Patricia Kempthorne
Patricia Kempthorne was the First Lady of Idaho and the wife of Gov. Dirk Kempthorne. Mrs. Kempthorne was Idaho's first lady from 1999 until 2006. As first lady she was active in issues affecting children and families in Idaho and took the lead in assisting state government with children's policy. She is a former First Lady of Boise, Idaho.
Lynn Hightower
Communications Director, Boise Police Department
PIO, Boise Fire Deptartment
Kim Kane
Kim Kane, BA, MPA, is the Executive Director of the Suicide Prevention Action Network of Idaho (SPAN Idaho). Kim has spent the majority of her professional career within non-profit organizations, including eleven years as an Executive Director, five years in suicide prevention and 18 years in the disability field. As Executive Director of SPAN Idaho, Kim is responsible for the implementation of many key components of the Idaho Suicide Prevention Plan. She also acts as a liaison among national, state and local suicide prevention organizations and individuals ensuring that best practices reach Idahoans working this field. Kim is a member of the Idaho Council on Suicide Prevention where she chairs the Awareness Committee.
Previously, Kim worked for 18 years across five states in the disability field, including direct service, administration, public policy and advocacy. Kim served as a member of the Idaho State Council on Developmental Disabilities, as a board member of United Cerebral Palsy of Idaho (UCP) and was the Executive Director of UCP for five years. Kim also conducts trainings on a variety of topics including suicide awareness, the prevention of abuse and violence toward people with disabilities and outcome accountability.
Kim holds a bachelor’s degree in Political Science and master’s degree Public Administration from Kansas State University. She also holds two secondary degrees in Gerontology. Kim lives in her home town of Boise with her husband and two sons.
Paula Bell
Paula is the Principal at Lowell Elementary School in the Boise School District
Nicole Sirak
Nicole Sirak is the Executive Director of the Family Advocates—a 30 year agency administering the Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) program that pairs trained volunteers with foster care children and Families First, an in home early education for struggling families. She is the co-chair of Idaho Voices for Children child welfare committee. In her 15 years of non profit service, Nicole has raised more than $10 M in funding for small community organizations and large international programs. A graduate of the University of Montana, Nicole moved to Idaho after six years of living and working in the Balkans for the American Red Cross and as a Grant-making Program Officer for the German Marshall Fund.
Dean Fortin
Dean attended Central Michigan University and Wayne State University in Detroit Michigan. He has 36 years of experience in management and technical work in Information Technology, and is currently retired.
He has served as president of the New Morning School, (an alternative K-8 private school), in Plymouth, Michigan and Sunny Hill Home Owners Association in Lake Oswego, Oregon. He has also served as secretary of the Mill Creek Condominium Association in Portland, Oregon and is currently serving as treasure of Step It Up Inc. a non profit organization in Portland Oregon serving high school students with carrier opportunities.
He has one daughter two step daughters and two 8 grandchildren ranging in age from 3 months to 16 years.
Ed Snyder
Ed Snyder is Principal of is Mrachek Middle School, Aurora Public School District, Aurora Colorado which serves grades 6 through 8, with a
student population of 1,200 students.
Lynda Kuppler
Lynda Kuppler is a native of Seattle Washington and now lives in Port Orchard, WA. She is a mom, a grandmother and has one great grandchild. She attended Seattle Community College and the University of Washington. She and her late husband, James started an architecture and design business that is still viable today. After sixteen years of working in architecture and property management, she retired and now devotes her time to her church children's ministry, as well as her family. Lynda's love of children extends back to her days as an active participant in PTA, of Seattle Public Schools involved in child safety issues regarding public streets, parking lots, play grounds and parks.
Roger Sherman
Roger Sherman has been the Executive Director of the Idaho Children's Trust Fund since July 2007. Prior to joining the Trust fund staff, he had worked as a community organizer, organizing director, executive director and lobbyist for statewide and community organizations working to alleviate poverty, make health care accessible and affordable, promote civil and human rights and fair taxation for the past 28 years in Idaho. Sherman received the National Association of Social Workers-Idaho Chapter award for Public Citizen of the Year in 2005 and, along with his colleagues at United Vision for Idaho, received the Leadership for a Changing World award from the Ford Foundation that same year. Roger is married to Cathy Steuart Sherman and has three children, Elia, Deana and Hallie.