Several years ago when I was Montana Teacher of the Year, I created a speaking showcase in my community of Arlee. We highlighted student speakers from my school as well as adults from the community. This event relied on the hard work of our fundraisers for its success, including items to give away to our speakers and audience. For help, I reached out to the State of Montana and met Andy Shirtliff, who worked in the Governor’s Office of Economic Development.
Andy provided items, and he arranged a financial donation. He even attended our event. It wasn’t the items, but the spirit in which they were given that says so much about Andy. His excitement about our event was contagious. Andy was thoroughly engaged in serving the people of Montana. He could easily have ignored my event and request but instead he came through in ways I could not have imagined.
As a Montana Public Service commissioner, Andy will bring the same positive problem solving to the PSC. He is dedicated to the people of Montana and to making smart decisions that will benefit us. I trust Andy based on my experiences with him. He is the right choice for PSC.
Anna E. Baldwin, Ed.D.
Written by Anna Baldwin – The 2014 Montana Teacher of the Year. She was the recipient of the 2015 Horace Mann Award for Teaching Excellence. She has received the Distinguished Educator Award and the Arlee Schools Teacher of the Year from the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes for her work with reservation youth.
