Joan Smith of Sodus selected to fill LMC Board seat

By RALPH HEIBUTZKI

HP Correspondent

BENTON TOWNSHIP — Lake Michigan College’s Board has chosen a former leader of its capital campaign as its newest member.

LMC Board members unanimously chose Joan Smith Monday night at a special meeting to replace Judy Truesdell, who retired last month, after 21 years on the board. Treasurer Jeff Curry was absent.

Smith, of Sodus, earned the nod over the other candidate, Cindy Reuss, for three reasons, LMC Board President Mike Lindley said.

“She’s served on a lot of boards, so she has a lot of experience. She ran her own company, and she’s got a marketing background, which brings a nice skill to the table, and complements the rest of the board members,” he said after the vote.

Smith said she is thrilled to get the appointment.

“I’m very happy to serve in this capacity – as I told the board this evening, of course, I would much rather serve with Judy Truesdell, than instead of her,” Smith said. “I’m just thrilled about it, and I look forward to serving with LMC in this way.”

Monday’s action followed 20-minute interviews with Reuss and Smith, and a brief closed session to settle the matter.

Smith will serve out the remainder of Truesdell’s unexpired term, which ends in December, and will file in November for her first full term.

Both candidates understood that was an expectation, no matter whom the board chose, Lindley said.

“It wouldn’t make sense to appoint someone for six months, and have an eight-year incumbent run against them, and that kind of thing,” he said.

Two six-year terms and one four-year term are are available.

Curry has filed for one of the six-year terms, while Smith said she’ll seek the other one.

That leaves Lindley, who’s also up for re-election, to run for the fouryear term.

Smith retired about 18 months ago as a partner from Smith Dahmer Associates, which she co-founded with Ann Dahmer, and co-owned for 25 years, she said.

The college tapped Smith three years ago to serve as chairman of its Campaign for Tomorrow initiative, which was credited with exceeding its $7.5 million goal of raising private support for improving student success, and support community engagement.

In 2017 Smith received LMC’s Bernard C. Radde Distinguished Service Award for that achievement. She also served on the LMC Foundation Board, where Truesdell also continues to serve.

“She knows about governance, and what kind of role a board member plays – that we’re not in the dayto- day operations business, we’re in the governance business, and she understands that,” Lindley said.

Reuss is equally wellknown to the college, having worked in several of its departments – including its admissions and recruitment offices – “so she does have that knowledge of how we operate,” Lindley said. “So she brought an awful lot to the table.”

Lindley was pleased to see two equally strong candidates, which made Monday night’s choice a tough one, he said.

“We probably could have flipped a coin. Both candidates presented themselves exceptionally well,” he said.

Trustee Mary Jo Tomasini expressed similar comments before the board voted.

“We really had two great candidates. Both interviewed very well, and both are very passionate about the college. I just appreciated that we had two people that really wanted to serve as trustee, and it made for a difficult decision,” she said.

In Monday’s only other agenda item, the board named Trustee John Grover as its new secretary – which Vice President Debra Johnson had been handling temporarily, after Truesdell’s retirement, Lindley said.

“We reorganize the board in January, and we do two-year terms – so those will be up in January,” he said.