President – Chandra Reyna, Ph.D.
Program Coordinator, McNair Scholars Program, Boise State University
Chandra Reyna is the Program Coordinator of the McNair Scholars Program at Boise State University. As a sociologist of family and education, she is passionate about empowering students to pursue higher education and address social problems through research, community involvement, and advocacy. She finds the most rewarding aspect of her work with TRIO to be empowering McNair Scholars to become scientists and guiding them as they pursue research that addresses critical social issues. She has collaborated with students, faculty, administrators, and external partners to enhance student access and experience across all levels of education, from K-12 to graduate school. She looks forward to continuing this impactful work for Idaho students through IATP.
Contact: president-elect@idahoatp.org
Past-President – Sarah Ritter
Director, McNair Scholars Program, Boise State University
Sarah Ritter began working with Boise State’s TRIO McNair Scholars Program in 2015 as the Program Coordinator and is now the Assistant Director. Her favorite part of working for the McNair Program is helping students pursue their dreams of becoming scientists. In that effort, she has helped over 65 students get into graduate school and eight students receive the prestigious National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship Program award. Sarah has a B.A in English Literature and Creative Writing, a M.Ed in English as a Second Language, and is ABD (all but dissertation) in an EdD in Curriculum and Instruction. Her dissertation research, Discontinuity in the Pedagogical Relation Between Teachers and Refugee Students, arose from her experiences in the Boise School District teaching students with refugee backgrounds for four years. In her spare time she likes to spend time with her family, walk her dogs, and work in her garden.
Contact: past-president@idahoatp.org
President Elect – Emma Erickson
Associate Director, Silver Valley Upward Bound, University of Idaho
Emma Erickson is the Interim Director of Silver Valley Upward Bound at the University of Idaho. She is passionate about student support and educational access, with a focus on helping rural, first-generation, and low-income students achieve academic success and pursue postsecondary goals. In her role with Upward Bound, Emma oversees program operations while fostering meaningful relationships with students, families, and school partners. Her favorite part of her position is building sustainable programs and creating student-centered learning environments that promote confidence, persistence, and college readiness. Emma holds a Bachelor’s degree in Environmental Science and a Master’s degree in Adult Organizational Learning and Leadership. In her spare time, she enjoys trying new recipes and walking her dogs.
Contact: president-elect@idahoatp.org
Secretary – Amanda Ferguson
Educational Specialist, TRIO STEM Scholars, Boise State University
Amanda Ferguson holds a Bachelor of Sciences degree in Geoscience Education from Boise State University and maintains an Idaho teaching endorsement in Earth and Space Sciences. Amanda has high school and middle school classroom experience working with diverse learners in disadvantaged communities. She enjoys challenging students to reach outside of their comfort zones. Amanda joined TRIO STEM Scholars as an Educational Specialist in the summer of 2022.
Amanda enjoys helping people find and build supportive communities to be a part of. She has a desire to support students of all ages in advocating for themselves and others as well as in finding the wonder and curiosity to be a lifelong learner. In her free time, she enjoys calligraphy, video games, TTRPGs, reading, and chasing her daughter around the backyard.
Contact: secretary@idahoatp.org
Treasurer – Mandy Peace
Management Assistant and Financial Specialist, TRIO Programs, Idaho State University
Contact: treasurer@idahoatp.org