Gordon Jones was selected as the founding Dean of the College of Innovation and Design at Boise State University in June 2015.  He works to identify new pathways of learning that provide students across public higher education with skills that meet emerging workplace demands. 

Prior to his role at Boise State, Gordon served as the Evans Family Foundation Managing Director of the Harvard Innovation Lab. Hired as the inaugural Director in 2011, Gordon led the i-lab from launch to maturity with 600 projects incubated and $250 million raised in professional funding since opening.  

Gordon also brings a deep passion for education at both the undergraduate and graduate levels and a proven commitment to mentoring the next generation of entrepreneurial-oriented leaders. He has previously served as an Adjunct Lecturer at Bentley University, teaching marketing to undergraduate and graduate students.  Gordon also has 20 years of experience in senior roles with startups, mid-sized, and Fortune 500 companies across multiple industries. Organizations with whom he has worked include: American Biophysics (purchased by Woodstream), Universal Pest Solutions (licensing deal with ServiceMaster/Terminix), Gillette, Procter & Gamble, General Mills, PepsiCo, and The Orme School.  He graduated from Brown University (BA) and earned an MBA from the Stanford University Graduate School of Business. 

Rod Gramer is president of Idaho Business for Education, a group of 144 Idaho business leaders working to help transform the Idaho education system into one of the best in the country. 

Rod spent 38 years working as a reporter, newspaper editor and television news executive. He worked for The Idaho Statesman for 14 years, serving as Political Editor and Editorial Page Editor and columnist. He spent 10 years as Executive News Director at KTVB, including moderating the Viewpoint public affairs program. For 13 years he served as Executive News Director at the NBC station in Portland, Oregon, turning the station into the Number One source of news for the Portland metropolitan area. Most recently he served as Vice President and General Manager of Bay News 9, a 24-hour news station in Tampa Bay, Florida.

Rod is the author of two books: “Fighting the Odds: The Life of Senator Frank Church,” which he wrote with Historian LeRoy Ashby, and a novel, “The Good Assassin.” He has published articles in numerous publications, including The New Republic, USA Today, Changes magazine, and newspapers throughout Idaho.

Rod has served on numerous community boards, including as a founding director of the City Club of Boise, the Discovery Center of Idaho, the Frank Church Institute at Boise State University and the advisory board for the School of Journalism and Mass Media at the University of Idaho.

Rod is an Idaho native. He graduated from the University of Idaho with a degree in Journalism and History. He and his wife, Julie, have been married for 39 years. She is a marriage and family therapist in Boise. They have two adult children, Jennifer, who is working on her doctorate at the University of Wisconsin, and Robert, who is an associate director of the Atlantic Council in Washington, D.C.

Ken Edmunds
Director, Idaho Department of Labor

Ken Edmunds was appointed as Director of the Idaho Department of Labor in November 2013. He served nearly six years as a member of the State Board of Education with one term as President.

After receiving a master's degree in accounting from Brigham Young University, Ken began his career with the firm of Price Waterhouse in Seattle before transferring to the Salt Lake City office. He then joined the development business of a client in Twin Falls, Idaho before eventually delivering development and business consulting services nationally to a wide range of clients.

Ken and his wife, Jane, are the proud parents of four children and currently have seven grandchildren.

Ethan Mansfield
Regional Economist, Idaho Department of Labor

Ethan Mansfield is the Regional Economist for Southwestern Idaho with the Idaho State Department of Labor. He completed his undergraduate degree in Environmental Studies and Economics at Whitman College in Walla Walla, Washington, where he focused on natural resource economics. Following this, he spent the winter in Breckenridge, Colorado exploring the finer points of being a ski bum. 

Realizing that while he loved skiing, his real passion was community and regional economics, he returned to Idaho and enrolled in the Regional Planning Program with a focus in Economic and Community Development at the University of Idaho in Moscow. He is currently finishing his master’s thesis about economic base theory and economic development in the Rocky Mountain West. As a labor economist, his research is focused on the employment and wage dynamics in the high-tech and health care sectors as well as migration and Idaho’s demographic composition.

