Agriculture

Justin Wick, of Meridian, is a new junior member of the American Angus Association.

Junior members are eligible to register cattle in the association, participate in programs conducted by the National Junior Angus Association and take part in association-sponsored shows and other national and regional events.

The American Angus Association is the largest beef-breed association in the world, with more than 25,000 active adult and junior members.

Associations

LaDawn Anderst has been appointed CEO of the Idaho Association of Realtors.

During her 22-year career with the association, Anderst has been education director, membership services director, convention coordinator, director of operations and interim CEO. She was certified by the National Association of Realtors as the professional standards administrator for the state association and several local boards in 1991 and has implemented programs including a legal hotline, regional professional standards and grievance panels, and the association management program. She provides support to the bylaws, budget, executive, grievance and professional-standards committees along with the Idaho Realtors Leadership Academy.

Anderst holds a degree in business administration from Northwest Nazarene University and lives in Nampa with her husband, state Rep. Robert Anderst, and their two children.

The Idaho Association of Realtors is a voice for professionals, a force for real estate education and a promoter of laws benefiting real estate licensees and property owners.

Banking

Nick Bishop and Neal Squires have been named business relationship managers for the Wells Fargo Southwest Idaho Business Banking Center in Boise. Bishop and Squires will manage a portfolio of new and existing business relationships.

Bishop, a graduate of Brigham Young University-Idaho with a degree in business management, joined Wells Fargo in 2008 as a credit analyst in Jackson, Wyo. He went on to serve as a lead credit analyst and business relationship manager in Jackson before accepting his most recent position with the Credit Services Group in Boise in 2010.

Squires most recently served as North Central Idaho District manager for Wells Fargo. He managed a team of 10 store managers and 75 team members. He joined Wells Fargo in 2003 and has been a teller, personal banker, business specialist and store manager. A graduate of the Colorado Technical University with a degree in business administration, Squires earned a MBA degree from Mississippi State University.

Zions Bank has donated $5,000 to the Women’s Business Center of Idaho to help budding entrepreneurs plan, start and build their businesses. The funds will allow them to assist entrepreneurs who are economically challenged.

The center is funded in part through a cooperative agreement with the U.S. Small Business Administration. It provides counseling, training and resources to women entrepreneurs in Ada, Canyon, Elmore, Gem and Payette counties. The center has assisted nearly 250 people. It is a program of Mountain States Group Inc., a Boise nonprofit.

Education

Kip McBean, risk and insurance manager, and Sybrina Bobo, technical records specialist 2, both with Boise State University’s Office of Risk and Insurance Management, have earned the associate in risk management designation.

ARM is a nationally recognized educational program for risk-management professionals that was developed by the Insurance Institute of America.

Engineering

Tom Lemenager has joined Riedesel Engineering as senior aviation manager. George Mustard has joined as director of business development.

Lemenager has 30 years of aviation engineering and planning experience. He has worked with the FAA Denver, Burlingame, and Seattle district offices and many Idaho, Wyoming, Colorado, Nevada and Oregon airports.

Lemenager has concentrated the last 18 years on servicing Idaho and Oregon airports. He is the former Wyoming state airport engineer. Lemenager will be working in Riedesel’s Meridian office and is responsible for management of all Riedesel Engineering aviation projects.

Mustard has 35 years experience as a business owner, chief financial officer, project manager and consultant. He has focused on marketing, sales and finance in the last 15 years. Mustard is responsible for the general business functions of the company. He will be working in the Meridian office.

Riedesel Engineering is a consulting civil engineering firm specializing in transportation. It also has offices in Twin Falls, Lewiston and Richland, Wash.

Entertainment

Veteran figure skater Marla Polk has joined Idaho IceWorld as skating director.

A native of Minneapolis, Polk learned to skate at age 2 on an outdoor rink at a neighborhood park. Her professional experience includes instruction freestyle, figures, Moves in the Field, group and private lessons. She has also performed with Disney on Ice and synchronized team skating.

Polk earned a bachelor of arts degree from Knox College in Galesburg, Ill. She has worked at skating facilities in Illinois, Minnesota and New Hampshire.

Idaho IceWorld is a two-rink indoor center operated by Boise Parks and Recreation.

Government

Sen. Mike Crapo is expected to become the ranking minority member of the Senate Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee in the 113th Congress.

