A New Angle

This week’s guest is novelist, journalist and podcaster, Chad Dundas. Chad earned his undergraduate and MFA degrees from the University of Montana and has published two acclaimed novels - champion of the world and the blaze. He’s covered sports for prominent outlets such as ESPN, The Athletic, and the Associated Press. In 2020, Chad and his brother Zack teamed up with another sibling pair Erika an...

This week’s guest is retired Brigadier General Colleen McGuire. Missoula-born and UM educated, General McGuire retired from the US Army in 2012 after an illustrious 32-year career, one in which she accomplished many firsts; the first woman to head the Army’s Criminal Investigation Command and become the Provost Marshal General. Following her critical work in addressing sexual assault and mental he...

This week’s guest is Ross Douthat, opinion columnist for the New York Times and author of several books on various topics including religion, American Decadence, and his experience with chronic Lyme Disease. In this conversation, we cover the change of conservatism and economic interests over the past few decades, and how Trumpism affected the interests of bi-partisan politics. Ross will be joinin...

This week’s episode is our February 2022 edition of incentives and instincts...a recurring series in which I speak with economist and friend, Bryce Ward, about some of the broader issues facing our society. In this episode we are joined by medical ethicist and University of Montana philosophy professor, Mark Hanson, to discuss the transition to a more normal coexistence with COVID-19 and how we sh...

This week’s guest is Andrew Connor, Director of the Center for Community Ownership, and organization that provides legal, financial and strategic help to communities that want to start and save essential local businesses. Andrew also helped launch CrowdFund Montana, a web-based resource that connects Montana businesses and organizations with Montanans who want to make local investments. In this co...

This week’s guest is Dr. Naomi Oreskes, the Henry Charles Lea Professor of the History of Science at Harvard University. Naomi is an internationally renowned earth scientist, historian, and author on the history of earth and environmental science, including most recently, Why Trust Science? and Science on a Mission: How Military Funding Shaped What We Do and Don’t Know about the Ocean. Dr. Oreskes...

This week’s guest is Dayna Swanson, System Director of Governance at Bozeman Health. Dayna is relatively new to this role after serving as Director of Government Relations for Seattle Cancer Care Alliance and State Director for US Senator Jon Tester. Dayna is passionate about public service and has come home to Montana to work in healthcare during an especially challenging time. In this conversati...

This week’s episode is our January 2022 edition of incentives and instincts...a recurring series in which I speak with economist and friend, Bryce Ward, about some of the broader issues facing our society. To kick off the new year, we’re bringing you our first annual prediction show. In this conversation, we cover our 2022 predictions for education, the economy, the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, as w...

This week’s guest is Dustin Lind, Director of Hitting and the Assistant Hitting Coach for the San Francisco Giants. Dustin is a graduate of UM’s school of Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation Science, and we’re grateful to chat with him in the off season during a visit to his home state of Montana. In this conversation, we cover how the intersection of his passion, ability, and the market- by way o...

This week’s guest is Ryan Busse, former senior executive in the firearms industry. Ryan's new book, Gunfight, is an intimate and revealing account of his experience in that industry, his growing disillusionment with it and his ultimate exit. In this conversation, we talk about rural household gun culture, the symbolism assault rifles take on in political division, and the rights and responsibiliti...

Today’s guest is Tailyr Irvine, a Salish and Kootenai photo journalist from the Flathead Indian Reservation. She is a National Geographic Explorer and her work has been featured in the New York Times, Washington Post, ESPN, CNN and the Smithsonian, among other prominent outlets. Tailyr is especially interested in representing the diversity within Native America and complex issues facing tribal com...

This week’s guest is the one and only J.K. Simmons, Academy Award winning actor and 1978 graduate of the University Montana. J.K. was recently in Missoula to film The Woods, a thriller he stars in, co-written and produced by his wife, Michelle Schumacher. J.K.’s reel of film and television credits is long and distinguished and he currently has two films in theaters: Being the Ricardos and National...

This week’s guest is Katie Deuel, Executive Director of Home ReSource, a non-profit community sustainability center in Missoula, Montana. Home Resource offers reused building materials, job training, education and zero waste programs. In this conversation, we frame up some ideas around closed loop systems, material supply chain disruption, and the links between community support and climate; all o...

