Kathy served more than 10 years as the Montana Wildlife Federation (MWF) representative to the National Wildlife Federation, and has focused her conservation efforts on protecting and conserving wildlife habitat, restoring natural resources, and maintaining public access to public lands. She served two terms as president of MWF where she has been an active board member for more than 20 years. She was appointed by Montana’s governor to the first Private Lands/Public Wildlife Committee, which resulted in legislation that opened up more than seven million acres of private land to public hunting.
Hadley was first elected to the National Wildlife Federation Board of Directors in 2002. She served as Region 13 Director until 2008, then served until 2014 as Western Vice Chair. She returned to the board in 2016 upon her election to Chair-Elect. She currently serves as Board Chair.
Hadley started her conservation work at Love Canal where she and her sister, Lois Gibbs—who was living on top of a toxic dump—worked with local residents to mount a successful campaign that led to the passage of the landmark federal environmental law known as Superfund. After moving to Montana in 1979 with her family, Hadley was successful in winning a Superfund site designation for the Clark Fork River near her ranch. She is a founding board member of the Clark Fork Coalition, a vibrant river advocacy organization, and has served as a conservation representative on the Clark Fork River Basin Restoration Council.
Hadley is Executive Director of the National Center for Appropriate Technology, a nonprofit organization that helps people by championing small-scale, local, and sustainable solutions to reduce poverty, promotes healthy communities, and protects natural resources. Hadley has more than 30 years of nonprofit management experience focused primarily on sustainable agriculture, sustainable energy, and communities.
Hadley earned her B.S. and M.S. in Biology at the State University College in Buffalo, New York. She is the mother of two sons, Erik and Liam, lives on a ranch in western Montana with her husband Wayne, and is a lifelong hunter, fly-fishing angler, and gardener.
Elected to Board: 2002-2014, 2016
Current Term Expires: 2019
