OPI logo

Vacant


Chief Legal Counsel

Work-Related Duties:

  1. Manages the legal division
  2. Counsels the agency on legal matters
  3. Responds to public inquiries of a legal nature

 

Brenton Craggs

 Brenton Craggs

406-444-5882
Lawyer

Work-Related Duties:

  1. Counsels the agency on legal matters.
  2. Responds to public inquiries of a legal nature.
  3. Participates in intra-agency committees and teams.

Brenton joined the Legal division at OPI in May of 2023. He holds a Juris Doctor and Master of Health Administration from the University of Kentucky and brings a variety of experience from his time at in the University system. He previously worked at the Department of Public Health and Human Services where he managed the agency’s regulatory reform initiative, served as liaison to the legislature, helped to reform the agency’s rule making processes, and assisted in drafting various regulatory and statutory reforms.

Rick Wooton Headshot

 Rick Wootton

406-444-0715
Lawyer

Work-Related Duties:

  1. Counsels the agency on legal matters.
  2. Responds to public inquiries of a legal nature.
  3. Participates in intra-agency committees and teams.

Rick has returned to the Legal Division at OPI after a 9-month stint at a Colorado litigation firm (he was previously at OPI from July 2022 through February 2023). Rick has been practicing law since 1989 . . . his experience includes work as a Navy JAG attorney, work as a civil trial attorney in Texas & Colorado, work for various state agencies in Texas & Montana. He received his undergraduate degree (in Law Enforcement & Police Science) from Sam Houston State University and his law degree from the University of Texas School of Law.


Mandi Gibbs

 Mandi Gibbs

406-444-5664
Early Assistance Program Director

Work-Related Duties:

  1. Director of OPI’s Early Assistance Program for Special Education
  2. Provides technical assistance and informal dispute resolution for special education issues relating to the IDEA and implementing Montana laws.
  3. Manages OPI’s IDEA dispute resolution options including: individualized education program (IEP) facilitation, mediation, state complaints, due process hearings, and expedited due process hearings.

Mandi is a native Montanan and graduated from the University of Montana Law School in 2004. Prior to going to law school, Mandi worked as a behavioral therapist for children with autism. It was that opportunity that sparked an interest in special education law. Mandi started working with OPI in 2012 as an investigator for Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) state complaints. She moved to her current role as the Early Assistance Program Director for Special Education in 2014. Mandi enjoys spending time with her family and is an avid photographer.

Angie Griner

 Angie Griner

406-444-2046
Special Education Paralegal

Work-Related Duties:

  1. Provides support for the Special Education Early Assistance Program Director.
  2. Assists parents and educators with inquiries related to dispute resolution of special education matters.
  3. Provides administrative support in processing IDEA due process and mediation requests, IDEA state complaints, and IEP facilitation requests.

Angie Griner, special education paralegal, has over 15 years of legal experience in state and federal government. She has also served as an AmeriCorps member in Alaska. She currently supports Special Education’s Early Assistance Program and Dispute Resolution Office.