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History of the Women’s Commission
The Commission was founded in 1965
as the Governor’s Commission on the Status of
Women under executive order by Governor Robert E. Smylie,
and was patterned after the federal Commission on the
Status of Women. The Commission was created as a statutory
commission under Idaho Code in 1970 and given the name
Commission on Women’s Programs. During the 1997
legislative session, the name of the Commission was
changed to the Idaho Women’s Commission. The agency
is a part of the Office of the Governor.
Since 1965, the Commission has been
an advocate for women in all walks of life. Its mission
is to encourage and motivate women to increase their
participation in their communities, the state and the
nation. Through educational and informational efforts,
the Commission works toward an environment in which
all women within the state are ensured equal opportunities
and protection in all aspects of their personal and
professional lives.
Volunteer Commissioners, appointed
by the Governor for three-year terms, work with other
state agencies and women and children’s organizations
on specific projects or programs. These vary according
to statewide and community needs.
For over 40 years, the Commission
has researched and advocated for legislation and social
change ranging from equal pay and employment opportunities
to child custody and support. Some of its current projects
include monitoring proposed legislation affecting women
and families, providing information and referrals for
women across the state on legal, political and economic
issues and offering educational classes on how Idaho
laws impact areas of interest to women. Currently, the
Commission is comprised of 13 nonpartisan members from
various regions of the State, and a director
Our Goal is to represent the
women and families of Idaho
The Commission is committed to enhancing
the quality of life for all Idahoans, particularly women
and families. Commission members representing communities
across the state meet two to three times yearly. They
dedicate their time to examining women and family issues
and to representing the Commission in their communities.
Those issues are communicated to policy makers and administrators
in government and private sectors.
To talk with a Commissioner in your
geographic area, please
contact
us.
Commission Projects
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Publish and distribute “Idaho Laws –
A Guide for Women and Families.” A roadmap to
self-sufficiency this resource is invaluable.
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Network with other community
organizations concerned with women and family
issues.
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Give advice and referrals for
women across the state on legal, social, and
economic issues through networking, our website,
email, and phone contacts.
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Participate in regional and
statewide conferences and seminars.
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Volunteer in local communities
and speak in local civic clubs.
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Monitor proposed legislation
affecting women and families. Encourage women to
engage in political activities.
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Coordinate a mentoring program
for Women in business.
Meet the Idaho Women’s
Commission
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Kitty Kunz
Boise
Director |
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Kitty Kunz was appointed in July 2006 to be the
Director of the Idaho Women's Commission. She
served as a Commissioner for a three year term that
ended in 2006. She is married to Kent Kunz and
has five married children with six beautiful
grandchildren. She attended Ricks College and Idaho State University.
She has worked as, a secretary and media aide in the Pocatello School District, a realtor, a loan processor, six years as Field Representative/Staff Assistant for Congressman Mike Simpson in the seven counties of Southeast Idaho,
and Administrative Assistant to the Warden of South
Idaho Correctional Institution. Kitty has been very active in community organizations including Rotary, Zonta International, Family Services Alliance of Southeast Idaho, Pocatello Chamber of Commerce, Idaho Republican Party, and Idaho Legisladies.
She was elected as the Idaho Republican Party
Secretary in 2004 and currently serves in that
position.
Kitty and her husband began a consulting business
in 2006 called K2 Associates.
Kitty enjoys being involved in her community and
government. She enjoys spending time with her
family, boating, skiing, reading good books,
traveling, sewing, needle work, crocheting, golfing,
and being in the outdoors. |
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Emily Anderson
Boise |
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Originally from
the San Joaquin Valley in California, Emily Anderson
has proudly called Idaho home since 1997.
Emily is the Constituent Service Representative for
natural resources for Governor C. L. “Butch” Otter.
Prior to joining Governor Otter’s staff in December
2007, she worked for U.S. Senator Larry Craig as a
staff assistant in his Boise regional office.
Emily is a graduate of Bishop Kelly High School in
Boise. She graduated magna cum laude from
the University of Idaho with a degree in
Journalism. While in college, she interned for U.S.
Senator Larry Craig as well as Gallatin Public
Affairs, formerly known as the Gallatin Group, in
Boise.
Emily currently serves on the Board of Directors for
the Congressional Award Council of Idaho as the
board’s chairperson for communications and public
relations. She is a member of Idaho Young
Republican Federation and Ada County Republican
Women. She was appointed by Governor Otter to the
Idaho Women’s Commission in April 2008.
Idaho’s diverse landscape and its passionate people
are what Emily enjoys most about living in the Gem
State. Having been drawn to family and women’s
issues her entire life, she is proud to serve the
people of Idaho on the Women’s Commission.
