Two former educators and IEA members are settling in as IEA’s newest region directors.
Jamie Morton, a long-time IEA member and a middle school and high school science teacher in Lewiston and Jerome, stepped into her new role as region director in IEA’s Region 4 (Magic Valley area) on Aug. 1. Stephanie Myers, who taught special education at Boise’s East Junior High for 17 years and served Boise Education Association president for 10 years, began work as a region director in IEA’s Regions 7 (West Ada) and 9 (Boise) in July.
IEA’s nine region directors help local education associations and their educator members collectively secure better pay, benefits and employment conditions. They build relationships and lend expertise that produce better employment outcomes for IEA members. When needed, they also help local education associations advocate on behalf of individual members.
“IEA members are lucky to have Jamie and Stephanie representing them,” said IEA Executive Director Paul Stark. “Their understanding of the challenges educators face, their knowledge of how school district administrators approach their work and their passion for public education make them outstanding professionals for these roles.”
In addition to her classroom career and role as BEA president, Myers served on the Idaho Department of Education’s Professional Standards Commission and served on Gov. Brad Little’s COVID-19 Task Force. She earned her bachelor’s degrees in elementary education and special education at Boise State and her master’s degree in curriculum and instruction at Northwest Nazarene University. She is currently one of three IEA representatives serving on Idaho State Superintendent Debbie Critchfield’s task force examining the reform of Idaho public school funding formula.
Morton held a number of IEA leadership roles as a member before joining IEA’s staff. She recently served as board chairperson of IEA’s Center for Teaching and Learning, president of IEA’s Region 2 (Lewiston area) and as Lewiston Education Association’s treasurer. She is also a national facilitator for the National Education Association’s Leaders for Just Schools initiative. She is a University of Idaho graduate and has a master’s degree in science education from Montana State University.