Meet Our Team

Nicolle Fugere (Owner)

Nicolle has been a guide on the Missouri River since 2009 and owner of Missouri River Outfitters since 2017. She has degrees in Special Education and Elementary Education and taught Special Education for 4 years before taking over the company. Nicolle has a passion for her local community and follows that passion by serving on the following Boards and committees; Montana Tourism Advisory Council, Friends of the Missouri, Chouteau County Performing Arts, and Choco Fun.  Nicolle believes in giving tourists the true “Montana experience” by sourcing food locally, learning and teaching local history, and constantly educating herself in current events. She full heartedly believes in conservation and improvement. ” I have learned that life is like a river and one does not stand by idle but needs to flow with the changing current around them. I love releasing my inner child and being one with nature.” On the off season you will find Nicolle chasing my dreams and traveling all over the world in a search for lifelong adventure and exploration.

Jenice Fugere (Accounting and “Company Mom”)

Jenice is the company Mom extraordinaire. Jenice grew up ranching out of Circle, Montana. She got her Masters in Accounting and has her CPA. She has worked for Nance Petroleum, SM Energy and later in her career worked for GTUIT as an Accounting auditor.  When her daughter Nicolle moved to Fort Benton, she was right behind her. She is now retired but helps with all the ins and outs of the river company. She is our master baker and makes all the tasty treats for our guided trips. She is happy to jump in and help whenever and wherever she can. MRO wouldn’t be the same without our “company mom”.

Keith Edgerton (Guide)

Keith is a one-of-a-kind Missouri River legend. Keith is a professor of history at MSU-Billings and is the chair of the History Department. Keith’s lifelong passion for history is evident on the river when you hear his witty humor, sharing of off-the-wall facts and unforgettable presence. Keith has been guiding on the river since 2001 and stared working as a Missouri River Outfitters guide in 2004. Keith returns every year because, “I love the people that take part in these trips and I get the opportunity to share the unique history of the river with them. Due to the climate, the rivers’ landscape is unspoiled and one can get a true sense of what it was like hundreds of years ago. My goal is to make it a once-in-a-lifetime experience for everyone that has the opportunity to join me on the river.”

Lenette Edgerton (Guide)

Lenette started working with Missouri River Outfitters in 2010 and will do a couple trips with us a year. Lenette is very busy off the river as the CEO of the Rimrock Foundation, the largest addiction and mental health treatment center in Montana. Prior to working for the Rimrock Foundation, she was a pediatric nurse and is a graduate from the CIA (Culinary Institute of America). Lenette said that, “I get out on the river to renew the parts of me that don’t get nurtured in my day-to-day life. I guide because I have never met such a variety of neat people. So many fond memories have been formed on the river, both with my personal family and new friends. I enjoy seeing people’s eyes light up as they see the landscape around them”.

Nycole Henes (Guide)

Nycole embodies the true Montana spirit as one of the most dedicated, hard working women we know. She has been a part of the MRO Team since 2014. Her river name is “Sherpa” and if you are on her trips you will see why. Nycole has an undergraduate degree in marketing and international business and she is currently attending the University of Montana for her master in social work. After school she wants to follow her passion and work with kids who are phasing out of the youth care system. Nycole guides because “I get to show people an exceptional part of Montana that not very many people get to encounter. The abundance of history and the scenery of the area are distinctive and make for a rich, rewarding experience. I like to see people come with a sense of adventure.”

Kelly Engen (Guide)

Kelly or as we like to call him, “Kell Boy”, is a 3^rd generation Montanan, from Fort Benton, Montana. Kelly has been guiding for Missouri River Outfitters since 2015. One of Kelly’s passions is photography. The majority of photos on MRO’s website are curated by him. Kelly has his undergraduate degree in Social Science with an emphasis on psychology. On the river, Kelly’s desire to teach and learn are very apparent and he is often heard talking about the history, geology, birds and flora. Kelly guides year after year because, “The Breaks are a different quality of wild. The Breaks have a unique beauty and rugged quality that I have yet to experience elsewhere in the world. One of my favorite things on the river is to see guests from all walks of life getting to know each other and develop lifelong friendships and memories. I also love seeing guests conquer their perceived limitations, both mentally and physically. The joy in their eyes after they push past fears or the unknown is elating to see.”

Nici Selver (Guide)

Nici was swooped up by Missouri River Outfitter crew in 2017. Nici is very interested in the art of the area. She finds that art tells a lot of history and artists of note are Karl Bodmer, George Catlin and C.M. Russel. Nici teaches art at Hermiston High Schoo.l Nici’s paintings have won best in show in Pendleton and elsewhere. However, she doesn’t talk much about her extraordinary talent and often donates her lifelike portraits to charity events. Nici is a quiet, calm ad humble force on the Missouri. Nici guides because, “I enjoy unplugging from the outside world and diving into the peace and quiet of the river life. There are few places that one is forced to unplug from cell phones and modern technologies. The Missouri River Breaks are one of those special places that words cannot describe. People have to see it for themselves to understand what a picturesque and unique place it is.”

