Born and raised in Lewistown, Natalie Parker graduated from Fergus County High School and went on to earn her Bachelor of Arts in German with a Music minor from Montana State University, followed by a Master of Music in Music Education from Boston University. For 37 years, she brought that education into Montana’s public school classrooms, retiring in 2023 with a deep understanding of what our kids, our teachers, and our communities actually need.

Natalie knows rural Montana isn’t an abstraction — it’s home. Today she lives in Colstrip with her husband Bill of 46 years, their three grown children (all college graduates), and three foster children who remind her every day why stable families and strong communities matter. Her family also has deep ties to the Northern Cheyenne Reservation, where they’ve kept a cabin and land for years.

That’s the life that shapes how Natalie sees Montana’s challenges. Rising energy costs are squeezing rural families who don’t have the option to just move somewhere cheaper. Our public lands belong to all of us — not to out-of-state corporate interests. And every child deserves access to a quality education, whether they’re sitting in a public school classroom or learning around a kitchen table.

Natalie Parker is running for House District 35 because Montana needs representatives who’ve actually lived these issues — not just talked about them.