leadership team for a large prayer group associated with the Catholic church, with as many as 150 members at times; provided leadership with organizing a spiritual conference at Carroll College for several years with as many as 2000 attendees. Managed the Intermountain Bus depot and started the Family Taxi service in a partnership with a close friend. Sold vacuum cleaners door to door for about a year – just threw that in to show I’m just a regular guy

Chris Manos has been an attorney for over 27 years in both private and government practice in Montana. He served as the director of the State Bar of Montana for sixteen years. He has worked with organizations and non-profits to assist in making accessible the delivery of legal services to all Montanans. He has worked at legal document clinics focusing on drafting the basic estate planning needs of Montanans. He continues to provide review and drafting of these documents for Montana Generational Justice and their Modest Means program.

Conservator and Guardian Corporation of Montana (CGCM) was established in 2009 to provide quality, flexible, client-centered guardianship and fiduciary services to clients and their families who are vulnerable, in need of support and assistance and unable to provide for their own needs.

CGCM works with other program partners to make available to its clients a wide array of wrap-around services to ensure all the client’s needs are met in a timely and efficient manner.

The array of comprehensive fiduciary and guardianship services that CGCM provides includes:

• Durable Power of Attorney (DPOA)
• Court established Guardianships
• Court appointed Conservatorships
• Financial & Planning Services for people living in the community, assisted living facilities, and retirement communities
• Trusts, Revocable Living Trusts and Special Needs Trusts

For more information on CGCM contact: (406) 422-3904