AARP Montana Welcomes Loraine Wodnik as New Team Member

AARP Montana is pleased to welcome Loraine Wodnik to the AARP Montana Office as the new State and Community Engagement Analyst.  “I am excited to join the AARP team as I have been impressed with the organization and the accomplishments that they achieve for Montanans,” Loraine says. 

Loraine Wodnik replaced Steve Reiter who retired after a 31-year career with AARP.  Steve was with the AARP Montana Office as the Senior Operations Specialist (SOS) since September of 2015.  Before coming to AARP Montana, Steve worked with AARP’s Senior Community Service Employment Program in Spokane, Washington.  “We greatly appreciate all Steve’s work, great attitude and work ethic and wish him the best in retirement as he moves to New Jersey to be closer to family and grandchildren,” said AARP Montana State Director Tim Summers.

Loraine was employed with the State of Montana for 25 years serving with the Departments of Natural Resources and Conservation, Justice, Revenue and Corrections.  During her tenure with the State, she served as a Budget Analyst, Administrative Officer, Accountant, Operations Manager, Fiscal Administrator and finally, as the Deputy Director – including serving seven months as Interim Director of Corrections. 

Since her retirement from the State in 2017 she has operated a successful consulting business providing expertise in state government operations and budgeting systems. 

While with the State, Loraine was awarded the prestigious Governor’s Award for Excellence in Performance for the State of Montana, the top award for state employees.  She was also awarded the Excellence in Leadership Award in 2015 by the Interagency Committee for Change by Women (ICCW).  She holds a Masters Degree in Public Administration from the University of Montana and a Bachelor of Science Degree in Accounting from California State University at Dominguez Hills.

Loraine has served on the AARP Montana Executive Council since 2021 and is a regular volunteer with Helena Food Share and donor for the American Red Cross. She and her husband Joe Wodnik are the parents of four grown children.

“We are thrilled that Loraine has joined our small but mighty team in the AARP Montana State Office,” said Summers. “And we are looking forward to working with her to further our mission to empower Montanans to choose how they live as they age.”