Three new teammates joined the Idaho Education Association staff in recent weeks to help IEA members in their work as advocates for Idaho students, their fellow educators and public education.
All three are based out of IEA headquarters in downtown Boise.
Jake Emery – Director of Business and Finance
Jake Emery
Jake Emery joined the IEA team earlier this month as the new director of business and finance.
In his new role, Emery oversees IEA’s four-employee business office, which is responsible for all administrative, personnel and financial functions of the union. This includes property management, accounting, budgeting and budget reporting, payroll and employee benefits management and membership processing.
“My wife teaches Kindergarten in the West Ada School district, and I am really looking forward to supporting Idaho’s teachers and students any way that I can,” Emery wrote in an email introducing himself to IEA’s leaders and staff when he was hired.
He succeeds Jim McMahon, who is retiring June 30 after nearly six years with the association.
Emery, a certified public accountant, comes to IEA from Disability Rights Idaho, Idaho’s federally designated protection and advocacy system for people with disabilities, where he was director of financial operations. He also served as finance director of the Idaho Primary Care Association and also held auditor, analyst and accounting roles at MDU Resources, Intermountain Gas, Harris & Co. PLLC, Bailey and Company and LandAmerica.
Emery earned his bachelor’s degree in business administration from Boise State University.
Julie Sarasqueta – Communications Specialist
Julie Sarasqueta
Julie Sarasqueta is one of two new communications staffers at IEA.
In her new role as communications specialist at IEA, Sarasqueta is responsible for creating a wide range of content for IEA’s communication vehicles. She is a primary writer and content creator for IEA Reporter, helps develop IEA’s suite of printed materials for members and contributes significantly the IEA website and social media channels.
In her introductory email to her new colleagues, Sarasqueta said, “I am thrilled to join the IEA after more than a decade as a freelance writer and editor. I’ve lived in Idaho since junior high and have been in Boise long enough to remember when the Egyptian played first-run movies. When I’m not working, I’m probably in the mountains, watching a film or baking in the tiniest kitchen in the city.”
A long-time journalist, writer and communications professional in the Boise area, Sarasqueta joins the association after 10 successful years as a freelance copywriter and communications consultant. Before that, she worked in writing and communications roles Scentsy Fragrance, Red Sky Public Relations and Boise State University. She started her career as an editor and writer at The Idaho Statesman.
She earned her bachelor’s degree in journalism at the University of Montana. If you have a story idea for IEA Reporter, reach out to her at jsarasqueta@idahoea.org or text or call 208-871-2145.
Pamela Craig – Digital Communications and Social Media Organizer
Pamela Craig
Pamela Craig joined the IEA communications team as the digital communications and social media organizer earlier this month.
In her new role, Craig is responsible for developing and maintaining the digital communications tools IEA uses to communicate to its members and other constituencies. She is IEA’s primary social media communicator, plays a large role in developing IEA’s website as a communications tool and is a talented storyteller who contributes to all of IEA’s other communications materials and products.
“I’m thrilled to join such a talented communications team and for the opportunity to collaborate with seasoned professionals,” Craig said. “I’m especially excited to work for a cause I deeply care about: advocating for public education and educators across my home state.”
Craig joins the IEA team after five years as a senior organic content specialist at Boise State University’s Division of Extended Studies. Previously, she held positions as a marketing assistant and a program assistant at Boise State and she plans to continue in her role an adjunct instructor at the university.
She holds a master’s degree in public administration and bachelor’s degrees in history and English, all from Boise State.