Although they both hold high profile positions in the Willmar area, Dr. Lachlan and the Honorable Kathryn Smith are recognized for their quiet leadership through service and a desire to reflect credit to others.
The couple leads through example, giving extensive time, energy, expertise and financial resources to many local nonprofits. For that, the Willmar Area Community Foundation recognized them with the 2013 Award in Philanthropy.
Lach grew up in Ames, Iowa, went to medical school at the University of Iowa and completed his residency at Valley Medical Center in Fresno, California. He specializes in Obstetrics and Gynecology at the Affiliated Community Medical Centers in Willmar.
Kit graduated from Edina High School. She received degrees from Iowa State University and the University of Iowa and attended law school at William Mitchell College of Law in St. Paul. She worked with the Schmidt, Thompson, Johnson and Moody law firm in Willmar before being appointed district court judge in 1997.
Kit served as lead judge for the Kandiyohi County Children’s Justice Initiative. She chaired the Minnesota Supreme Court’s Juvenile Delinquency Rules Committee Rules Committee and served on the Court’s Racial Fairness Committee, Committee for Equality and Justice and the state’s Juvenile Justice Advisory Committee.Lach and Kit have lived in the Willmar area since 1981, where they raised their two sons, Will and Ben. The couple has a long history of serving in leadership roles for a variety of nonprofits in the community and being a part of positive change and growth.