Meet the CO-OP Staff

Brian King holds an MS degree in Applied Psychology from Montana State University. Brian serves as the associate director for CO-OP. Mr. King has 20+ years’ experience working with American Indian Tribes, managing grants and supervising projects. Brian and his family are enrolled members of the Blackfeet Tribe and enjoy participating in their cultural customs and traditions.

Mariya Waldenberg is an alumni of MSU's College of Nursing, the Caring for Our Own Program and Ronald E. McNair Scholar.  Before joining the CO-OP team Mariya worked in the ICU of a Level 2 trauma center. Mariya followed her dreams, returning to MSU to support and teach Native nursing students by joining the CO-OP staff team and the nursing faculty.  Mariya is currently working on her Nursing PhD through the University of Missouri Columbia's distance learning program as a continuing McNair Fellow. Her research focus is Equine Assisted Therapy with a mental health emphasis in the Native population. Mariya is an enrolled member of the Northern Cheyenne Tribe.

Born and raised in Butte, MT, Raelene Schott, BSN, RN, is an alumna of the MSU College of Nursing and the Caring for Our Own Program. Prior to joining the CO-OP team in 2015, Raelene worked first at Shodair Children's Hospital in Helena, then as a surgical floor nurse at St. Peter's Hospital, where she continues to work as a charge nurse on a part-time basis. Raelene felt drawn to returning to MSU to support Native American nursing students due to her personal experiences as a CO-OP student. Raelene was recently admitted into the DNP program at Montana State University and will begin classes in Fall 2016. Raelene is a non-enrolled member of the Crow Tribe. 

Lisa Perry holds a Master in Business Administration and Bachelor of Science in Renewable Resources from the University of Wyoming.  Lisa serves as the Outreach Coordinator for CO-OP. Ms. Perry has 16 years experience working in American Indian and under served communities. Previous to CO-OP, Lisa worked in MSU’s American Indian/Alaska Native Student Support Service and the Office of Admissions. Lisa also teaches the US101 Freshman seminar course specific for new incoming Native American students. Lisa is an enrolled member of the Eastern Shoshone tribe, originally from Fort Washakie, Wyoming. In her spare time, Lisa enjoys family and watching sports of all kinds.   

Vikina Martinez is a junior majoring in Chemical Engineering here at Montana State University. She is the first in her family to attend college, and plans to obtain her masters in Chemistry and her doctorate in Physics. Besides being part of the CO-OP family, Viki works as a Research Assistant at the Corrosion and Sustainable Infrastructure Lab under the College of Engineering and is a TRiO scholar. She hopes to make a positive impact in her community and is very interested in helping other at risk youth have access to higher education.