Student adviser Margo Heberling draws no distinct lines between her life and her work on campus and in the community.
“Not only am I a member of the campus, I’m also a small business owner and a member of the community,” Heberling said. “You can make real contributions to each by being a part of all those.”
Aside from her full-time work at Montana Western, Heberling keeps herself busy at the Beaverhead Chamber of Commerce. She is a past president and is now serving her fourth term on the Chamber’s board of directors. Heberling said she became involved with the Chamber to become connected to the community outside the UMW campus.
“The Chamber serves as a connection and resource for the community and visitors,” Heberling explained. “I think it has a direct impact on the viability of the community.”
Heberling also sees an important connection between her work at the Chamber and Montana Western.
“Together, as a partnership, the campus and community can be all the more effective in becoming a better community as a whole,” Heberling said. “I see part of the Chamber’s role as a bridge between the campus and the community, and it goes both ways.”
Heberling also volunteers time with the Beaverhead Sno-Riders, a group supporting snow recreation in southwestern Montana. She and her fellow volunteers operate a club that helps fund the Sno-Riders and grooms over 100 miles of trails in the area.
Heberling is also an organizing member of the UMW Staff Appreciation Committee. And if the constant extra time and energy she contributes every week wasn’t enough, she and her husband Ken also operate Dillon Dairy Products.
