EJ PORTH

Board Member of Outdoor Awesomeness

EJ was born and raised in Minneapolis. As a kid, she loved dress up and imagination. She spent summers at camp in northern Minnesota, first as a camper and then as a camp counselor. This means she loves to sing silly songs, jump around, and make friendship bracelets. She moved to Bozeman from Chicago in 2009 and has worked in the non-profit sector since she arrived. She first worked with women, children and teens at Haven and Bozeman Youth Initiative, and for the past ten years has been at the Gallatin Valley Land Trust, where she is now Associate Director.

Having seen first-hand how trails and open space build community, and knowing the barriers to getting outside that many people face, she loves that Random Acts of Silliness has created an inspired way for people of all walks of life to connect to our outdoor spaces.

In her free time EJ spends time with Team Porthski, consisting of her husband Pat Iwanski, their little one Stanley, and adorable mutt Oreo. She tries to channel her inner child whenever possible, throwing costume parties and spending the year planning the Porthski Halloween costumes. EJ and Pat even had a themed wedding! She also enjoys hiking, skiing, gardening, cooking, reading and driving down Montana backroads. If she had a magical power, it would be teleportation–no more cars or commuting, and more time with the ones she loves.

“Joy and wonder (and nature) are fundamental to a healthy and resilient individual and community. There are a lot of complex challenges facing our community. We will have a better chance of coming together to solve problems if we first nurture our inner child, stoke our imagination and ability to think outside of the box, connect with our neighbors, and cultivate hope for our collective future. More than ever, we need moments of silliness.”