The Idaho Education Association made three hires in July to strengthen field operations, boost the business office, and improve its legal services.
Brent Nichols
Brent Nichols, the IEA’s new statewide organizer, was raised in a union household and has spent his career within the labor movement. Originally from Soldotna, Alaska, Nichols attended Washington State University in 2020. During the 2022 midterm elections, Nichols was instrumental in electing pro-labor candidates across rural Alaska. He has been part of advocacy efforts to implement recruitment and retention incentives in local governments and has experience as an external organizer helping workers without a union to form one.
Nichols began his position at the IEA in July. He joins friends and family who live in Boise, and he is already taking advantage of the city’s Greenbelt and hiking trails.
Cynthia Espinosa joined the IEA’s business office in July. She spent more than 17 years in medical billing, including serving as the senior billing department specialist and revenue cycle manager for Idaho Gastroenterology Associates in Boise.
Cynthia Espinosa
“I am a mother, a wife, and a curious, driven individual,” she says. “Love a good reality show, an interesting documentary, listening to a good book, and I enjoy cooking.”
Tyler Allen, the new region associate/legal assistant for the Eastern Idaho Organizing Center (EIOC), comes to the IEA after serving as the senior administrative assistant and deputy clerk for Bannock County Courts. Over her career, she has tackled a wide range of administrative and legal responsibilities.
Tyler Allen
Allen is a native of Pocatello and earned a double degree at Idaho State University while raising two children as a single mother and working full time for a mental health services organization. She later served within the juvenile court system and joined the IEA in mid-July.
“As I begin my new position at the Idaho Education Association, it will be with the same work ethic, loyalty and enthusiasm I have shown in my past positions,” she says.