Before serving as mayor, Engen served a term as a city council member, was an award-winning writer and editor for the city’s daily newspaper, owned and operated his own small business and volunteered for a variety of Missoula’s non-profit organizations, concentrating on human services. As an amateur auctioneer and emcee, Engen’s helped raise hundreds of thousands of dollars to help friends and neighbors in the community.[1]
His wife Tracy owns and operate a travel agency in Missoula. The Engens live in the Rattlesnake Valley along with their rescued Labradoodle, Odie, and a cat called Moose.[2] The family's rescued greyhound, Patches, died in February 2011.[3]