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Rayelle Anderson
Coeur d'Alene |
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Rayelle Anderson was born in Western Montana, grew up in St. Maries, Idaho, and graduated from St. Maries High School. She holds an Associate of Science Degree in Business Administration from North Idaho College, Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, and a Bachelor of Science Degree in Business Administration—Marketing Emphasis from Montana State University, Bozeman, Montana. Rayelle is also recognized as a Certified Fund Raising Executive (CFRE) through CFRE International.
Rayelle currently serves as the Director of Development/Foundation Executive Director at North Idaho College, where she has worked since 1992. She is responsible for the overall coordination and oversight of fundraising activities at North Idaho College and provides direction for the Development Department, which encompasses the North Idaho College Foundation, Alumni Relations and Grant Development functions.
She is an active volunteer at the regional and national levels of the Council for Resource Development (CRD), an affiliate and major council of the American Association of Community Colleges, dedicated to expanding resource development at the community college level.
Rayelle enjoys helping others through her volunteer efforts as well as her job. In her spare time, she relishes time spent with her husband, family, and friends. She takes pleasure being in the great outdoors, walking, hiking, gardening, reading good books, and traveling.
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Fran Dingel
Chair
Boise
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Fran Dingel
grew up in Weiser Idaho, and after graduating from
Weiser High School, attended the University of Idaho,
graduating in 1960 with a degree in secondary education.
Fran taught English and business and served as a
girls’ counselor for five years at Bora High
School in Boise with post-graduate studies in Guidance
and Counseling at the University of Colorado and
Stanford University. She served as an attaché
with the Idaho Legislature for eleven years, working
on the House Revenue and Tax committee, Senate Finance
Committee and Joint Finance and Appropriations Committee,
Senate Local Government and Taxation Committee and
three years as Senate Journal Clerk.
Fran has remained active in community affairs. She
has served as President of the Junior League of
Boise sustainers and recently completed a three-year
appointment to the University of Idaho Alumni Board
where she served as chairman of the Governmental
Relations Committee.
Fran’s husband Allyn is the senior partner
of Elam& Burke Law Firm of Boise, and they have
two grown sons, and six grandchildren.
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Sonna Lynn Fernandez
Nampa
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Originally from Ohio, Sonna Lynn has lived in Idaho since 1990. She has been a
planner and volunteer in many areas of the state including Pocatello, Idaho
Falls, Boise, Canyon County, and Nampa. Currently, she serves as the Senior
Transportation Planner for the Idaho Transportation Department. She is
responsible for oversight of the Statewide Transportation Improvement Program (STIP)
and long-range planning. In addition to planning, Sonna Lynn has worked
for a private Christian school in Nampa, and an event coordinator for the
American Cancer Society's Relay for Life. In the past, she also served as
Aid for Friends Board of Directors for the homeless in Pocatello, on various
public transportation boards in Pocatello and Nampa, a Senior Volunteer for the
St. Luke's Intensive Care Unit, and in the Lion's Club. Sonna Lynn and her
husband Nestor have on daughter, Brianna who attends Boise Christian School.
In her spare time, she is involved in her community and government. She
and her husband serve as Neighborhood Watch block captains. She enjoys
scrapbooking, reading with her daughter, traveling to visit her husband's family
in Mexico and spending time with her friends and family.
She holds a BS in Geography/Cartography and Planning from the University of
Akron. Sonna Lynn was honored to be awarded the university President's
distinguished Leadership Award in her junior year of college. She also was
president of the Theta Gamma Upsilon national Honor Society. |
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Marilyn Hempleman
Twin Falls
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Farhana Hibbert
Pocatello
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Farhana Hibbert of Pocatello is the regional director for U.S. Senator Mike
Crapo. She lives in Pocatello with her husband Monte and their three
children, Caleb, Sarah and Priscilla.
She is the founder and publisher of IDAHO Unido, the only certified
minority-owned, woman-owned newspaper publication in the state.
Hibbert was the winner of the $1000,000 US West New Ventures Seed Money Competition in 1997 and the Hispanic Media Award in 2003.
Hibbert was the outstanding student of the year for the Biological Sciences
Department at graduation with her Bachelor's of Science degree in Biology from Idaho State University in 1993.
She earned a Master of Arts degree in Organizational Communications from Idaho
State University in 2006.
She was appointed by Governor Dirk Kempthorne to serve
as a board member of the Idaho Rural Partnership Board, the Idaho Women's
Commission and the Eastern Idaho State Partk Site Selection Committee.
Hibbert served as a member of the Department of Health and Human Services
Centers for Disease Control and prevention (CDC) Citizen's Advisory Committee on
Public Health Service Activities and Research Department of Energy Sites: Idaho
National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory Health Effects Subcommittee.
