Board of Trustees
College of Eastern Idaho is governed by a volunteer, nonpartisan, five-member Board of Trustees elected at large from within Bonneville County for staggered terms. Trustees derive their authority from and hold office under Idaho Code §33-2107.
While no individual trustee is responsible for the overall governance of CEI, each trustee, acting as a board member, is critical to the direction of the College by preparing for and attending monthly meetings. Trustees serve on committees/as liaisons to specific areas of the college and overall serve the best interests of the CEI student body, employees, and surrounding community members. Regular CEI Board of Trustee meetings are held at 6:00 PM on the fourth Tuesday of each month in the College’s Boardroom (Room 306 of Building 3) and via Zoom, with special meetings occurring as needed.
For more information on the roles and responsibilities of CEI Trustees, please see the Amended Board of Trustees Governance Policies. For information on past Trustee activities and actions, please see the Board of Trustees Meeting Minutes. Please see the CEI calendar for information regarding upcoming Board of Trustee meetings.
For additional information about CEI's Board of Trustees, their meetings, and how to present an issue to the Board, please contact Emma Getliff.
Finance Committee
The Finance Committee serves as an advisory committee to the Board of Trustees regarding the fiscal integrity of the college. The committee monitors the college's financial assets and operations in support CEI's mission and long term economic health.
Regular Finance Committee meetings are held at 3:30 PM on the third Thursday of each month in the President's Conference room (Room 310A of Building 3) and via Zoom, with special meetings occuring as needed.
For information on past Finance Committee activities and actions, please see the Finance Committee meeting minutes. Please see the CEI calendar for information regarding upcoming Finance Committee meetings.
Trustee Zone Map
Park Price
Chair (Zone 3)
Term expire November 2026
Park Price is Chairman of the Board of Directors of Bank of Idaho, an independent community bank. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Economics from Dartmouth College. His training at Dartmouth and his experience as the owner of Park Price Motor Company in Pocatello for 24 years instilled in him a passion for education and economic development.
With respect to the economy, he is serving his second term as a Director of the Salt Lake Branch of the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco. Between those stints, he was a director of the Federal Home Loan Bank of Seattle, an important source of funds for banks providing mortgages for homeowners and small businesses. Closer to home, Mr. Price is a Trustee of PERSI, the Public Employee Retirement System of Idaho, the Chair of REDI, the regional economic development organization for Eastern Idaho. He has also served as chair of the Idaho Association of Commerce and Industry and Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center.
Education is his other passion. He is Chair of the Board of Trustees of the College of Eastern Idaho. He has been Chair of the Idaho State University Foundation, is currently the Eastern Regional Chair of Idaho Business for Education. He also served as a member of the Governor’s Higher Education Task Force.
Because health care is an important issue to the business owners and all citizens of Idaho, he has served as a Director of Delta Dental Plan of Idaho and just recently completed his term as Chair of the Board of Trustees of Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center. Mr. Price is a member of civic organizations such as Rotary Clubs in Pocatello and Idaho Falls, the Idaho Community Foundation, and the City Club of Idaho Falls.
Email:
Cal Ozaki
Vice Chair & Treasurer (Zone 2)
Term expires November 2024
Cal Ozaki retired in 2019 as the Idaho National Laboratory Director of Public Affairs, which culminated a diverse 40-year career that included leadership positions at three Department of Energy national laboratories (Idaho National Laboratory, Argonne National Laboratory-West, and Lawrence Livermore National laboratory). He is actively involved in the community, including serving on the former Eastern Idaho Technical College (EITC) Executive Advisory Council for 12 years. Cal also previously served as the Chairman of the Board for the Greater Idaho Falls Chamber of Commerce, on the Board of Directors for the Eastern Idaho Economic Development Council (EIEDC), on the Board of Directors of the United Way, and on the Idaho Falls Higher Education Advisory Council. Cal earned bachelor’s degrees in biology and chemistry from the University of California at Irvine, and a master’s degree in radiological health from Oregon State University. He has also completed executive leadership programs at Northeastern University in Boston and the International Institute for Management Development in Lausanne, Switzerland.
