Board of Trustees

John Engebretson

FVCC Board of Trustee-Chair
1991-Present

Kalispell native John Engebretson was elected to the Flathead Valley Community College Board of Trustees in 1991.  A graduate of Flathead County High School, Engebretson served in the United States Army and earned a Bachelor of Arts from St. Olaf College in Northfield, Minn.  Following his service, Engebretson returned to Kalispell with his brother-in-law to operate a concrete, gravel and general construction business.  After selling that business, he worked for the Montana Department of Labor and Industry for over 20 years and retired as a supervisor at Kalispell Job Service.  This is his ninth year to serve as Board chair.

Robert Nystuen

FVCC Board of Trustee
2002-Present

Glacier Bank President Robert Nystuen was elected to the Flathead Valley Community College Board of Trustees in 2002 and serves as vice-chair.  A native of North Dakota, Nystuen earned a Bachelor of Science from the College of Agriculture at North Dakota State University.  His career in banking has spanned over 32 years, primarily in Montana including Havre, Bozeman, Livingston, Miles City and now Kalispell.  Nystuen came to the Flathead Valley in 1996 and serves on the Board of Directors of the Flathead Food Bank, Montana West Economic Development, Kalispell Downtown Association and as a member of the Flathead Business and Education Council.  He resides in Lakeside with his family.

Thomas Harding

FVCC Board of Trustee
1990-Present

Tom Harding, born and raised in Whitefish, graduated from Whitefish High School and attended The University of Montana before serving in the Vietnam War.  He grew up in his family's building materials business and eventually, after years of ski patrolling and saw milling, took on managing the operation until its closure in 1992.  Today, he is employed by The Home Depot and his wife, Sue, is and educator at Kalispell Middle School.  Tom was elected to the FVCC board in 1990 and has served in the various board offices and on many committee assignments. Tom and his family continue to reside in Whitefish, just a few blocks from where he was born and raised. Tom likes to say he's traveled a long ways in a short distance.

Mark Holston

FVCC Board of Trustee
2001-Present

Mark Holston joined the Board in May 2001.  He is an FVCC graduate and pursued other studies at Florida State University.  A former FVCC faculty member, he taught video production and was part of the staff of Total Community Education, a national pilot project to use cable television as a delivery system for education and community service programs. A print and electronic media journalist for four decades, he has been published in numerous national publications and reported for various national television networks. He was a founding and voting member of LARAS, the Latin Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences.  He currently serves as Public Information Officer and Project Coordinator for the Flathead Basin Commission. His community involvement includes chairing the Flathead County Local Emergency Planning Committee and leading Cocinando Latin Jazz Ensemble, renowned as one of Montana's most popular and distinctive music performance groups.  He lives in Kalispell with his wife, Marcy.

Tom McElwain

FVCC Board of Trustee
2008-Present

Deer Lodge native Tom McElwain was elected to the FVCC board of Trustees in October 2008.  He is a graduate of Missoula County High School and earned a Bachelor of Science degree from The University of Montana in 1968.  He retired from Montana Power Company in 2000 after holding various administrative and management positions in Butte, Bozeman and Seattle.  He and his wife Carol moved to the Flathead Valley in 2003 where he opened offices for Stewart Title Company.  Currently retired, McElwain serves as a Trustee of Northwest Health Care/ Kalispell Regional Medical Center, Director of The Glacier Institute, Kalispell Rotary Club, Kalispell Chamber of Commerce and other community organizations.  He retired as a Lieutenant Colonel from the Montana Army National Guard in 1987 after 25 years of service.

John Phelps

FVCC Board of Trustee
2007-Present

Whitefish City Attorney John Phelps was elected to the Flathead Valley Community College Board of Trustees in June 2007.  A practicing attorney for over 30 years, Phelps earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Wichita State University and a Juris Doctor degree from The University of Kansas School of Law.  He also serves on the board of the Whitefish Community Foundation, the Bob Marshall Wilderness Foundation, the Whitefish Rotary Charitable Fund and the Haskill Basin Watershed Committee.  He resides in Whitefish with his wife, Melisa.

Ralene Sliter

FVCC Board of Trustee
May 2006-Present


Ralene Sliter came to the Flathead Valley in 1979.  She joined the FVCC Board of Trustees in May 2006. She has served on the FVCC Foundation Board since 2000 and has played an instrumental role in raising money for student scholarships by assisting with the planning of Foundation special events such as Christmas Tree Excellence and Springtime in the Rockies.  Sliter graduated from Valparaiso University in Indiana where she majored in history and geography and then worked for IBM in Chicago before becoming a full-time mom to raise her four children.  She formerly served as League of the Glacier Orchestra president, member of the Glacier Orchestra Board and hospital volunteer at Kalispell Regional Medical Center.