Crapo, who wrapped up work with Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell on the Senate Republican Committee on Committees, will retain his committee assignments from the last Congress. His seniority means he also is the third-ranking Republican on the Senate Finance Committee. The assignments become final when approved by the Republican Conference and the full Senate.

Senate Minority Whip John Cornyn, R-Texas, appointed Crapo as chief deputy whip for the 113th Congress, meaning Crapo will head a team of senators communicating information and strategy to their Republican colleagues.

Crapo will also remain a member of the Budget, Environment and Public Works, and Indian Affairs committees.

Sara Baker will be president of the Ada County Highway District for 2013, elected unanimously by her colleagues.

Baker and Commissioner Rebecca Arnold have been sworn into office along with newly elected Commissioner Jim Hansen. Baker and Arnold were re-elected in November.

The president is chosen annually to lead the district and to set the commission meeting agenda, among other duties. Baker, a former Boise City Council member, was elected to the ACHD Commission in 2008. She lives on the Boise Bench and represents Subdistrict 5, central and northwest Ada County.

Commissioners also elected John Franden vice president. Franden, originally elected in 2002, will preside over meetings in Baker’s absence.

Health care

Zelda Geyer-Sylvia has been selected by the Blue Cross of Idaho board as president and CEO.

Geyer-Sylvia was appointed interim president and CEO in July, replacing former president and CEO Ray Flachbart.

Geyer-Sylvia joined Blue Cross in December 2006 and was executive vice president and chief operating officer. She was responsible for claims, customer service, membership services, legal and governmental affairs, human resources, information services, medical and quality management, and provider services.

Previously, Geyer-Sylvia was the CEO from 1998 to 2006 at M-Care, a 220,000-member not-for-profit managed-care company owned by the University of Michigan. She was also the vice president of plan administration at a 580,000-member Kaiser Permanente plan in the Northeast from 1996 to 1998. Previous experience also includes 11 years as the vice president and chief operating officer at Community Health Plan in Albany, N.Y., from 1985 to 1996.

Geyer-Sylvia received her master’s degree in public health from Yale University and her bachelor of arts from Middlebury College in Vermont. She serves on the boards of the Idaho Association of Commerce and Industry, the Idaho Association of Health Plans, the Health Quality Planning Commission, the Idaho Health Data Exchange and Gov. Butch Otter’s Health Care Council.

Law

Richard R. Hall and Jason E. Prince have been elected partners at Stoel Rives LLP, a business law firm.

Hall’s practice focuses on mining, natural resources and real estate law, with an emphasis on the development and operation of mining and energy projects. He also has experience in land and mineral-title matters. He is a former civil engineer for a large electrical utility.

Prince focuses on the domestic and international sale of goods and services, providing clients with representation in complex business disputes and counseling. He represents businesses in contract disputes and class actions in federal and state courts. He counsels multinational and exporting businesses on compliance with the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act and U.S. export control regulations, as well as on the negotiation of international commercial agreements involving distributors and sales representatives.

Erika E. Malmen has been appointed to partner in the Boise office of law firm Perkins Coie.

Malmen is a member of the environment, energy and resources practice, representing clients in permitting, compliance and litigation under various statutes including the National Environmental Policy Act, Clean Water Act, Clean Air Act, Federal Land Policy & Management Act and the Endangered Species Act. Malmen’s practice also includes state water law, real estate and procurement.

Before joining Perkins Coie, Malmen was as an attorney with the Office of the Solicitor, U.S. Department of the Interior. She also served as acting special assistant to the solicitor.

Scott Randolph was elected to the partnership at Holland & Hart LLP.

Randolph represents clients before the Idaho Human Rights Commission and the Equal Opportunity Commission, and in state and federal courts throughout Idaho, as well as in the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. He has experience in complex commercial litigation, trade secrets, noncompete agreements, breach of fiduciary duty, disability discrimination, sexual harassment, and wage-and-hour disputes.

Real estate

Darlene Johnson has joinedHappy Dog Realty.

Johnson recently received her Idaho real estate license and will specialize in residential real estate in Canyon County. She is a lifelong resident of Nampa and owns Darlene’s Printing.

Codi McPherson has joined Thornton Oliver Keller Commercial Real Estate as a brokerage assistant.

McPherson brings four years of real estate experience and will be responsible for assisting six agents and their clients. She holds an associate degree in science of information technology – multimedia from ITT Technical Institute, Boise.

Thornton Oliver Keller Commercial Real Estate is an independently owned commercial real estate company in Boise.