Two new members of the Idaho Education Association Board of Directors will assume their seats on Aug. 1 after the IEA’s 2024 election cycle earlier this month. Additionally, two current IEA board members were re-elected to their positions on the union’s governing body.
All candidates for IEA board seats were unopposed in the online election, which was held May 1-9. Each will serve a term of three years.
Cyndi Faircloth, co-president of the Moscow Education Association, was elected to her first term on the board as one of two representatives for IEA’s Region 2 in
the Lewiston-Moscow area of North Idaho. Faircloth has been MEA co-president since 2022 and has been on the local’s bargaining team since 2017. She’s been a delegate to IEA’s annual Delegate Assembly six times, is a trainer for the IEA-affiliated Center for Teaching and Learning and has served on the state’s Teacher of the Year committee several times. She succeeds Deanna Didier of the Lewiston Education Association.
Marta Hernandez was elected to represent IEA’s Region 4 in the Magic Valley area of Southern Idaho. A longtime co-president of the Cassia County Education Association, Hernandez will also be serving her first term on the board. She is a Region 4 representative on IEA’s Human and Civil Rights Committee and a member of the union’s Women and Minorities Caucus. Hernandez also serves on CCEA’s bargaining team, is a facilitator for IEA’s Leaders for Just Schools initiative and is a regular delegate to IEA’s Delegate Assembly. She succeeds Catherine (Kat) Thorp of the Blaine County Education Association.
Angela Gillman, a member of the Idaho Falls Education Association, was re-elected to her seat on the board as a representative from IEA’s Region 6 in Eastern Idaho. Gillman is a member of Region 6’s board of directors and has twice served as IFEA’s president (2013-16 and 2019-20). She has also served on her local’s negotiations team, was a union building representative and served on IEA’s elections committee.
Angie Hickman, a West Ada Education Association member, was re-elected to the board as a representative from IEA’s Region 9 in Southwestern Idaho. Hickman is a member of Region 9’s board, a member of the WAEA executive committee and serves as the local’s secretary. She served as chair of IEA’s elections
committee, has been union building representative and has been a delegate to IEA’s Delegate Assembly 18 times.
