DGN Pat Sutliff  2011-2012 with Husband Willis Sutliff

Pat Sutliff grew up in Grand Junction, Colorado.  She attended Colorado State University, in Fort Collins and graduated with a degree in Occupational Therapy which she practiced four years.

Pat and her husband, Willis (a semi-retired Pediatrician), have been married for 44 years and have five children Natasha, Melendra, Sabrina, Alicia and Patrick and five grand children Micah, Kyra, Sage, Reed and Bryn.

Pat became a stay at home mom after the birth of her first child and became very involved in community volunteerism.  While living in Germany she helped set-up and run a preschool for military children.  After returning to the USA Pat was involved with Girl Scouts and elementary school PTA; organizing and coordinated international events in several schools. Pat continues to volunteer mentoring students through the Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Black Hills program and is involved in the local Habitat for Humanity.

In 1993 Pat helped start the Nikko City, Japan Rapid City Sister City Association.  She was president of the association and organized and was in charge of Youth Exchange.  Willis and Pat have hosted many exchange students through the years from all around the world.  Youth Exchange is what brought Pat to Rapid City Rushmore Rotary in 2000 where she was Youth Exchange Officer for 7 years and the District 5610 Youth Exchange Committee for 3 years.  Pat served as club President in 2003- 2004 and currently is the club’s International Projects Chairman.  Pat and Willis have attended Rotary International Conventions in Australia and Copenhagen, Denmark - Malmo, Sweden.  These fantastic experiences helped them to grasp the amazing diversity and accomplishments of Rotary.  They participated in Friendship Exchanges to France and India and recently returned from a trip to the School of St. Jude in Tanzania where they did screening physicals for the 1146 students there.