Colleague of the Week: Janet Sedgley

So you live in Montana? And you lean Red? If you answered “yes” to both questions, then Janet Sedgley would love to hear from you.

Janet (Blue), is Braver Angels coordinator in Big Sky Country. In fact, she’s the only state coordinator there. Even though Montana is a deep-Red state, it’s one of the least populous, and it is far from easy to find volunteers for helping a non-profit such as Braver Angels. Her search for a Red co-leader continues. “It’s slow work to build up an organization,” she says.

But that hasn’t stopped her from making a big impact. Retiring in late 2017 from her leadership role in Accessible Technology Services at the University of Montana, she grew increasingly concerned about the growing political divide. “Once you’re no longer hanging out on campus every day, you’re much more aware of these kinds of issues,” she says.

Janet started looking for ways to help close up the divide, and when she found Braver Angels, she joined in a heartbeat. “I volunteered to be a state coordinator,” she recalls. “I tried to read everything I could on the site. I felt that I needed to know the whole organization.”

That translated into her initially helping to develop training materials for workshops and debates, and in her volunteering as a whip and participant manager on Braver Angels’ Zoom calls. She is filling big shoes: Kris Glenn, based in Billings, MT, has been a powerhouse of activity in the region before she stepped back to take care of family priorities.

Braver Angels’ presence in the Rockies has been largely online – the consequence not only of the pandemic but because of the vast distances and sparse populations in the region. (Montana is the nation’s fourth-largest state by area.) Initial enthusiasm for Zoom’s ease of operation led to a busy schedule of meetings every two weeks, involving members from both Wyoming and Montana. The gatherings were fairly free-form – no set agendas or topics. “What I found that brought the most energy into the Zoom room was people just sharing with each other — feeling they’re not alone, feeling that something can be done, feeling a little relief because of that,” says Janet.

But even with such flexibility in the meetings, the fortnightly pace demanded too much of Janet and her Wyoming colleagues – notably state coordinators Tom Brantley and Kris Korfanta. (Janet is already committed to working as one of two Braver Angels’ Zoom event managers for the nationwide film discussion each month.)

So today, the MT-WY get-togethers are monthly – and are likely to go to just once a quarter as Janet starts using her energies to put Braver Angels on a more solid footing in Montana. “I need the time to reach out to Helena and other towns,” she explains. There is already a small but enthusiastic group in Helena, the state capital; the Whitefish–Kalispell area has another group, albeit more dispersed. And in Red Lodge, there is a very active member who promises to be a strong local leader for Braver Angels. By visiting those cities and regions in person and virtually, Janet hopes to spur enough momentum to lay the groundwork for a Montana-specific alliance.

Janet notes that the number of Montana Braver Angel members has tripled since early pandemic days. She and her Treasure State colleagues have been helped by coverage from a local radio program interview. She is also working her connections in academia and has a potential partner in the political science faculty at the University of Montana. “That’s my goal – to get more connections like those made,” she says.

Go for it, Janet. The (big) sky is the limit.