NextGEN Leadership Team oversees the four Action Teams: Connect, Inspire, Learn, and Grow. Each Action Team works to carry out various functions of the NextGEN mission. If you’re interested in learning more about any of these Action Teams, please contact cathy@BillingsChamber.com. Find details on upcoming meetings and events by visiting our Facebook page.

Connect


NextGEN Connect is led by Jaidyn Simmons and Reilly Parisot.

NextGEN Connect is the Social & Community Engagement Committee working to provide opportunities for relationship building within NextGEN and the community. They organize the monthly NextHOUR events as well as no host social opportunities to gather with fellow NextGEN members. Some of these events are family friendly.

Inspire


NextGEN Inspire is led by Hannah Olson and Bo Bruinsma.

NextGEN Inspire works with students residing in Billings, Montana to help them build a professional network, offer resources for career development and retain incoming young professionals.

Through Inspire, students at both the high school and college level are invited to mocktail events twice annually. These events, held in the fall and spring, allow students to practice networking with young professionals. Additionally, many students arrange job shadow and/or internship opportunities through their interactions with NextGEN members.

Further, Inspire functions as the liaison between student programming and our NextGEN young professionals. NextGEN members in this group may attend student career and internship fairs, help find internship and job shadow opportunities, serve as career resources for students interested in learning more about a certain pathway, and help those considering Billings as a place to work to learn about and connect to the community. Inspire also offers mentorship between students and NextGEN members. Learn more here. If you are a NextGEN member and interested in serving as a mentor for a student click here.

Inspire does not hold regular meetings, but does often seek volunteers to meet with students for short periods of time.

Learn


NextGEN Learn is led by Kennedy Langel and Sonya Scheetz.

NextGEN Learn is focused on identifying opportunities for professional development. The committee meets monthly to come up with ideas and put plans in place for professional opportunities.

NextGEN Learn organizes two major NextGEN programs annually: the Professional Development Series and the NextGEN Mentorship Program.

The Professional Development Series is held annually from January through May (with one session each month). The theme of each series changes and caters toward young professionals.

The Mentorship Program pairs NextGEN members with season professionals to aid in professional and personal growth.

Grow


NextGEN Grow is led by Sarah Schroefel, Sarah Gunn, and Cody Reitz

NextGEN Grow is focused on growing NextGEN as a thriving organization within the community of Billings. Emerging leaders and professionals from all industries are encouraged to join. A sub group of the Grow Team is the NextGEN Ambassadors.

Grow focuses on onboarding new NextGEN members, helping to retain current members, and encouraging young professionals to join through a sub committee called Ambassadors of NextGEN. In addition, Grow organizes the monthly CoffeeHour events, a morning opportunity to network and discuss varying topics with a community leader.