Joan Luedders Wolfe

Who is Joan Luedders Wolfe?

Joan Luedders Wolfe is an environmental activist, having founded the West Michigan Environmental Action Council and coordinated the passage of the landmark Michigan Environmental Protection Act of 1970. She was also active in the passage of the National Environmental Policy Act. Both she and her husband, Willard E. Wolfe, DDS, were key strategists in writing and lobbying for passage of Michigan's Inland Lakes and Streams Act of 1972.

She was appointed in 1973 by Gov. William Milliken to the Michigan Natural Resources Commission, the first woman on such a state commission; she eventually became chair. She also was a member of the first Natural Resources Trust Fund Board, and the Governor's Advisory Committee on Electric Energy Alternatives.

In 1996, Joan Wolfe was one of the eight honorees of the Michigan Women's Hall of Fame, and holds an honorary Doctorate in Public Service from Western Michigan University. In April 2014 she was inducted into the Michigan Environmental Hall of Fame.

Joan Wolfe is author of the book Making Things Happen: How to be an Effective Volunteer. Based on her experience in the environmental movement, Wolfe provides an assessment of volunteerism and outlines the basic skills which volunteers need to make a stronger impact. The book was published by Island Press in 1991.