This week’s guest is Rick Ridgeway, legendary alpinist, adventurer, activist and writer. Rick’s new book Life Lived Wild is a fantastic collection of adventure essays that trek through the deep relationships he forged with the outdoors and friends across shared objectives and profound experiences. In our conversation, we follow the cairns of Rick’s journey from the hills of the Los Angeles basin,...

Incentives & Instincts is a monthly series on A New Angle in which host Justin Angle speaks with economist Bryce Ward about some of the broader challenges facing our society. For the month of December, Bryce and Justin are joined by our dear friend Dr. Sara Rinfret, professor of Public Policy and Administration, and Acting Dean of University of the Montana's Blewett School of Law. Together, we bre...

This week’s guest is Doug Chabot, Director of the Gallatin National Forest Avalanche Center. Doug is a prototypical man of the mountains - he’s put up new climbing routes all over the world, been arrested by border guards in Tajikistan, rescued countless stranded mountain travelers, and built an incredible team and invaluable community resource at the Avalanche Center. With winter fast approaching...

Justin recently did an interview with Ashby Kinch, Associate Dean of the University of Montana Graduate School, for the Confluence Podcast. Check it out...and check out Confluence for more interviews with interesting folks at UM. https://www.umt.edu/grad/telling-our-story/confluence-podcast/default.php This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to...

This week’s guest is Elliott Woods, multimedia journalist based in Livingston, Montana. Elliott is a veteran and his work has been published in Outside Magazine, the New Republic, and the Wall Street Journal among other prominent outlets. In our conversation, we discuss Elliott’s recently released podcast, Third Squad: a powerful and sobering account of the war in Afghanistan and its enduring effe...

This week’s guest is Abe Streep, author of Brothers On Three, a chronicle of the Arlee Warriors boys basketball team’s amazing run of state championships and their role in promoting suicide prevention. In our conversation, we discuss the style of immersive journalism Abe pursued this story with, the systemic hurdles and technical fouls that the team and community faced, as well as the unique combi...

Incentives & Instincts is a monthly series on A New Angle in which host Justin Angle speaks with economist Bryce Ward about some of the broader challenges facing our society. This month, we discuss how the COVID-19 Pandemic has affected childhood education: from enrollment to social & emotional learning and the ripple effects yet to come. Transcript here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1s-Wi_B...

Brenda Solorzano is CEO of the Headwaters Foundation, an organization dedicated to a Montana in which all people, especially those most vulnerable, are healthy and thriving. Headwaters is a relatively young foundation and Brenda is a relatively new Montanan. But in a sort time, Headwaters has made incredible impact, not only though funding many organizations in need, but also doing so through new...

This week’s guest is Craig Hurlbert, co-founder and co-CEO of Local Bounti, an AgTech start up headquartered in Hamilton, Montana. The company’s ambitious mission is to scale production and distribution of high quality produce grown indoors, using 90% less water and land than traditional farming. Craig is a seasoned entrepreneur with deep experience in the energy sector and private equity. In our...

Today’s guest is Marty Mornhinweg, University of Montana Hall of Fame quarterback and a long time coach in the NFL. During Marty’s career, he coached five different pro-bowl quarterbacks, including Brett Farve, Steve Young and Donovan McNabb, won a Super Bowl with the Green Bay Packers in 1997 and served as the head coach of the Detroit Lions in 2001 and 2002. Marty recently launched the Camp Mart...

This week at MTPR we’re celebrating music and stories from 1971 to commemorate 50 years of National Public Radio. To celebrate this history, we’re joined today by UM College of Arts and Media professor Jeff Brandt. Perhaps best known for teaching UM’s most popular class, The History of Rock and Roll, Jeff lays down why 1971 was a pivotal year for the music industry and its reverb felt throughout A...

Incentives & Instincts is a monthly series on A New Angle in which host Justin Angle speaks with economist Bryce Ward about some of the broader challenges facing our society. This month the two consider income and wealth inequality. Is it a problem? And if so, what can we do about it? Transcript here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/17Fz5UDX4XAmrMVxezqD1eoOgven9rg7Rkj2Gb6AbTL4/edit?usp=sharing...