Board Members
Who We Are
Our dedicated board members bring heart, strength, and passion to their roles, deeply motivated by their own personal experiences. These experiences have profoundly impacted their lives, inspiring a commitment to our cause that is both unwavering and deeply personal. This collective dedication drives our mission forward, ensuring we provide steadfast support and comprehensive assistance to those affected. Their empathy and resolve form the backbone of our organization, fostering a community of care and resilience.​
Every donation directly supports families facing this disease. As dedicated volunteers, we are profoundly aware of the pain this disease causes, and we are committed to ensuring that future families diagnosed will have immediate access to essential medication. Our hearts are with these families, and we are unwavering in our mission to provide them with the support they need.
Rachel Markovich
Founder
Rachel grew up in Butte, Montana. Following high school, she studied Business Management and Marketing at the University of Montana and graduated in 2008. She went on to live in Newport Beach CA and Chicago where she worked in the beer and wine industry. She made her way back to Montana in 2014. From 2014-2022 Rachel worked in sales management and marketing for Summit Beverage. She now serves as the Executive Director for the Markovich Family Foundation. Rachel has a deep passion for philanthropy and giving back to the community. She now resides in Missoula with her husband and two children.
Maureen Markovich
Director
Maureen brings her broad experience from a 40-year career in nursing to the Board of Directors and will provide professional oversight to VEO Guardians. A seasoned professional, she has provided direct patient care and leadership in multiple healthcare settings. Her life experience raising a family brings perspective to communication and collaboration.
Palliative Care at Providence St. Patrick Hospital was a recent professional role. Guiding a starter program to success through creative collaboration, Maureen and her team of professionals worked to increase awareness of the Palliative Care specialty and improve access to palliative care in all settings- home, hospital, clinic, long term care and telehealth.
Passionate about patient advocacy, Maureen is dedicated to easing the way for others. She meets challenges navigating complex systems with the overarching goal of supporting others with compassion and kindness.
Maureen holds a BSN from MSU and completed many years of leadership education. She is mother to Rachel Markovich, Founder and Executive Director of VEO Guardians and two sons, and is blessed with six grandchildren. Living in Missoula, she enjoys gardening and travel.
Maureen is excited and proud to bring her skills and experience to this noble cause.
Lindsay Warner
Director
Lindsay studied at Portland State University and Euromed Ecole de Management in Marseille France, graduating with a BA in Business Finance in 2008. Prior to that she studied Elementary Education and was a cheerleader for the Montana Grizzlies in her hometown. Lindsay believes in building strong local communities and lives life by giving freely. In her free time, she enjoys music, dance, creating art, fishing, hiking, skiing, and traveling the world. She’s at home in Whitefish, MT.
Kelly King
Director
Kelly was raised in Missoula, MT, and after high school attended MSU-Great Falls where she graduated from the Dental Hygiene program. After college, she worked for over ten years as a Dental Hygienist in Missoula.
Kelly now lives in Hamilton with her husband and three young children. She is taking on the role of stay-at-home Mom for the next few years until all of her kids are in school. In between the shuffle of youth sports and activities Kelly enjoys volunteering in her community and helping local organizations.
Amy Peterson
Director
Amy was born and raised in Eastern Montana and after high school attended Rocky Mountain College in Billings, MT where she graduated with a degree in Business and Accounting. In 2015, she moved to Missoula to serve as the CEO for the Ronald McDonald House Charities of Western Montana. Amy took on the role with no nonprofit or fundraising experience and didn’t know anyone in Missoula. However, because of a personal experience of staying at a Ronald McDonald House, she knew the importance of the organization and was ready for the challenge. Amy later received an Executive Leadership Certification from Kellogg University in Chicago, IL and has tripled the size and reach of RMHC of Western Montana. Today, Amy continues to have a true heart for the nonprofit sector, she is an accomplished fundraiser and leader and she is dedicated to making a positive impact by serving and caring for others.
Kelly Schuh
Director
Born and raised in Spokane, WA, Kelly earned a Bachelor of Arts in Business Administration and Human Resources from Eastern Washington University and a Master of Arts in Organizational Leadership from Gonzaga University. She spent the first ten years of her career in the paper products & utilities industry. During this time, Kelly met her husband through their mutual interest in music. In 2006, Kelly relocated to Rochester, NY where she worked in Human Resources for Oldcastle Building Products.
After 10 years spent on the east coast, Kelly, her husband, and their two daughters relocated back to the Northwest in August 2015, making their home in Missoula, MT.
Before joining the board for VEO Guardians, Kelly served 6 years on the Board of Directors for Mountain Home Montana, a Missoula based not-for-profit that provides shelter for young mothers needing a safe place to live and a network of support while they create stable and nurturing homes of their own.
Kelly currently teaches fiddle part-time as well as serving as the President of the Montana State Old-Time Fiddler’s Association, a not-for-profit focused on the preservation and performance of traditional old-time acoustic fiddle music throughout the state of Montana. She also plays upright bass in a Missoula based bluegrass band. In addition to music, Kelly enjoys hiking, golfing, camping, fishing, skiing & spending time with family & friends.
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Patty Weimer
Director
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Patty completed her education at Montana State University, graduating with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing in 1982. Beginning her career at Missoula Community Hospital, where she worked on the surgical floor, she continued her career at North Valley Hospital, in Whitefish. Patty worked in case management, home health, and multiple clinic settings during her career.
With a young family, Patty transitioned to the home, becoming in those years the COO of the Weimer household, managing the home, raising two children, and supporting her self-employed husband with the family business, a large enterprise employing over 200 people. In this capacity, she managed administrative, clerical, and real estate transactions.
Patty’s interest in education and literature led her to contribute to her community through volunteer work in the local school district, the library, her church, and the election board. Teaching resource classes in the school as well as assisting in the classroom, Patty also taught Sunday school for three years and served on the board of her church as chairman for two years. Sharing her love of reading, Patty has led a variety of book groups; as facilitator of an Idaho Humanities Book Discussion Program at the local library, and for many years in a retirement home.
Now living in Missoula, Patty has cultivated an interest in writing and culture. She received her copywriting certificate in 2023 and volunteers as a docent at the Montana Museum of Art and Culture. Patty enjoys working at Peak Health and Wellness and substitute teaching in Missoula County Public Schools.
Patty is honored to serve on the Board of VEO Guardians, supporting their mission of helping children and families in need.