Linda Lawther named to Kiwanis International Board of Trustees

Linda Lawther of Ypsilanti begins her term as a member of the Kiwanis International Board of Trustees on Oct. 1. She was elected in June during the organization’s Education and Leadership Conference in Salt Lake City, Utah.
Lawther is a member of the Kiwanis Club of Ypsilanti and the Kiwanis Club of Belleville Area and has served as president of both clubs.
She has been interim secretary for the Ypsilanti club and assistant secretary for the Belleville club. Kiwanis is a global service organization whose members work to improve the lives of children in their communities and around the world.
She has been a Kiwanis club member for 23 years. At the district level, she has been governor, lieutenant governor and membership chair. She has also served as district education director.
“I will bring my perspective and experience to the board-level discussions, with a view on the changes needed at the higher levels of our organization,” Lawther said.
She joins a record five women on the 2021-22 Kiwanis International Board of Trustees.
“While I’m glad for the increasing number of women on the board, I strongly believe the board needs to be as diverse as the Kiwanis membership,” Lawther said.
Lawther has a long history with Kiwanis. She has served as regional chair and growth chair for international membership initiatives. She holds the Al Daily Award for Outstanding Service and the Steiger Diamond Level Award, given by the Michigan District.
For her donations to the Kiwanis Children’s Fund, she holds a Walter Zeller Fellowship and a George F. Hixson Fellowship. She also holds a Kiwanis International Leadership Society certificate.
She also received Kiwanis International Life Membership as a gift from the districts she served as regional growth chair, including New England and Bermuda, Ohio, West Virginia, and Michigan.
Lawther holds a bachelor’s degree in health care management from Spring Arbor University and a master’s degree in leadership from Bellevue University. She is president and CEO of Michigan Center for Assisted Living, an association of assisted-living facilities. She is a member of the Church of Christ.
“With more than 30 years of leadership development and membership support of assisted-living communities, I have very strong experience in mentoring, training and elevating staff in the long-term-care field,” Lawther said. “In 1998, I was invited to join Kiwanis as a business networking opportunity. It did not take long for it to become so much more to me. With an interest in developing Aktion Clubs, it matched my career.” (Aktion Clubs are Kiwanis clubs for adults living with disabilities.)
Lawther’s husband, Jeffrey, is also a member of the Ypsilanti and Belleville Area clubs and has also served as a club leader and youth program advisor.
The couple has two married children and four grandchildren. Lawther enjoys spending time with family, as well as music, travel, walking and hiking and speaking on and teaching numerous topics.