Edythe Crowe was a food program manager at Orchards Elementary School in Lewiston for over 25 years. She was actively involved in IEA committee work and was instrumental in spurring membership among Educational Support Professionals and working to secure bargaining rights for them. The Edythe Crowe Award is awarded to honor Edythe for her involvement in encouraging classified staff to become members of the association.
LiseAnn Mills
Mountain Home Education Association
Nominated By Elijah Nixon
LiseAnn Mills is a fence mender — and an inspiration.
As co-president of the Mountain Home Education Association, Mills played a crucial role in repairing broken trust between her local and the school district. It was an effort that paid huge dividends for her local’s contract negotiations in 2023 — and their success in securing pay raises for every educator, including 10% for education support professionals.
“She all but personally paved the way for the district to open their minds to the concerns of the association and the teachers they represent,” said Elijah Nixon, Mill’s co-president at MHEA who nominated her for IEA’s Edythe Crowe Award. “This dramatic shift of rapport is what led the association to feel safe enough to have earnest discussions with district administration. Without these important conversations, the needs of the staff and faculty may not have been heard.”
Mills, a high school behavioral paraeducator, has been a highly active IEA member since 2010. In that time, she served as MHEA’s vice president and has been on the local’s negotiating team since 2021. She has also served as Region 8 co-president since 2022 and was elected to the ESP at-large position on the IEA board of directors in 2023. In this new position, LiseAnn advocates for all classified staff across the state.
“It’s been such a privilege to work with her and it has been a deeply humbling experience to see just how much she does behind the scenes,” Nixon wrote. “She toils tirelessly to advocate for her fellow educators and is almost solely responsible for helping the district to see the value of ESPs.”
Mills attended the National Education Association ESP conference in 2020, 2022 and 2023. Most recently, she was selected to participate in the NEA ESP Leadership Institute and will representIdaho in Washington, D.C., in November.
“LiseAnn inspires others through her selflessness and dedication to education in Idaho,” wrote Alisa Abaunza in her nomination support letter.