Margaret Roach Wheeler
Our company's founder is an award-winning weaver, fiber expert and textile artist who has received a research fellowship to study at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian in New York and exhibited works at prestigious institutions, including the Museum of Art and Design and the Museum of Contemporary Native Art (MoCNA).
She has earned numerous awards including Best of Class-Heard Museum Indian Market, First place in SWAIA (Santa Fe Indian Market), and Purchase Award at Eitel Jorg. She is the owner of Mahota Handwovens, a weaver mentoring studio, and was inducted into the Chickasaw Hall of Fame in 2010.
Mahota Textiles is the ultimate passion project for Margaret, for which she honors the legacy and heritage of her family. The Mahota name can be traced back to five generations of lineage within her family and it is her dream to honor the spirit and legacy of creative Chickasaw women.
Bethany McCord
Bethany McCord is our Business and Development Manager for Mahota Textiles. She is responsible for managing all aspects of the business and serves as a liaison between internal departments and outside organizations.
Before coming on board at Mahota Textiles, she was the first in her family to graduate college and pursue a master’s degree in business administration, later adding a master’s in Indigenous Peoples law to her resume. Her goal was to start a business but was torn between starting a business and leaving the Chickasaw Nation. When she was asked to join the Mahota team, it was a dream come true.
Bethany’s passion stems from her Chickasaw and Choctaw heritage, including a strong cultural identity and a childhood filled with memories of shared stories, language, and delicious traditional recipes.
She encourages her children and the next generation to be strong in who they are, have the heart to serve others and continue to build on the success before them. Bethany is a true gem, and we’re grateful to have her help lead the way at Mahota.
Joanna John
Joanna is the Sales and Operations Coordinator for Mahota Textiles. Her role is to educate prospective customers on product information while serving as the point of contact between Mahota, its current clients, and future customers. Her operation duties include quality control and inventory on all products received and shipped.
She has been involved with Mahota since the beginning, serving as a member of the Mahota Advisory Committee, while working at the Chickasaw Cultural Center. With a degree in Native Intergovernmental Relations and a master's in Indigenous Peoples Law, Joanna served as the Senior Collections Manager. Her constant contact with the Mahota team, and shared ambition to build a company that presents Southeastern designs on a larger scale, led her to take a position as a sales representative when the chance came.
Joanna is proud of her Chickasaw/Choctaw heritage and is passionate about doing something that has never been done before, by bringing southeastern design into commercial textiles. She believes that Mahota Textiles has allowed southeastern art and design to branch into sectors of opportunity, while also maintaining high standards in quality products.
As a mom to two adventurous boys, she is a constant cheerleader to be resilient and overcome any challenge, while encouraging the underdog. Her upbeat spirit brightens each day at Mahota, and we are happy to have her on board.
Tanner Hudson
Tanner is our Design and Operations Coordinator for Mahota Textiles. His primary role is to research and create designs, ensuring each collection is aesthetically and culturally fitting. His other duties pertain to the operations side of the business from shipping and receiving to quality control of each product.
Before coming to Mahota Textiles, Tanner was a first-generation graduate obtaining a bachelor’s degree in computer science. His computer knowledge and interest in his Chickasaw culture led him to the genealogy and collections department at the Chickasaw Cultural Center. It was there that Tanner learned more about Mahota Textiles and took a unique opportunity to join the team as their designer.
Tanner’s passion is to bring southeastern art and culture to a broader audience and believes that by generating mainstream interest, we help to preserve tribal traditions and ideas.
His Chickasaw heritage is a big part of his identity and values, heavily influenced by the strong matriarchs of his family who instilled in him a love for education and art. Tanner’s zeal and desire to bring pride to our founder and the Chickasaw people is contagious and we are glad to have him on Team Mahota.