Our President

About Dr. Lori Barber

Dr. Lori Barber began her tenure as President at College of Eastern Idaho (CEI) on August 1, 2024. She has held several administrative roles at CEI prior to the role of President. She started at CEI as Director of General Education and then became the inaugural Dean of General Education in 2018. Barber became Vice President of Academic & Student Affairs in June of 2019. Her innovative strategies have been instrumental in steering the direction of institutional growth and building the framework on which CEI’s current academic and student affairs structure has been built. Under Dr. Barber’s leadership, CEI has experienced an unprecedented 244% growth in credit enrollments since 2017. As an innovative leader, she recently led her team to the successful establishment of CEI's first two Bachelors of Applied Science degrees.

Dr. Barber holds a Doctorate of Educational Leadership and Innovation from Arizona State University. Her Master’s Degree is in Interdisciplinary Studies in History and Anthropology from Idaho State University where she researched the history and anthropology of food. She has been involved in education at the K-12 and post-secondary realms for over twenty-five years.

Dr. Barber profoundly believes in the community college mission and recognizes the power of education to create hope and transform lives. Barber endeavors to identify and remove barriers to create abundant opportunities for students. She has been married for 35 years and has two grown sons. In her spare time, she teaches yoga, hikes in the Idaho wilderness, writes, and walks many miles with her two sweet dogs.

President Welcome Letter

Welcome to the College of Eastern Idaho (CEI), where education is more than just classrooms and textbooks—it’s a journey of transformation. As president, I am a passionate believer in the power of education to change not just one life, but generations of lives. Here at CEI, we foster a community where knowledge takes root and grows into something extraordinary.

My Granny, Ruby Marley, is one of my lifetime heroes. Though her formal education journey ended around the 6th or 7th grade, her knowledge and wisdom transcended the classroom. She gardened like a green thumbed goddess and canned all of her summer bounty, bottling sunshine with her fruits and vegetables to see us all through the gray Oklahoma season of cold and damp. One of my earliest memories is sitting in her lap at the age of three or four, her reading or telling me a bed time story in her rocker in front of a blazing fire. She embodied love and laughter and all the very best things of life, yet so unassuming in her shirt waist dresses, sensible shoes, and tightly permed gray hair. As she planted her garden, she also planted the seeds of the power of education in all of her grandkids. I am extraordinarily grateful for her encouragement of education, the importance of doing well in school, and the work ethic she instilled in me.

Education really is like planting a seed. As the Chinese proverb goes, “The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second-best time is now.” Whether you're beginning your educational journey, returning to finish what you started, or seeking new skills for a changing world, College of Eastern Idaho is THE place to plant those seeds of knowledge, to grow, to flourish.

At CEI, we are not just preparing students for careers—we are equipping them to make a difference, both in their lives and in the lives of others. Our commitment to excellence, innovation, and community means that you are never alone on this path. Together, we grow, we learn, and we build a future that’s not just bright—but boundless. Granny would be proud of us all!

Welcome to your future. Welcome to CEI.