Human Services Coordinator for Rapid City Presented Constitution Day Talk at Mines

South Dakota Mines hosted speaker Lila DeMarrias Mehlhaff on Sept. 16, 2022, for the annual talk celebrating the U.S. Constitution. Mehlhaff is currently the human services coordinator for the City of Rapid City, in the mayor's office, where she helps coordinate community resources to help end homelessness. Mehlhaff's professional background involves mostly small business development, franchising and startups, but it also includes non-profit experience with early-stage development of the South Dakota Center For Enterprise Opportunity based at Black Hills State University as well as Warrior's Circle, a Native American ministry.

Mehlhaff spoke about the United States Constitution and its role in Indian Treaty-Making. “In the Constitution, Article XI talks about the Supremacy Clause. ...One of the things that it basically addresses is treaties,” Mehlhaff said. “There is lots to be learned about treaties,” Mehlhaff said later in the program.

Mehlhaff was born and raised in the village of Little Eagle on the Standing Rock Indian reservation. She is Hunkpapa Lakota and Wahpekute Dakota. In addition to working in the mayor's office, Mehlhaff has worked for United States Congress as a tribal liaison and is also a South Dakota licensed real estate agent. She holds a bachelor's degree in political science with an Indian studies minor and a Master of Science in strategic leadership (MSSL), both from Black Hills State University. Mehlhaff and her husband are partners in the two Qdoba Mexican Eats restaurants in Rapid City and is also an inventor with a provisional patent pending. She and her husband, Stewart, have four children, four grandchildren and Isabel the cat.

Constitution Day commemorates the formation and signing of the United States Constitution on Sept. 17, 1787, recognizing as citizens all who are born in the U.S. or those made citizens by naturalization.