The Gallatin River Task Force welcomes Rick Donaldson to the Board of Directors. A Big Sky resident since 2010 and a river lover for life, Rick brings his life-long passion for rivers and financial acumen to the Task Force team.
A native of Michigan, Rick and his wife Michelle have owned a home in Big Sky since 2004. In 2010, after Rick retired from 31 years in the insurance business, they sold their farm, packed up their prized possessions, and are living the dream in Big Sky. After graduating from Western Michigan University in 1979 with a BA in Accounting, Rick began his career in the property and casualty insurance business. In 1985 Rick co-founded a specialty underwriting operation specializing in the insurance needs of governmental entities, which over the course of 25 years grew to serve over 2,000 governmental agencies throughout the Great Lakes Region.
A fly fisherman for over 40 years, Rick has spent many days and nights fishing the streams of Northern Michigan, with a fondness for the Ausable River, where he still owns a fish camp just around the bend from where Trout Unlimited was conceived and formed in 1959. Rick is active in the Big Sky Christian Fellowship, including a leadership role on the welcome team, where he spearheaded the adoption of a local portion of US 191 under the Adopt a Highway Program. Rick’s other passions include stalking bonefish and permit on salt water flats, skiing, scuba diving, hiking, golf, road tripping the West with Michelle, and planning for their upcoming move to the banks of the Gallatin River.
As the Task Force welcomes Rick to the board, we also want to take the time to wish Ben Almy luck as he embarks on his next adventure: law school at the University of Montana. A key volunteer of the Task Force since 2014, Ben served on the 2015/2016 Board of Directors and the Fly Fishing Committee. Although we miss Ben, we’re happy to hear he’s busy studying and chasing hogs on the Clark Fork.