Joanne Frances DeMark

Joanne Frances DeMark

April 27, 2024

Bellingham, Washington - Joanne F. DeMark, a renowned LGBTQIA+ advocate and Western Washington University (WWU) leadership educator, passed away peacefully at the Christian Health Care Center, Lynden, Washington, during the early morning of April 27. Dr. DeMark leaves a legacy of achievement in the causes of social justice, diversity, inclusion, and leadership development. She was 75 years of age.

Joanne was at Western Washington University for more than 16 years, having come to the university in October 2007. As a Leadership Specialist at WWU, Joanne led the Viking Union Leadership and Community Engagement program after teaching in the Morse Leadership Institute for several years. At WWU, Joanne developed campus leadership programs, taught leadership and management to students and staff, and initiated a four-year sequential leadership program for a select group of students.

"Joanne was a passionate and fierce advocate for students, particularly those from marginalized backgrounds, to develop themselves as leaders and find their passions," said Dr. Karen Stout, director of the Morse Leadership Institute and Bowman Distinguished Professor of Leadership Studies. "It was easy to have a conversation with Joanne that could last for years before you realized how much time had passed."

Joanne devoted decades of her life to the important, methodical work of building coalitions, fostering equity, and creating avenues to help people recognize and lessen prejudicial attitudes. She was a trainer and activist for 32 years with the National Coalition Building Institute (NCBI), an international leadership organization, and was a senior leader of the women's and LGBTQ+ caucuses, "With smarts, passion, and humor, Joanne mentored people around the world," wrote Miriam Jefferson and Debra J. East, two leaders within NCBI. "She pushed people to be their best selves and better leaders, and never gave up on anybody -- all with fierceness, love and a twinkle in her eye."

One highlight of recent years: On two occasions, in 2017 and 2018, DeMark brought her in-depth expertise in leadership to an international conference in the United Arab Emirates on tackling the negative consequences of climate change. She chaired panels and presented leadership strategies that would help promote compliance to ameliorate climate change. While in the United Arab Emirates, she savored the spectacular scenery, delicious foods, and fascinating dialogues with educators, scientists, and other leaders from around the world.

Joanne Frances DeMark was born in New Castle, Pennsylvania, to Charles DeMark and Susie Cini DeMark. The second of four daughters, Joanne grew up in Wampum, a small town in Western Pennsylvania, in an extensive Italian-American family, particularly aunts, uncles, and cousins. These roots stayed with Joanne throughout her life, enhanced by various travels in and a passionate love of Italy, its cultures, foods, and language. Those who knew and loved Joanne recalled how integral her love of Italy was to Joanne, how easily she conversed or sung in the Italian language.

Education was very important to Joanne's mother, Susie, who influenced her girls through her pursuit of a career and graduation from nursing school in the 1960s after their father Charles' death in 1959. Following Joanne's graduation from Lincoln High School in Ellwood City in 1967, Joanne received a bachelor's degree from Indiana University of Pennsylvania in 1971. She ultimately earned her doctorate in psychology in 1988 from the University of Florida.

While living in Atlanta, Joanne held various teaching and consulting positions, including at Emory University's Rollins School of Public Health; health and medical information systems company McKesson-HBO & Company; and the Matrix Leadership Institute, in addition to her work with NCBI. At the time, she also had a private practice in counseling psychology.

Long after teachers and educators have passed, their impact is felt in the world, like planting and nurturing seeds that continue to bear fruit. Andriy Semenyuk, a Ukrainian-born cinematographer and a former visual journalism student at WWU, called the word of Joanne's passing, "incredibly sad news." On a Facebook posting about her death, Semenyuk wrote, "Joanne changed my life when I was a student at Western. Her incredible spirit and determination let me work on my first video projects. I met my wife filming one of the projects with Joanne. I'm forever grateful for all her help and support." Semenyuk said he was happy that he was able to see Joanne in 2023 at the WWU's Pickford Film Center. The event was the showing of Semenyuk's documentary, "Wounded Land." He co-produced and was cinematographer for the film, which tells stories of Ukraine's vintners and farmers keeping their businesses going during the war with Russia.

Joanne legacy will be honored with a Memory Brick that will be placed on WWU's Memory Walk in front of Old Main, a gift that staff members joined together to purchase. The Memory Brick is carved with the words, "In Honor of Joanne DeMark, PhD - LGBTQIA+ Advocate."

The DeMark family plans to organize an online memorial for Joanne in late summer.

Survivors include Joanne's three sisters, Charlene Shackle, Rosemary Roberts, and Susan DeMark; Joanne's soul friend, Mimi Pfeil; and heart sister, Dr. Christina Van Wingerden. In lieu of flowers, donations in Joanne's honor may be made to GLSEN (https://www.glsen.org/), a national organization and network that works to ensure that LGBTQ+ students as well as students of marginalized identities are able to learn in a safe school environment. Joanne's family is deeply grateful to the Christian Health Care Center (CHCC) and PeaceHealth Whatcom Hospice for their exquisite care of our beloved sister.