Our Staff

Christopher Borton
Born in Augusta, GA in 1963 and raised in Santa Rosa, CA, Christopher is co-founder and director of Sage Mountain Center. He has traveled throughout the United States, and after moving to an Orthodox Catholic Monastery, he went on a pilgrimage throughout Europe, India, and Nepal, which lasted three years. He worked in Switzerland for two years on staff at Foundation Hannah as the vegetarian chef. Chris has been a practitioner of meditation and yoga for over 20 years and was certified in yoga instruction from the Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Center in 1990. As a fourth generation homebuilder with a background in music, his current hobbies include playing percussion and freestyle figure skating.

With over 16 years experience in solar and wind energy and eco- building, Chris continues to consult with and give lectures and seminars to students, homeowners, businesses throughout the state. Sage Mountain Center currently collaborates with NorthWestern Energy, Montana Department of Environmental Quality, and Montana Dakota Utilities to promote green energy options to their customers, and Chris is vice president of the Montana Renewable Energy Association (MREA).

Linda Welsh
Linda Welsh is co-founder and administrator of SMC. Born and raised in Northern California, Linda developed a love of philosophy and religion at a young age. As a teenager, Linda had the opportunity to travel with various musical ensembles throughout Europe, Scandinavia and South America, which inspired her interest in sustainable living. In 1989, she graduated from Dominican College with a Bachelors degree in Nursing Science and was awarded Outstanding Student of the Year and Valedictorian. Linda is a student of music, our bioregion and of yoga with a teacher’s certification from the Integrative Yoga Therapy School. She has worked as a Registered Nurse since 1989, and with an MA in Transformative Learning and Change, is now shifting her emphasis from nursing towards program development at SMC. She is devoted to discovering ways of living which are personally fulfilling and protective of the earth.

Linda K. Borton
Linda, a native Californian, mother of four and a grandmother, moved to Montana in 2003 after spending half of her life as a hair dresser and bookseller. She has embarked on a new journey, closer to family and in the company of the Rocky Mountains. An environmental activist whose travels have inspired her life long appreciation of the planet and all things in the natural world, Linda is continuing to expand her understanding of deep ecology and orient herself to the splendor and distinctiveness of this place. A supporter of SMC since its inception, She is currently working as projects assistant in support of SMC operations. She is a yoga practitioner, avid reader, film buff, and has recently taken up kayaking and mat cutting / framing.

Warren L. Hill VI
Born in Columbus, GA in 1958, Warren was raised in Los Angeles County, CA and started working in the grocery business at 16 years old. He retired from the business after 30 years of service and moved to Montana in 2004 to join SMC as Project Assistant. Warren has been coming to SMC for years on vacation/retreats and decided to make the move towards a simple natural life.  He is a vegan, yoga practitioner, and avid reader.