Montana Duke Wilson, 29, is a Two-Spirit Gros Ventre, Assiniboine, and Sioux from the Fort Peck Indian Reservation. Currently, Wilson is a Juris Doctor Candidate at the University of Montana Alexander Blewett III School of Law as a Blewett Scholar. He holds a Master of Philosophy in Development Studies from the University of Cambridge with the highest academic honor—Gates-Cambridge Scholar, which fully funded his master’s work in England. During his master’s program, Wilson developed a strategic plan that would use tribal courts to restore our language and culture, while deescalating violence on Indian Reservations, and securing transactions to promote economic growth on our Reservations.
Wilson holds a Bachelor of Science in Economics, highest honors, a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science, highest honors, and an Honors Baccalaureate Degree of Summa Cum Laude from Montana State University Bozeman, with the top Montana State Honor—Award for Excellence. Wilson is an alumnus of the Semester at Sea Program, which is an undergraduate program that focuses on cultural comparison coursework in various countries around the world while on the MV Explorer cruise ship. Most notably, Wilson circumnavigated the globe on board the MV Explorer, which allowed him to study in 14 countries. The Gates Millennium Scholarship, Udall Foundation Scholarship (tribal public policy), and Fort Belknap Higher Education Program fully funded Wilson’s undergraduate education. Wilson has extensive experience with tribal governments. He has served the Fort Peck Tribes as a law clerk, criminal prosecutor, and public defender, where he implemented restorative justice practices during his tenure. Additionally, Wilson has served as the American Indian Council President, Montana 4-H President, and Montana 4-H Foundation Board of Directors. Wilson is excited to join Western Native Voice on the Board of Directors and looks forward to furthering our organization’s mission, especially increasing voter turnout in Indian Country.