Faculty & Staff
Dr. Christa Hayes (she/her)
Executive Director & Head of School
As an educator with over 20 years of classroom experience, Christa has a PhD in Mathematics and has won the President’s Award for Excellence in Teaching at Montana State University. Christa embodies a growth mindset in all aspects of her life, evident in her dedication to making mathematics learning accessible to her students and through routinely bringing the impossible to the realm of achievement in her athletic pursuits. She knows the importance of building trust with students (and parents!) in the learning relationship so that together they can find where the math gets fuzzy and do what is needed to ‘defuzzify’ and rebuild confidence. Christa's sense of humor and patience brings lighthearted energy to learning what is often a daunting subject.
Henry Hardin (he/him)
Teaching Assistant
Born and Raised in the Gallatin Valley, Henry is glad to say he has enjoyed many of the opportunities Montana has to offer. Growing up Henry spent his summers hunting fossils, gardening and identifying native plants. Throughout highschool he worked with the Montana Conservation Corps on a diverse set of projects across Montana, Idaho, and Wyoming. To remain dedicated and close to the place he calls home, Henry is currently attending Montana State University to become a licensed biology teacher.
Drawing from his studies and childhood, Henry believes that learning is at its best when closely tied to memorable real life experience. And above all he is excited to continue to learn with his students.
Rab Cummings (he/him)
Science, Language Arts, Literature
Born near Seattle, Rab enjoyed a highly unconventional and animal-filled childhood as the son of a veterinary science professor. He spent his youth paddling canoes through Canada’s hinterlands, deepening his love and understanding of the natural world. After earning his B.S. at the University of Montana, Rab dedicated his life to both formal and non-formal education in some of the wildest places on earth. Most recently Rab worked as an Expedition Leader and Naturalist for Lindblad Expeditions / National Geographic where he traveled annually between the coasts of Antarctica and Alaska, including work mentoring National Geographic Grosvenor Education Fellows. He has worked as the National Waterfowl Education Coordinator for Ducks Unlimited and as a Curriculum Writer for Project WET (Water Education for Teachers).
Rab enjoys tapping into his students’ natural curiosity and passion and encourages students to see the world in new ways. He creates a fun and positive learning environment where all students are encouraged to work hard and take risks. Rab believes that children should have a wide variety of experiences and abundant opportunities to express themselves as they grow and learn, and that his work at Peak Potential is the meaningful difference he can make in the community, the world, and in his own family.
Science, Project-based learning specialist
Dalton has worn various hats in the education world for the past 17 years. She has taught science at schools in Connecticut, Vermont, Colorado and Montana, supported teachers and programs in curriculum design and facilitated trainings in design thinking and project-based learning. She holds an M.S. in Science Education from Montana State University and a B.A. in Conservation Biology from Middlebury College.
Dalton values the balance of work and play and continues her pursuit of this equilibrium by running in the mountains whenever she can and adventuring with her husband and three daughters as often as possible.
Lauren Dixon (she/her)
Math, Science
Lauren grew up in rural Illinois and spent her childhood on the family farm exploring both land and water. Passionate about science from a young age she holds a degree in Biology and Marine Science from the University of Tampa. Lauren believes the most valuable learning experiences happen through challenging both the body and the mind and her life is testament to her belief. She has worked as an AmeriCorps volunteer, curriculum developer, team-builder, experiential science educator, wilderness guide, and most recently, establishing a small farm school in Bozeman, MT.
When she is not teaching Lauren's favorite pastimes are cooking the bounty of her gardening efforts and hiking the trails around Bozeman with her faithful dog.
Board of Directors
Tori Pintar
Chair of the Board (she/her)
Even though everyone told her an English degree was only worthwhile if she wanted to be a teacher, Tori chased what she loved and graduated with a BA in English. Her love of words, communication and story has been indispensable to her 13+ year career as small business owner in the Gallatin Valley.
She brings a gritty, can-do attitude and scrappy business skills to the Peak board and community. Having traveled with the students on their inaugural capstone expedition with Lindblad NatGeo to Alaska in 2021, she saw firsthand the impact the Peak education was having on its students and their families.
She joined the board to help support Peak’s mission and see that its reach grows to more in the Gallatin Valley.
Jim Bishop
Board Member (he/him)
Jim Bishop lives in Bozeman and is the founder and owner of Confluence Confluence Admissions Consulting, where he assists high school students with college readiness and college applications. Previously he served as head of school at Bozeman Field School, where he also taught humanities and social studies courses. He holds a BA in history from Bowdoin College, and MA in English from Middlebury College, and a Ph.D. in English from the University of Nevada, Reno. He is an avid hiker, paddler, and skier, and often can be found on trails around Bozeman with his dog, Waldo.
Heather Mooney
Board Member & Co-founder (she/her)
Heather co-founded Peak Potential with Christa in 2019 with the vision of supporting whole-person academic success. She brings her perspective from a lifetime as an athlete (D1 collegiate and professional) to the academic world in emphasis on process, aligned goals, and looking at the whole life picture when striving for performance. She recently completed her master's degree in Design Studies - Design for Human Health, specifically looking at how our built (and natural) spaces can support human well-being on the conscious and subconscious levels. After working as a collegiate Division I ski coach, Heather has returned to Vermont working for an architecture firm to help create built environments that optimize human and environmental health.
Patrick Hayes
Board Member (he/him)
Patrick has more than 18 years with Tracerco performing various operational and managerial roles in the upstream and downstream services areas. Patrick has worked in the upstream, midstream and downstream business units to enhance client’s production and help with gaining efficiencies. While working for Tracerco overseas Patrick was responsible for the operations and management of the projects performed in the North Sea, Europe, Middle East, and parts of North and West Africa.
In the US, Patrick has managed the Subsea and Reservoir business teams and is now focused on the reservoir business development to work with operators to gain operating efficiency for the North American Region.
His focus is on his family, the environment, enjoying the outdoors, helping others and he loves to fish.
Dr. Kim Nordby
Board Member (he/him)
Born and raised in Norway, Kim has close to 20 years of teaching experience. He has a PhD in Mathematics with a specialization in Mathematics Education, a master’s degree in English as well as a Physics minor. Kim has taught both high school and grade school level in Norway and university level in the US and he is the recipient of the Award for Excellence in Teaching awarded by Montana State University and the Bozeman Chamber of Commerce.
Having attended universities in three different countries, Kim draws extensively on his international background in his teaching. In his spare time Kim enjoys the outdoors and the activities the mountains of Southwest Montana have to offer.