06/22/2026
Help us welcome Erica to our United Way team! We are so excited to have her!
Erica Thunder, JD, is the Resource Development Director for Missouri Slope Areawide United Way, a position that leads efforts to build community partnerships and resources that strengthen lives across the region.
A seasoned executive leader, Erica brings more than 15 years of experience in law, public policy, community and government relations, and organizational leadership. She previously held two Cabinet-level roles under Governor Doug Burgum — Commissioner of the North Dakota Department of Labor and Human Rights and Executive Director of the North Dakota Indian Affairs Commission — as well as Director of the North Dakota Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. Her career began practicing law, serving as a staff attorney for the Tribal Judicial Institute at the University of North Dakota, the MHA Nation, and the Ho-Chunk Nation.
Erica has been recognized as USA Today's Woman of the Year and received the University of North Dakota Young Alumni Achievement Award. She holds a Juris Doctorate and Indian Law Certificate from the University of North Dakota School of Law, as well as a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from the University of North Dakota. A Tribal citizen of the MHA Nation and native of Bottineau, North Dakota, she is deeply committed to serving the people and communities of North Dakota.
