Maddison Wilhite

Background

About Maddison Wilhite

I’m a community builder who believes access changes lives — access to opportunity, to healthcare, to wild places, and to one another. For more than seven years, I’ve led communications and engagement strategies supporting Tribal nations, nonprofits, and grassroots initiatives. As Marketing & Communications Director at the Native American Development Corporation, I guide storytelling, build partnerships, and help expand both economic opportunity and community health initiatives. Through my involvement with the Billings Urban Indian Health and Wellness Center, I’ve supported efforts to improve access to culturally responsive care. My work extends beyond messaging — it lives in the spaces where people gather and the landscapes that ground us. I serve as a Trail Ambassador with the Absaroka-Beartooth Wilderness Foundation and sit on the board of Billings TrailNet, advocating for equitable access to trails and public lands. Endurance athletics have shaped how I lead. I’ve thru-hiked the Long Trail and completed multiple long-distance trail races, including my first ultramarathon — experiences that strengthened my resilience, patience, and long-range vision. I believe in steady effort, building things that last, and showing up consistently for the communities and landscapes that shape us. I’m especially energized by work at the intersection of community health, outdoor access, and advocacy.