District Governor 5SE
Joan Marlette


Past District Governor Joan Marlette joined the Redfield Lioness Club in 1983 and held every position in that club except secretary. She also served as the Lioness Liaison on the District 5-SE Cabinet from 1988 to 1991. In 1991, she was one of the first two women to join the Redfield Lions Club. She was President in 1996-1997. During 1999-2000, when she was Chair of the Membership Committee, the club inducted 16 new members using the 4 step membership program. Since 1991 she has been chairperson of her club’s Sight & Service Committee and in 2004 she also began serving as Club Treasurer, a position she continues to hold today.

From 1992 to 1995 Lion Joan served District 5-SE on the Audit and Finance Committee. In January 1993 she was elected to the first of two 3 year terms on the Board of Directors of the SD Lions Foundation and was immediately elected Vice President of that Board. In 1994-95 Joan served as Cabinet Secretary for District Governor Don Bradley as well serving as President of the SD Lions Foundation, the first female Lion to hold that position. In March of 1994 Joan and the SD Lions Foundation Executive Secretary attended the national foundation meeting in Portland, Oregon, where they learned about mobile screening units sponsored by other state Lions foundations. They brought the idea of a mobile screening unit back to the SD Lions Foundation and a task force to pursue an MSU was established during Joan’s Presidency. Joan served as secretary of that task force and two year’s later a mobile screening unit began operation in SD. She also served 4 years as Secretary of the SD Lions Foundation and one year on the SD Lions Eye Bank Board of Directors.

From 1998 to 2000 she served as District Leader Dog Chair. Under her leadership every club in District 5-SE contributed to the Leader Dog Program, a first for the District. In 1999 she was co-chair of the District 5-SE Fall Forum held in Redfield

Lion Joan received the SDLF Howard Hansen Award in 1999, and in 2003 she was inducted into the SD Lions Hall of Fame and also received the SDLF Helen Keller Award. She was the first female Lion inducted into the Hall of Fame and she is the only Lion in SD to hold all three of these awards. She is also a Melvin Jones Fellow and the recipient of 3 International President’s Certificates of Appreciation. She has attended 24 SD State Lions Conventions, 19 MD 5 Conventions, six USA/Canada Lions Forums, and the International Convention in Chicago will be her 10th.

In addition to her involvement in Lions, since 1999 Joan and her husband PDG Gerald have served on the Board of Directors of the Northern State University Wolves Club, a fund raising organization for the NSU athletic department. Lion Joan is an active member of the United Methodist Church of Redfield. She is a retired city finance officer. Lion Joan and her husband Gerald have 5 children, 8 grandchildren, and numerous “grand pets”.