Two Join MARL Executive Board

Published Tuesday, June 09, 2015

Two new directors have been added to the Minnesota Agriculture and Rural Leadership (MARL) Program Board of Directors and will begin their terms on July 1, 2015.

The new directors include:

Cheryl Glaeser, Hutchinson, Minn. She is a MARL Class VII alumna and a program officer with the Southwest Initiative Foundation. In her current position, she has advanced several statewide initiatives, including rural energy development. She has also been a leader for the YES! Program, a youth leadership initiative that has engaged nearly 2,000 youth. She and her husband, Tom, have three adult children and two grandchildren.
Joan Lee, McIntosh, Minn. A MARL Class VII alumna, she is an organic farmer with her husband, Mark. She is the first female elected to the Polk County Board of Commissioners and is the secretary/treasurer for the East Polk County Farm Bureau board. She is also vice-chair of the Polk County Midwest Dairy Association; and a religious education teacher. She and her husband are the parents of three grown children.

Joel Mathiowetz, Morgan, Minn., and Yvonne Simon, Crystal Lake, Minn., have completed their terms on the MARL Board of Directors. Their service and dedication will be recognized during the MARL Class VIII graduation seminar on April 1, 2016.

MARL’s mission is to develop the skills of Minnesota agricultural and rural leaders so they may maximize their impact and effectiveness in local, state, national and international areas. Each class is comprised of 30 participants, with two-thirds being active in agricultural production and the other third involved with agribusiness.

The program schedule features nine three-day in-state seminars, a six-day Washington, D.C. seminar and a two-week international seminar. The seminars are held following the growing season.

For more information, contact Olga Reuvekamp, MARL Executive Director, at: olga.reuvekamp@smsu.edu; 507-537-6430; www.MARLprogram.org.