Hibbert was appointed by Mayor Roger Chase to the
Human Relations Advisory Committee, and she currently serves as chair of this
committee. She is a board member of Mujeres Unidas de Idaho and the
treasurer of Image de Idaho del Sudeste.
She served as former superintendent of the North
Bannock County Fair, assistant secretary to the NAACP Pocatello chapter and
president of the College Neighborhood Association.
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Linda Hurlbutt
Vice Chair
Boise |
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Originally from the east
coast, Linda has lived in Boise now for over 28
years. Educated in New York and South Carolina,
Linda began working as an elementary school teacher
before getting her Masters in Education from Albertson
College of Idaho. Following that, Linda took time
off from teaching to raise her children and worked
part-time as an administrator for a statewide
professional organization.
Linda has served as a volunteer in the Junior
League of Boise, the Idaho Network for Children
and the Children’s Society of Idaho, and
has extensive experience in networking with women’s
organizations on behalf of women and children.
Along with her husband Guy, she recently served
as co-chair of FUNDSY, a high successful charity
fundraiser in the Treasure Valley area, benefiting
the Women and Children’s Alliance, Idaho
Foodbank, and the Treasure Valley Family YMCA.
In 1995, Governor Phil Batt appointed her to the
Women’s Commission, and she became Director
in August of that year. Linda was instrumental
in securing a grant from the U.S. Women’s
Bureau to publish the Women’s Commission
legal handbook in Spanish. Linda retired in 2000
as Director, and currently serves as a commissioner. |
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Shirley Kaiyou
Secretary
Fort Hall |
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Shirley
Lee Kaiyou is a tribal member of the Shoshone Bannock
Tribe in Fort Hall, Idaho, where she currently resides.
She attended Hawaii Loa College in Oahu, Hawaii
and Lane College in Eugene, Oregon. Shirley graduated
from Idaho State University in Marketing and Management
in 1987. She serves as the Secretary for the Idaho
Women’s Commission.
Governor Phil Batt appointed Shirley to the Idaho
Women’s Commission in December of 1996, and
reappointed by Governor Kempthorne.
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Kathy Martin
Lewiston |
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Kathy was raised in Lewiston
and Pierce Idaho and graduated from Timberline High
School. She earned a BPS in Business from Barry
University, Miami, FL and MS in Management from Troy State University, Troy, AL.
She has also taken post-graduate coursework at
University of Idaho. She joined Lewis-Clark State
College in 1995 and has served as Dean for Community
Programs since 2001 overseeing directors of Distance
Learning and Outreach, Summer School and Special
Programs, Continuing Education and Community Events,
the Center for Arts and History, Adult and Family
Education, AmeriCorps and Service Learning, and TRIO
Training. She sits on the President's and Provost's
Councils. Kathy also served for two years as the
chair of Professional Staff Organization and
received the Professional Staff of the Year award in
2002. Kathy is the 2006 chairman of the board for
the Lewiston Chamber of Commerce, is active in the
Chamber Legislative Committee and the North Idaho
Chamber of Commerce, is a member of the Nez Perce
County Court Services Accountability Board, and
participates in numerous fund raising events to
benefit community organizations. Professional
organizational memberships include University
Continuing Education Association (previous regional
officer), Association for Continuing Higher
Education (current regional officer), and Women in
Higher Education Roundtable. In 2003, Governor Dirk
Kempthorne appointed her to a 3.5 year term to the
Lewis and Clark Trail Bicentennial Committee. She
served on the Steering Committee for the Nez Perce
Tribe's 2006 Signature Event.
She previously worked with a college in Rapid
City, as a telecommunications analyst/consultant for
Fortune 500 companies in San Antonio and Miami and
with her husband owned a security officer business
in Miami.
She and her husband, Randy, returned to Lewiston
in 1995. During his 20-year career serving with the
U.S. Air Force, they lived in Montana, South Dakota,
Texas, Germany, and Florida. Randy is chair and
professor of business at LCSC. Their daughter,
Heather, son-in-law, Paul and grandson, PJ also live
in Lewiston. They enjoy the outdoors and traveling.
Their family is involved with promoting awareness
for causes dealing with infant/child loss as their
granddaughter, Kaia, passed away in 2005 due to
complications from a heart defect.
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 Dawn Shepherd
Riggins |
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Dawn was born in 1942
in Maywood, California. She moved to Idaho
when she was five years old. She graduated
from Borah High School in 1960. That same year
she married her Jr. High sweetheart Paul Shepherd.
Together they had nine children (3 girls and 6
boys). All nine are married and have given
them 35 grand-children and 3 great grand-children.
