Cristina Goettsch Mittermeier, 36, a native of Mexico, is a conservation photography.
She holds a degree in biochemical engineering from the Monterey Institute of Technological and Advanced Studies.
She completed fieldwork in the Yucatan Peninsula and the Gulf of California in Mexico and has visited 33 countries to further her complementary interests in conservation and photography.
She studies photography at the Corcoran College for the Arts.
She speaks fluent Spanish, English, and Portuguese, and is a professional scuba diver.
Mittermeier has written scientific articles and co-authored several coffee-table books that showcase conservation strategies to preserve global biodiversity.
She moved to Great Falls in 1991 with her husband, Russ Mittermeier, president of Conservation International. Their children, Michael, 10, and Juliana, 6, are enrolled in the Japanese Immersion Program at Great Falls Elementary School.
--Beverly Crawford