Cal was appointed to the CEI Board of Trustees in 2017, and elected to that position in 2018 and reelected in 2020.
Email:
Amy Gardels
Trustee (Zone 1)
Term expires November 2022
Amy Gardels has been proud to call eastern Idaho “home” her entire life. She grew up in Blackfoot and has lived in Idaho Falls for the past 23 years. Amy graduated with her Associates of Science in nursing from BYU-Idaho and has been a registered nurse for 26 years. She currently works as a nurse manager in Idaho Falls.
Amy and her husband Matthew have two daughters and three sons. Their family has experienced CEI from the perspective of the returning adult student and the concurrent
enrollment high school student. In 2019, their daughter Lindsay became CEI’s first successful concurrent enrollment graduate, having completed her Associates of Science while
attending Skyline High School. Matthew also graduated with a cyber security degree from CEI in 2019, returning to college 20 years after receiving his initial bachelor’s degree. Amy is proud to have two CEI graduates in her immediate family and of how the College has changed and improved their lives.
Amy believes that CEI has the power to improve individual lives and our community as a whole through educational opportunities. She is impressed by CEI’s offerings in the form of workforce training, certifications, and degrees. Amy wants more families to experience the possibilities of CEI. She believes that being a Trustee is the best way promote CEI as well as serve the community and was excited to be appointed to fill the vacant Zone 1 seat on the Board of Trustees at College of Eastern Idaho in July 2022 and then elected by voters in November 2022.
Email:
Ethan Huffman
Trustee (Zone 4)
Term expires November 2024
Ethan Huffman was appointed to fill the vacant Zone 4 seat on the Board of Trustees at College of Eastern Idaho in April 2023. He has lived and worked in Idaho for nearly his entire life. Ethan grew up on a horse ranch near Kuna and learned at an early age the value of hard work and keeping promises.
Today, he is a seasoned communication and government affairs professional with a successful history of leading, developing, implementing, and measuring strategic communication campaigns and legislative opportunities. He has a strong record of supporting multidisciplinary teams in the development of communication plans, marketing products, and media messaging. And he has experience developing and advancing relationships among stakeholders of all backgrounds.
Ethan is currently the team lead for national security communication, strategy, and engagement at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Idaho National Laboratory. In this position, he oversees a small team of professionals who perform external and internal communication activities, business development, and client engagement. Previously, he supported strategic communication and legislative affairs for the Center for Advanced Energy Studies. Ethan was also a professional staffer for U.S. Congressman Mike Simpson, where he provided legislative outreach to constituents in eight counties throughout eastern Idaho.
He holds a Master of Arts in Communication and Leadership Studies from Gonzaga University. Ethan is married to his wife Jill and has twin high school children.
Email:
Carrie Scheid
Trustee (Zone 5)
Term expires November 2026
Amy believes that CEI has the power to improve individual lives and our community as a whole through educational opportunities. She is impressed by CEI’s offerings in the form of workforce training, certifications, and degrees. Amy wants more families to experience the possibilities of CEI. She believes that being a Trustee is the best way promote CEI as well as serve the community and was excited to be appointed to fill the vacant Zone 1 seat on the Board of Trustees at College of Eastern Idaho in July 2022 and then elected by voters in November 2022.
Carrie’s recent community service includes serving on the Board of Trustees at College of Eastern Idaho, including as the Treasurer for several years, working on the community college ballot initiative, working on art benches on the River Walk, and serving on nonprofit Boards such as the Idaho Nonprofit Center (chair in 2016,) Snake River Animal Shelter, Idaho Falls Arts Council, Downtown Rotary Club, Downtown Development Corporation, and Downtown Public Arts Committee. She was a recipient of the Idaho Governor’s “Outstanding Arts Administrator” award in 2002. She and her husband Jerry Scheid, a retired cattle rancher, also write a monthly column for the Post Register.
Email:
Park Price
Cal Ozaki
Amy Gardels
Ethan Huffman
Carrie Scheid
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