The Emeritus Board consists of individuals who have provided meritorious service to the cause of developing the Ponderosa Center. Joan’s role is as advisor, donor, and volunteer.
Joan earned a Doctorate in Higher Education Administration from Nova University; a Master of Education degree from the University of Idaho; and an AA from College of Southern Idaho. Her employment history includes 40 years in higher education: teaching, administration, and foundation development. She maintained a consulting practice for Community Colleges across the U.S. leading strategic planning and Foundation Development. Joan started the foundations at the College of Southern Idaho (CSI) and the College of Western Idaho (CWI), serving as a V.P. and Foundation Executive Director at both. She also served as a past board member of St. Alphonsus Hospital Foundation, past V.P. American Association of Women in Community Colleges, past President, National Council for Resource Development; past Chair, National Institute for Leadership Development; past Conference Coordinator for Idaho Teachers of English; past Faculty Advisor for deaf students in the CSI Ski Club; past CSI Faculty Chair, past Advisor to McCall Music Society; past Social Chair and current member of the McCall Hiking Club.
Joan was born and raised in Twin Falls. She is a daughter of a tenement farmer and a nurse. She has been married to Mel Edwards for 60 years after meeting and marrying as teens. She has two children, Michael Edwards and Angelina Locke. She lived in Karlsruhe, Germany for three years. Mel graduated from the University of Idaho with a Juris Doctorate. He later served 27 years as a judge in Twin Falls. We moved to Fresno, California in 2001 and Joan became Executive Director of the State Center Community College Foundation. She bought a 42-foot sailboat on the San Francisco Bay and spent weekends living on it. She returned to Boise, Idaho in 2006. She bought a second home in McCall in 2009 and built her full time home here in 2015. She loves the vital senior culture, hiking, biking, snowshoeing, skiing (both kinds), line dancing, Music Society concerts, and socials.
