Business and Tech Career Panels Connect Industry & Education Across Three Cities
This August, the Montana High Tech Business Alliance and Montana Jobs Network partnered with the Office of Public Instruction to host a three-city career panel series in Billings, Great Falls, and Missoula. The series highlighted the breadth of Montana’s technology economy and the shared commitment of educators and industry to prepare students for the future of work.
August 29, 2025
By Christina Henderson
This August, the Montana High Tech Business Alliance and Montana Jobs Network partnered with the Office of Public Instruction to host a three-city career panel series in Billings, Great Falls, and Missoula. As part of professional development training for business and technology educators, the conversations brought educators together with technology leaders to explore workforce trends and how to prepare students for success in Montana’s innovation economy.
In Billings, panelists emphasized how quickly artificial intelligence is reshaping the workplace. While technical expertise remains important, they noted that adaptability, problem-solving, and communication skills are becoming even more decisive as AI changes how work gets done.
In Great Falls, panelists stressed that good judgment and continuous learning matter more than credentials alone. “At the end of the day, I hired people for their judgment. That’s what matters most, not a certification, but how you apply your knowledge to make good decisions,” said Rob Worden, President and CEO of Vision Net.
Devin Gray, Director of Engineering at Figure, added, “The best engineers are the ones who do the assignment exactly as asked, and then a little extra.”
Justin Jones, Chief Information Security Officer at D.A. Davidson noted that while technology evolves, the core challenges in cybersecurity remain: “We’re still fighting the same security challenges we saw 20 years ago, but AI is speeding up both sides. It helps defenders and attackers alike.”
In Missoula, conversation centered on workforce culture, access, and the expectations of the next generation. “We’re at an era of compressed opportunity,” said Ian Caltabiano, Director of Technology at Ten Point Data. “For the first time, a student with barely decent internet has the same economic opportunity as someone at a top school.”
Maddy Ouelette, Production and Entertainment Manager for the Missoula PaddleHeads, emphasized resilience and problem-solving: “I try to put interns in situations where they have to grow. Critical thinking is something this generation really needs to develop.”
Sarah Jones, Chief Banking Officer at First Security Bank, encouraged educators to reframe performance conversations: “Feedback is a gift. If your manager gives you feedback, it means they care enough to help you grow.”
Across the series, several themes resonated:
AI is accelerating change in every field.
Partnerships matter to connect students with real-world work.
Careers take twists and rarely follow a straight path.
Workplace culture is evolving as expectations shift across generations.
Tech touches every industry from finance to photonics to sports.
The series highlighted the breadth of Montana’s technology economy and the shared commitment of educators and industry to prepare students for the future of work.
About the Publisher: Launched in 2014, the Montana High Tech Business Alliance is a nonpartisan nonprofit association of more than 200 high tech and manufacturing companies and affiliates creating high-paying jobs in Montana. For more information, visit MTHighTech.org or subscribe to our biweekly newsletter.
The Montana Jobs Network (MJN) was established in 2001 as a 501(c)3 charitable nonprofit to promote skilled workforce development in Montana, and in 2023 became affiliated with the Montana High Tech Business Alliance (MHTBA). Montana Jobs Network shares staff and resources with the MHTBA, but is governed by an independent board of directors. For more information visit MTHighTech.org/montana-jobs-network.
About the Author: Christina Henderson has served as executive director of the Montana High Tech Business Alliance (MHTBA) since its launch in April 2014. She holds an English/Education degree from the University of Iowa and an MBA from the University of Montana. She is also the executive director of the Montana Jobs Network, a 501(c)3 charitable nonprofit to promote skilled workforce development in Montana that became affiliated with the MHTBA in 2023.