Angela Robinson- Hellwege
School Counselor, Professor, Administrator, Teacher, Author, Presenter

Consultant/Instructor Career/Tech College ; Coordinator/Counselor/Author of 5 Federal Grants Office Pima County School Superintendent AZ-- Career/College Readiness, Social/Emotional & Academic preparation K-12; Presentations, local, state , nationally with Dr. Judy Bowers-c-o author of American School Counselor Assoc. National Model, promoting 80-85% of School Counselor time spent in Direct contact with students; National recognition Recipient& Reviewer RAMP award 2004-20014; Professor Counselor Education BSU, ISU; AzSCA President 2010-2013; Author Be Me Inside Out-- intermediate school counseling program.

College of Idaho, Caldwell, ID, BA Secondary Education; University of Phoenix, Tucson, AZ, MAed School Counseling; Grand Canyon University, Phoenix, AZ, MAed. Administration, Edu. Leadership; Professional Trainer: True Colors in Leadership, Dr. J. Epstein, Johns Hopkins Univ. School/Family/Community Partnerships, Positive Behavior Intervention Supports PBIS, National Alliance Mental Illness NAMI.

Jenni Kimball
College/Career Counselor, Columbia High School

Jenni Kimball is a College/Career Counselor at Columbia High School in Nampa, Idaho. Before coming to Columbia, Jenni was a counselor at Eagle Academy, an alternative high school in the West Ada School District. 

Jenni began her career as a social studies teacher in New Orleans, Louisiana where she taught 7th and 8th grade. While earning her Master’s in Counseling, Jenni worked for the TRiO Upward Bound program at Caldwell High School. Jenni is also a member of the TVEP Area Four Committee and the Advanced Opportunities Coordinator at her school. 

Jenni earned her Bachelor’s degree in Secondary Education from the University of Idaho in 2005. She then went on to complete her Master’s in Counseling from Boise State University in 2013. 

Jennifer Ross
Career Counselor, Consultant, Trainer, and Coach

Jennifer Ross is a Senior Consultant with OCM/Lee Hecht Harrison. She joined OCM after nearly 10 years at Boise State University as a Career Counselor. She has worked extensively with individuals in various states of career transition. As a certified practitioner in the Myers Briggs Type Indicator and Strong Interest Inventory she is skilled at incorporating both assessments into her practice.

She has taught numerous courses in Career and Life Planning and Career Entry Strategies at Boise State University.

She has served as President of the Idaho Career Development Association and board member of the Idaho Counseling Association. Jennifer is an active public speaker and has presented at several local conferences as well as national.

Jennifer holds a Masters Degree in Counseling from Idaho State University and is a licensed professional counselor in the state of Idaho.

Alan Aamodt completed undergraduate and graduate degrees through the University of Wisconsin Stout in Vocational Rehabilitation. He has worked for the Idaho Division of Vocational Rehabilitation for over 15 years, as a Vocational Rehabilitation Counselor and currently as Regional Manager. He currently supervises specialty caseloads for IDVR in the treasure valley, including those counselors serving youth, adults and youth with legal backgrounds and individuals with significant mental health backgrounds. In his spare time he enjoys spending time with his 7-year-old son, the great outdoors and supporting his Green Bay Packers.

Nancy Riley earned her Master’s degree in Rehabilitation Counseling from the University of Texas at Austin and her Bachelor’s degree in Rehabilitation Counseling from University of Arizona. She has been employed by the Idaho Division of Vocational Rehabilitation (IDVR) for the past fifteen years with the last four years as a Regional Manager. Her experience as a VR counselor for the past two decades has encompassed employment in public service at IDVR, a state Rehabilitation Hospital and as a Disability Case Manager. Prior to her work as a counselor she worked in the medical arena and was involved with teaching CPR and smoking cessation classes. Nancy is a board member of the Brain Injury Alliance of Idaho and is a volunteer for the Idaho Medical Corps. Her interests include hiking, biking, playing the piano, and enjoying a good book.