8:45–9:15am

Idaho Transportation Study

Dr. Vanessa Fry

Vanessa serves as Interim Director and Assistant Research Professor at the Idaho Policy Institute at Boise State University. She is also an Adjunct Faculty Member at Presidio Graduate School. Vanessa holds a BA in Biology and Fine Art from Wittenberg University, a MBA from Presidio Graduate School, and a PhD in Public Policy and Administration from Boise State University. Based out of Boise, she can often be found running, floating rivers, skiing, and exploring Idaho with her husband, two daughters, and dog.

9:30–10:30am

Facilitated Idaho Legislative Panel Discussion

Lance Giles, moderator

Lance is a local lobbyist with The Giles Group. He has over 25 years of public policy, communications, and government affairs experience in the state, federal, non-profit, and private sectors. The majority of his career has been focused on transportation policy. He holds a Juris Doctorate from Howard University in Washington, D.C. and a Bachelor of Business Administration from Boise State University. He is a member of the Idaho State Bar and lives with his wife, Lisa, in Boise.

Senator David Nelson

Senator Nelson is a fourth-generation Idahoan who grew up on a Genesee wheat ranch. A graduate of the University of Idaho, he founded a successful software company and returned to the Palouse 20 years ago. First elected to the Senate in 2018, he serves on the Senate Health and Welfare, Transportation, and Agricultural Affairs Committees, and is a leader on infrastructure, transportation, and behavioral health policy. He has also served on the Governor’s Economic Rebound Advisory Committee for COVID-19 and the Idaho Broadband Taskforce. Senator Nelson lives in Moscow with his wife and two daughters, and enjoys rafting Idaho’s rivers.

Representative Muffy Davis

Representative Muffy Davis is a graduate of Wood River High School and Stanford University. She is a seven-time Paralympic Games medalist in two sports: alpine skiing and cycling. Representative Davis is a professional speaker and was previously employed in healthcare development. She is an elected member of the International Paralympic Committee Governing Board; member of International Olympic Committee’s Legacy & Sustainability Commission, IOC’s 2026 Evaluation Commission, U.S. Olympic Committee’s Paralympic Advisory Committee, and Los Angeles’ 2028 Executive Board.

Representative Clark Kauffman

Born in Twin Falls, Idaho, Representative Clark Kauffman graduated from Filer High School. He is a Vietnam veteran with service in the U.S. Air Force. Representative Kauffman is a graduate of Leadership Idaho Agriculture and a board member of Filer Mutual Telephone Co-Op. He is married with two children and three grandchildren.

Senator Carl Crabtree

Senator Carl Crabtree is a rancher/owner in the registered beef cattle business and small livestock trucking business. He is a former University of Idaho extension agent and former Idaho County weed supervisor. Senator Crabtree managed the Idaho County 4-H program for 27 years and is past president for the Idaho Cattle Association and Idaho Beef Council. He served on National Cattlemen’s Beef Association board, chairing two national committees and was awarded Beef Magazine’s “Trailblazer of the Year for 2007,” an award that recognizes leadership accomplishments in the beef industry.

10:45–11:30am

Federal Transportation Update

Jen Deci

Jen Deci serves as a Senior Professional Staff Member for Chairman Mike Crapo on the Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs and is the lead staff for securities and capital markets, as well as transportation, infrastructure and related issues.  She has been on staff with the Banking Committee during the 114th , 115th , and 116th Congresses. In addition to the Banking Committee, she previously served in various capacities on Senator Richard Shelby’s staff and worked as policy analyst for the Northern Virginia Transportation Commission.

11:30–12:15pm

Funding for Bicycling and Walking in the Upcoming Transportation Bill

Caron Whitaker

Caron Whitaker leads federal policy efforts for the League of American Bicyclists working to secure bicycle and pedestrian friendly policies and funding through advocacy with Congress, the Administration and national advocacy partners. She also works with the League’s Bike Walk Action Advisory Committee, made up of representatives of state and local advocacy organizations, to determine policy priorities. Prior to joining the League of American Bicyclists in 2012, Caron served as the Campaign Director for America Bikes where she coordinated and implemented their federal policy agenda. Before that, she worked for the National Wildlife Federation on smart growth, international policy, and community engagement. In addition, Caron served as a Community Land Use Planner for the State of North Carolina Division of Coastal Management, providing technical assistance to local governments and staffing a stakeholders’ council responsible for revising state planning regulations. She has a Masters in Environmental Management for Duke University, Nicholas School of the Environment and a Bachelors of Arts from Williams College.

1:15–2:15pm

Transportation Safety Technology

Nate Jensen

Nate Jensen covers International markets for PRECO Electronics, a Sensata Technologies company. In this role, he serves organizations and communities to enhance safety and build better coexistence between vehicles and pedestrians. Nate holds a B.S. in Sales and Marketing Management from Western Governors University, maintains a Certified Sales Executive (CSE) Accreditation and is a Lean Six Sigma Green belt. Nate has been a long-time resident of the Treasure Valley, growing up on the Boise Bench. He currently resides in Kuna, Idaho and spends his time recreating in the Idaho mountains, or fishing on the Pacific Ocean.

Tony Brennan

Tony Brennan serves as the Director of Technical Marketing at Campbell Company. Campbell Company provides products that allow pedestrian access at intersections and public areas. This includes Accessible Pedestrian Signals, Push Buttons, Pedestrian Stations, Signs and hardware that allows these to be installed to specifications.

2:30– 3:00pm

ITD Walking and Biking Updates

Margaret Havey

Margaret Havey was designated the Bicycle and Pedestrian Coordinator for ITD headquarters last fall. Some of you may be familiar with her from some other active transportation work around the treasure valley. She worked as the Planner at Valley Regional Transit for 4 years, and at ITD as an analyst in the Roadway Data Section and Planning Services. In the past she volunteered on the Board of the Treasure Valley Cycling Alliance where she headed the Volunteer Bicycle Count project for 7 years and is a certified League of American Bicyclists Cycling Instructor.

3:15–4:00pm

Public Transit Discussion

Kim MacPherson

Kim MacPherson joined Mountain Rides in December 2011 as the Administrative Support Coordinator and now is the Director of Community Development. She is involved in many facets of the agency from outreach in the community and bus advertising to the technology solutions for tracking ridership. Kim really likes finding ways for people to use the bus. She graduated from the University of New Hampshire with a business administration degree. She lives in Hailey and enjoys working in her garden or riding her bike when she is not working.

Kaite Justice

Kaite Justice is the director of City Go, downtown Boise’s transportation management association. Kaite began her career in transit in 2016 as an AmeriCorps VISTA member partnering with Valley Regional Transit and the Idaho Office for Refugees on job-access transportation. In 2017, Kaite began working for Valley Regional Transit as a mobility coordinator. Kaite is also the volunteer executive director of the nonprofit Idaho Advocates for Community Transportation and the transportation co-chair for the Neighbors United Refugee Collaborative of Boise. Kaite is a native to Boise. She holds a bachelor’s degree in International Political Economy from The College of Idaho and is currently pursuing a master’s degree from the University of Washington in Sustainable Transportation.