At age 23 they bought a small
sawmill in Stanley. They have been self-employed
ever since. After five years in Stanley they moved
to Garden Valley for 17 years. They now live in
Riggins. They owned and sold a Motel and a
Steakhouse in Riggins. Presently they are back in
the timber business operating a small sawmill and
building log homes.
In each community Dawn lived in
she was very active in local activities, clubs,
politics, and of course all school activities for
many years. She was very active in Riggins Area
Chamber of Commerce serving as Secretary for 4 years
and president for six years. Now she is working with
and helping her husband who serves as a State
Representative in the Idaho Legislature.
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Amy Taylor
Idaho Falls |
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Amy Taylor was born in Idaho Falls, the fifth of eight children to Brett and Sue
Manwaring. She attended public schools in District #93 and graduated from
Bonneville High School. She obtained her Bachelor of Science Degree in Political
Science and Journalism from Utah State University. She worked for Senator Dirk
Kempthorne’s Washington, DC office as a staff assistant and in his Idaho Falls
Field Office. She also worked in Representative Mike Simpson’s Idaho Falls
office.
Amy has worked on many campaigns and enjoys working with the media. She
writes freelance for the Idaho Falls Magazine. She’s served in many positions
for the past ten years with the Bonneville County Republican Women, including
President. She was appointed to serve on Senator Larry Craig’s Regional Alliance
Committee.
She is a licensed loan officer and mortgage broker and is an owner of four
companies operating in Idaho Falls, Coventry Mortgage, For Sale By Owner Magazine,
Home Pointe Real Estate, and Great West Construction.
She a certified Group Fitness Instructor, Personal Trainer, and Fitness Specialist for the YMCA. She also serves in various positions in her church.
She and her husband Brooks Taylor, have four children, Abby (10), Hally (7), and Jackson (5),
and Lincoln (1).
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Debra Wilson
Kimberly |
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Debra J. (Deb)
Wilson was raised in Tuttle, Idaho, and graduated
from Bliss High School. She has an Associates
degree in Agricultural Science from the College of
Southern Idaho and a Bachelor's of Science in
Agricultural Science and Technology with an emphasis
on Agricultural Economics from the University of
Idaho. She is currently working on a Master's
Degree in Educational Leadership from U of I as
well.
Deb is the Associate Director
for the College of Southern Idaho Foundation, Inc.,
Co-Director of Strategic Planning for the CSI and
has worked for the College for 16 years. She
is a graduate of the Council for Resource
Development Specialist Program for resource
development officers serve as the Director for
Region X for 2003-2004, served as the Director of
the Mentoring Program for CRD in 2004 and has held
and will hold the position of Vice President for
Regional Services for CRD for 2005 and 2006.
She is a graduate of Twin Falls Chamber of Commerce
Magic Valley Leadership program, and a member of the
Board of Directors of the Blue Lakes Rotary Club.
Deb has volunteered her time to
the Kimberly Booster Club, the ladies chapter of
Duck's Unlimited, The Women's Crisis Center, and the
American Cancer Society Relay for Life, Magic Valley
Student Leadership, Magic Valley Arts Council, and
East End Providers.
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Jeanne Wride
Aberdeen |
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Jeanne Wride grew up in Blackfoot, Idaho. After graduating from Blackfoot High School she met, at ISC, Evan Wride of Aberdeen, Idaho and they were married.
After Evan's graduation he joined the Internal Revenue Service, Intelligence Division, which took the Wride family to many different location throughout the United States, the highlight being a few years in Washington D. C. where Jeanne developed an interest in politics.
Jeanne' life has been one of raising six children as a stay at home mom. Volunteering became an important part as there is always a need in a child's school or activity, a friends political campaign, church, the local hospital, fundraising, the 2002 Winter Olympics and a year with VISTA/Peace Corps as the director of the American Falls Chamber of Commerce.
For the last fifteen years Jeanne has been a committee secretary, during the legislative session, at the Utah Senate. She loves the political process and has instructed many visitors and school children on "How a Bill Becomes Law" as a volunteer tour guide at the Utah State Capitol.
Jeanne has traveled extensively and loves learning about other countries and cultures. Her favorite is the United Kingdom. She was fortunate, while studying at the University of Utah, to attend the International Summer School at Cambridge, England, and on another occasion living, with Evan, in a picturesque village south of London for a year.
In 2002 Jeanne was a Sr. Intern for Congressman Mike Simpson, Id., in Washington D.C.
Jeanne enjoys a great book at the beach, lovely music, a good movie, musical theater and making her thirteen grandchildren laugh (not all at once).
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© copyright 2004, Idaho
Women's Commission