Logan Tweet (Guide)

Logan grew up on the Missouri a couple miles downriver from Fort Benton. Growing up in agriculture has taught him a lot about the “Montana way of life” and the areas unique history and challenges. From 2004-2007, Logan spent his teenage years working on the river as a guide for Missouri River Outfitters. After graduating from Fort Benton, Logan played college football and pursued his career in engineering. Logan is currently working full time for KLJ Engineering as a Civil Engineer. Logan came back to guide in 2017 to enjoy “vacation” time on the river. Logan guides because, “I love the river and breaks country. It is a big part of me and where I am from. The river has always been a part of who I am. I love sharing that with people.”

Jacquelynn Bomgardner (Guide)

Jacquelynn grew up in a large family of nine siblings in Loma, Montana. Growing up, she spent a lot of time floating with her family on both the Missouri and the Marias River. Jacquelynn’s family has a long history of catering events and it shows in her culinary skills.  Jacquelynn helps on a local farm and works for MaxAg of Montana conducting soil sampling for farms in the “Golden Triangle”. During the winter months, she works at the Montana State Capital. Jacquelynn guides because, “I love being on the water and what better way to spend your summer? I have a love for the local area and history. It’s not a job when you are on everyone’s vacation. I get to meet people from all over and from all walks of life. It’s the scenery that started me on the river and the people that keep me coming back for more.”

Aissa Wise (Guide)

Aissa has a passion for rivers, the non-profit world, humans and history. Aissa graduated from the University of Montana Western in 2016 with a degree in environmental science and history. She works for a non profit called the Watershed Education Network where she leads citizen science and stream monitoring efforts. Her job entails looking at water quality, biology communities (aquatic bugs), and how physical properties of streams and rivers change over time. Aissa loves to teach people what healthy stream life looks like and is quick to educate our clients on the Missouri Rivers history, aquatic properties and flow history. Aissa said “I enjoy guiding on the river because I get to experience and hear everyone’s unique life stories. I like experiencing the breaks beauty in the stars, bugs, history, water, sunsets, sunrises, geological wonder and magnificent storms.”

Heather Graham (Guide)

Heather has made the Missouri River a part of her life since she started guiding in 2014. She is a woman of many trades. She is a small engine mechanic, teaches people around the state how to process game, works on a crabbing boat in the winter, and is passionate about empowering women. She is a modern-day pioneer and is constantly teaching and learning new hobbies in life. Heather grew up in a large family and enjoys her role as the “big sister” to her siblings. Heather said’ “I enjoy everything about the Missouri. I am proud to have that muddy water flow through my veins. It’s a magical place that draws extraordinary people to come explore all she offers.”

Anne Schuschke (Guide)

Anne grew up close to Glacier National Park in northwest Montana. She spent summers at her family cabin, tromping through the woods and playing in creeks, keenly focused on building forts, making mud pies, and searching for interesting creatures. “No rock was left unturned.” She has always been a collector of beautiful nature specimens: rocks, feathers, pressed flowers, etc. Her love for Glacier and the surrounding area led her to study biology, ecology, geology, fine arts, and organic farming at the University of Montana. While studying, Anne continued spending her time in the outdoors working in Glacier National Park as a captain on a historic boat and in Alaska as a seasonal naturalist in Denali National Park. She has returned to Glacier to work as a winter education ranger, leading school snowshoe trips and ecology lessons in the park, and has since transitioned to teaching early elementary PE in Browning, MT. In July 2019, Montana Gov. Steve Bullock appointed Anne to a new eighteen member Grizzly Bear Advisory Council, designed by executive order to facilitate a statewide discussion on long-term grizzly bear management and conservation. In her free time, you can find her backcountry snowboarding, splitting firewood, mountain climbing, or playing with her plants and dogs.

Nate West (Guide)

Nate was born and raised in Omaha, Nebraska and currently resides in North Carolina. Having the mountains and beach in such close proximity are great! However, Nate thinks that there is something beyond special about wide open spaces of the western United States. Those wide-open areas always draw him back and make him feel at home. Nate spends a lot of his free time working on an electrical engineering degree. When he isn’t on the river or doing school work, you can often find him enjoying the outdoors hunting, fishing and exploring our amazing world in person and on pages. Nate enjoys making and enjoying art of all different flavors. “I can’t wait to meet you and be a part of your adventure on the river!”

Sarah Lucero (Guide)

Sarah grew up with the Mission Mountain Range in her backyard in St. Ignatius, MT. She has always been inspired by the endless amounts of things to learn and grow from while experiencing the outdoors with friends and family. She has spent the last few years landscaping in Missoula, MT, and working with Anabranch Solutions, a low-tech restoration based process where she tackled riverbank restoration in a sustainable, natural process. She worked with Inner Roads Wilderness Therapy as a guide for at-risk youth and has experience in Wilderness Medicine with Aerie Backcountry Medicine. Sarah is passionate about getting into the mountains to snowboard and take cold water therapy dips in the river during the winter months in Montana. “One thing I really love about being on the river, is the sense of stillness you get to experience while still in motion. It gives you time to sit, while still experiencing stunning landscapes, wildlife and the opportunity to learn the history of the area. I look forward to experiencing those moments with the guests on the Missouri river.”