There is no place Sunni is happier than adventuring in wild places. Born in Norway, raised in South Dakota, and living in Montana since 1993, Sunni is passionate about strengthening our connection, understanding, and access to the outdoors. Fishing and hunting has been a way of life since her youngest memories, and she attributes these experiences as the inspiration for her education and career in biology and natural resource management.

Sunni has worked with habitat projects and natural resource education for over 25 years and is glad to use this background to support the work of Backcountry Hunters and Anglers. She currently lives in Ennis and serves as the Madison Valley Board Representative. She has a 16-year-old son and a 21-year-old daughter, both of whom share her passion for the outdoors in their own adventurous pursuits.

Caleb Teigen, Gallatin Valley Board Member

Caleb is an avid outdoorsman with Montana roots dating back to the late 1800’s when his family homesteaded on the Little Missouri River near Capitol, MT. He has spent his life hunting, fishing, and recreating in Montana, South Dakota, Wyoming, and North Dakota. He now lives in Bozeman with his wife Jaime, daughter Lillian and spends the weekends in the mountains, on a river or the snow with those closest to him. When not benefiting from the vast landscapes of Montana, he is still able to enjoy the outdoors as a Construction Manager for Big Sky Resort.

Caleb is passionate about introducing people to the outdoors and truly enjoys teaching the necessary skills it takes to harvest, process, and cook wild game. He enjoys being part of the outdoor community and strives to protect our natural resources to ensure future generations can create the same memories we are.

Manning Rushton, Northeastern Montana Board Member

Born in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains in South Carolina, Manning grew up fishing the beautiful public waters in the region. While his dad was an experienced outdoorsman, the women in his family also fostered his passion for the outdoors. His mom took him on annual family trips to a coastal town where they would catch their favorite seafood: redfish, shrimp and crabs. After moving to Charleston, he pursued the bounty of fish and game the public swamplands and marshes provided.

In 2022, Manning moved to Montana to work as a Bison Specialist with American Prairie near Malta. He is proud to work for an organization that is ambitiously pursuing wildlife and habitat restoration while simultaneously opening up large tracts of land to public access.

Manning moved to Montana for its incredible public lands, waters and intact wildlife populations. As a Board Member, he is looking forward to fighting for the North American Model of Wildlife Conservation and the public land hunting and fishing that supports it.

 Josh Liljedahl - Missoula Valley Board Member

Josh grew up in western North Carolina in an outdoor obsessed family. Much of his childhood was spent fly fishing local streams, hunting whitetails or hiking in the mountains.  After earning his degree from North Carolina State University, he visited Utah a few times and fell in love with the west. After bouncing around a bit he recently settled in the Bitterroot Valley, where he spends his free time pursuing elk, fly fishing and mountain biking.

While introducing his wife, Charlotte, to hunting Josh realized the barriers to entry novice hunters face and the importance of having a good mentor.  This spurred him to get more involved with BHA.  He joined the Utah Chapter Board and launched and led their Hunting for Sustainability Program.  As part of the Montana Chapter board Josh, hopes to help preserve our wild places and public land hunting opportunities for future generations. 

Collin Peterson, Southwest Montana Board Member

Collin is a lifelong naturalist, who entered the hunting and angling community by way of the rough and tumble world of frog-catchers and garter snake-wranglers as just a wee lad. He followed his enthusiasm for wildlife and conservation throughout a 13-year career in biological research, a Bachelor's degree in Zoology from Oregon State University, and a Master's in Wildlife Biology from the University of Montana. Now a specialist in ungulate research and conservation, Collin has worked for various state agencies studying mule deer and moose, with a focus on habitat quality. He resides in Dillon, Montana, where he now serves as a project coordinator for the National Wildlife Federation, working to improve habitat connectivity for wildlife with an emphasis on pronghorn. Collin finds deep value in curiosity and connection to place and community, and seeks to apply these values through local conservation efforts and educational outreach. He is a terrible angler, but enjoys scaring fish, listening to elk run away, and wishing mule deer were 20 yards closer.

Micah Fields, Stewardship Leader

Micah grew up in Texas and attended the University of Montana to study English after serving four years in the Marine Corps as an infantry squad leader. While in Missoula, he worked as an outdoor educator and participated in local watershed rehabilitation projects. He is a lifelong volunteer and a firm believer in the power of collective action in the fight to maintain quality access to public land and water. His outdoor passions include wildlife habitat restoration, bowhunting, wild game cooking, and all methods of fishing. As the Stewardship Leader for the Montana chapter, he’s driven by the sense of accountability we have as forward-thinking hunters and anglers, drawing inspiration from Audubon’s assertion that “a true conservationist is a man who knows that the world is not given by his fathers, but borrowed from his children.” Micah now lives in Helena with his family, where he works as a writer and fly-fishing guide on the Missouri and Blackfoot Rivers.

John Acott, Events Leader

John has been a proud public land and waters owner and user for decades. Growing up John was fortunate to explore northern Wisconsin for seemingly endless summers and shorter adventures in the fall. Those early days gave an ineradicable dedication to all things outdoors. Public woods and waters gave access to miles of memories and endless opportunities to share with his seven children raised in the Chicago area. John has been able to explore much of the US in outdoor adventures but always favors time flushing (!) woodcock, grouse, wetting a line and slinging an arrow now and then. John is a former United States Marine and graduate of Marquette University. John also works with a foster child organization to introduce underprivileged youngsters to the outdoors via an outdoor camp in northern Wisconsin.

Luke Assenmacher, Marketing Leader

For the past decade, Luke has been on a relentless journey, crisscrossing continents and delving into the heartbeats of communities and their stories around the world. China, Morocco, Europe, Central America, Vietnam, & as of the last several years, you could find him hoofing it in the jungles of Hawaii chasing down billy goats or under a tree journaling sweet nothings.

Many would call him a “Digital Nomad”, regardless of the negative connotations, one thing is for certain he does know his way around the internet, where he has carved out a livin as founder of The Herd Studios, a full service video production agency.

Despite his globe-trotting adventures, Luke remains deeply rooted in his small-town roots, finding solace and inspiration amidst the rolling plains and tranquil rivers of Iowa and with amily in Montana. His work and optimism serves as a testament to the power of storytelling in engaging our youth & preserving the delicate balance of our ecosystems, ensuring that future generations inherit a world where wilderness and wild people thrive.

Board Members - Officers