Maddie Gallagher-Strauss

Assistant SumMAT Director

Maddie is a Vermont native who grew up with a crippling fear of climbing. Her parents had to drag her kicking and screaming to her friends' Petra Cliffs birthday parties, but look at her now! She has worked for Petra Cliffs since 2019 as a youth climbing team coach, SumMAT Camp counselor, and now SumMAT Camp Assistant Director. Between the summers of 2021 and 2022 she spent nine months travelling across the country and had the opportunity to climb in some of the most magnificent areas- including free soloing El Cap! Well... Kind of... It was one pitch and essentially a scramble... During that road trip she also did a work exchange where she did odd jobs such as milling and woodworking, landscaping, construction based projects, house painting, mural design, and served as an au pair, personal assistant, and event planner!

When she's not conquering the wall, you can find her training for an upcoming marathon, tutoring the youth of Burlington in mathematics, or intently listening to the latest audiobook. In the fall of 2022 Maddie plans on returning to school to complete a degree in Mathematical Sciences and Bioinformatics from Worchester Polytechnic Institute!