Moderators

Representative Monica Church serves as an Idaho Legislature (District 19 Seat A) in her hometown of Boise.

Monica is a dedicated advocate for Idaho’s students, educators, and public schools, bringing nearly two decades of experience as a classroom teacher to her work in education policy.

She serves on the boards of the Andrus Center for Public Policy and the Sawtooth Society, is an appointed Ethics Commissioner for the City of Boise, and represents Idaho as a delegate for the U.S. Global Leadership Coalition. A proud member of the Boise Education Association, she continues to champion teachers statewide.

As the granddaughter of Cecil and Carol Andrus and Frank and Bethine Church, she carries forward a deep commitment to public service and Idaho’s Democratic values.

Dr. Katherine Himes directs the University of Idaho James A. and Louise McClure Center for Public Policy Research. She practices muddy boots science policy. Katherine’s expertise includes natural resources, collaborative governance, and science diplomacy. Her work spans local, state, federal, and international levels. She is co-chair of a U.S. National Academies Roundtable, associate editor of the journal Science & Diplomacy, and president of the Boise Committee on Foreign Relations board of directors.

Before coming to Idaho, Katherine led science policy initiatives in Washington state, served as a science adviser in the Foreign Service and at the U.S. Agency for International Development, and worked in administration at the University of Minnesota. She has a Ph.D. and B.S. in neuroscience from the University of Minnesota and an MBA in entrepreneurship from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Emily Wakild is the Cecil D. Andrus Endowed Chair for Environment and Public Lands at Boise State University. She earned her Ph.D. in history from the University of Arizona and joined the History Dept. at BSU in 2012. She led the Environmental Studies Program in 2018 and has helped design the new School of the Environment and degrees in Environmental Science and a Master of Environmental Management.

Dr. Wakild’s historical research accounts for the ways various people have deliberately conserved their environments in different times and places in the Americas. She is the author or co-author of six books, including two Spanish translations, dozens of research articles, and a podcast called MoreThan. She has received awards from the National Endowment for the Humanities, the National Science Foundation, and the Fulbright-Hays program. She also studies the effects of place-based education on student outcomes and has received a University Foundations teaching award.