ALUMNI IN ACTION

An interview with Kathie Bailey, Class of 2006 – Lewistown as interviewed by Jennifer Dees, Class of 2019 – Havre

Growing up on a cattle operation outside of Lewistown, Kathie Bailey has always had a passion for Central Montana. Kathie did not proceed with the traditional route of attending college directly after high school. After getting married and with two boys in tow, Kathie went back to college and obtained a Bachelor’s Degree in Human Services and a Minor in Organizational Behavior from Montana State University- Billings.

Later, she would go on to obtain a Master’s Degree from Montana State University in Adult and Higher Education. Kathie served as a Fergus and Gallatin County Extension Agent before serving as the Fergus County Commissioner for 1 term. In 2001, Kathie founded Snowy Mountain Development Corporation, which has given her a platform to stimulate growth and economic expansion throughout Central Montana.

In addition to founding a successful business, Kathie worked 8 years in helping to plan, facilitate, and build the infrastructure for Colstrip, MT.

As an alumna from the Leadership Montana Class of 2006, Kathie Bailey has put her skills to work in her community. Leadership Montana has been instrumental in fostering connections for Kathie that have led to growth of initiatives in her community, including several leadership development programs for young and upcoming leaders.

With the help of fellow alumni, Kathie implemented Leadership Central Montana to help those in central Montana enhance their leadership skills. As a result, young entrepreneurs have expanded on their Leadership Central Montana knowledge and developed several new businesses and projects within the community. From the success of Leadership Central Montana, and inspired by the statewide group Women Leading Montana, came the idea for a new more focused program. Now, in its second year, Women Lead Central Montana has become a highly successful and inspirational event for women in Central Montana. Kathie continues to focus her efforts and business on improving her part of Montana and utilizes the skills and networks that Leadership Montana has given her.

When Kathie isn’t helping to develop young and aspiring leaders in Central Montana, she is spending time with her husband, two children, and three grandchildren. When asked what she appreciates about Montana, Kathie stated that, “Montana is one long street in a small town and that makes it special.” It can be argued that people like Kathie Bailey make Montana special.