Agriculture

Cevin Jones, Idaho cattleman and president and CEO of InterMountain Beef in the Eden area, has been named vice chairman of the Federation of State Beef Councils, a division of the National Cattlemen's Beef Association. Jones was chosen for the position during the 2013 Cattle Industry Convention in February.

The federation is an alliance of the 45 state beef councils that collect the $1-per-head beef checkoff required of cattle sellers to support beef promotion and research. States may retain up to 50 cents per head for in-state or other beef promotion and forward the rest to the Cattlemen's Beef Board, for national and international marketing.

As vice chairman, Jones will serve on the Beef Promotion Operating Committee, which establishes the annual national check-off plan, subject to approval by the beef board and the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Jones has served in top positions with the Idaho Beef Council, the Idaho Cattle Association and the state Feeder Council.

In national service, Jones is a former director of the U.S. Meat Export Federation and was a Federation Region V vice president, representing the interests of cattlemen in Idaho, Colorado, Montana, Oregon, Washington and Wyoming.

Jones is a director for the Idaho Animal Damage Control and Magic Valley Aero Club boards, and is a former director of the Leadership Idaho Agriculture Board.

Jack Brown of the University of Idaho College of Agricultural and Life Sciences will expand his plant- breeding efforts to focus on wheat for Idaho and Northwest farmers.

Brown, a 20-year member of the university's agriculture faculty in Moscow, was tasked recently with including wheat breeding in his duties.

With more than a dozen canola, rapeseed and mustard varieties available to growers, Brown is most identified with the oilseeds that turn thousands of acres across the Northwest golden each spring and summer. His IdaGold mustard is used by some of the nation's largest mustard makers. Brown will continue to develop new oilseed varieties.

His past, however, includes jobs where he focused on breeding barley and potatoes. "Once you've worked with plants, the science is pretty similar," Brown said.

With wheat and barley sales worth a projected $1.1 billion to Idaho growers last year, the college recognized the importance of having an experienced scientist overseeing wheat variety development for northern Idaho and the Inland Northwest, said John Foltz, interim dean of the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences.

Brown will work closely with Limagrain Cereal Seeds wheat breeders in the Northwest as part of an innovative collaboration that shares the company's extensive European germplasm collection and marketing expertise with University of Idaho germplasm and expertise.

Automotive

Chad Bravender, Jim Brown, Ty Luethold and John O'Bryan have been promoted to new positions at Larry H. Miller Dealerships.

Bravender has been promoted to general manager at Larry H. Miller Honda in Boise. He was previously general manager of Larry H. Miller Subaru Boise and has been with the company since 2000. He also has worked at LHM Volkswagen/KIA in Lakewood, Colo.

Brown started selling cars at the age of 19 and has been with the Larry H. Miller Group of Companies for the past 20 years. He was promoted to the position of senior vice president of automotive operations in June of 2009. His responsibilities included overseeing daily operations of LHM dealerships in Idaho, New Mexico, Utah and Washington.

Brown's new promotion makes him general manager of Larry H. Miller Lexus dealerships in Murray and Lindon, Utah.

Leuthold, named store manager for Larry H. Miller Subaru Boise, was previously general sales manager there.

O'Bryan, the new senior vice president of automotive operations based in Sandy, Utah, has worked in the automotive industry for the past 29 years. His tenure with the LHM Group started in 1997 with the acquisition of the company's Idaho dealerships. He worked at the Automall in Caldwell from 1999 to 2008 serving roles from fixed operations manager to general manager. Most recently, he was the general manager of Miller Honda of Boise and regional performance manager over the four Miller dealerships in Idaho.

Larry H. Miller Dealerships operates 19 automotive brands under 48 dealerships in seven Western states. Each dealership specializes in the sales and service of new and used automobiles, as well as providing financing and insurance products to their customers.

Education

David Shellberg has been appointed vice president of instruction and student services for the College of Western Idaho.

Shellberg has served as interim vice president since August 2012. Before coming to CWI, he spent 24 years in post-secondary education within the Colorado Community College System. Most recently he served as executive vice president of Arapahoe Community College in Denver.

Shellberg is a graduate of Colorado State University with a bachelor's degree in business administration.

Gemma Gaudette, former television journalist, has joined the media relations team in Boise as the new regional integrated communications officer for the University of Idaho.

Gaudette will focus on communications and media initiatives in southern and eastern Idaho, with particular emphasis on media outlets in the Treasure Valley, Twin Falls and Idaho Falls.

Before joining the University of Idaho, Gaudette worked at KIVI Television in the Treasure Valley as the weekday morning anchor.

Gaudette came to Boise in 1999, where she was the first weekday evening anchor for KTRV Television. After nearly six years in Boise, she became a morning and noon anchor for a television station in Tampa, Fla. Two years later, Gaudette and her husband decided to return to Idaho.

Gaudette grew up in Chehalis, Wash., and is a graduate of Washington State University.

Engineering

Chuck Kemp has joined the executive team of Power Engineers as chief financial officer.

Kemp brings 27 years of financial leadership to his new role. As a global financial expert, he's experienced in a broad range of financial and internal control activities, including project finance, information systems design and implementation, accounting, SOX compliance, acquisitions, due diligence, forecasting, reporting, planning and external/internal audits. Before joining Power Engineers, Kemp served as vice president of finance at SAIC Energy, Environment & Infrastructure, LLC. He received a bachelor's degree in business administration from the University of San Diego.

Power Engineers is a global consulting engineering firm specializing in the delivery of integrated solutions for energy, food and beverage, facilities, communications, environmental and federal markets.

Tyler Victorino has joined the electrical department of Musgrove Engineering.

Victorino brings with him seven years of experience in the industry and a broad scope of knowledge in design of power distribution, lighting, solar and communications systems for commercial buildings.

Natural resources

John Moeller, principal of Forsgren Associates, as well as attorney and Northwest Mining Association board member Joseph Baird, a partner of Baird Hanson, LLP., have been elected directors of American CuMo Mining Corporation.

Former CuMo project manager Shaun Dykes was named chief executive officer, and Hongxue Fu was appointed executive chairman of the board.

Shareholders of the former Mosquito Consolidated Gold Mines Limited approved a corporate rebranding, becoming American CuMo Mining Corporation and committed to advancing the company's flagship project, an exploration for strategic metals in Boise County approved by the U.S. Forest Service in 2011.

Moeller holds a bachelor's of science in electrical engineering, a master's of science from the University of Kentucky and a doctorate in biology with an emphasis on water quality from Idaho State University. He has managed numerous programs and a regional office of the Idaho Department of Environmental Quality.

Baird provides environmental and mining counsel to various New York Stock Exchange, TSX Venture Exchange and venture capital mineral companies. He is a former president and secretary of the Northwest Mining Association board, a member and former trustee of the Rocky Mountain Mineral Law Foundation, and a member of the Society for Mining, Metallurgy and Exploration.

Since Dykes' election to CEO, he has initiated the company's rebranding and completed a complex management transition. He also has obtained the dismissal of an appeal filed by environmental groups that challenged a federal judge's August 2012 decision in favor of the U.S. Forest Service on four of five concerns. The fifth concern has been remanded to the Forest Service for resolution.

The CuMo Project is an exploration of lands that company leaders believe contain large and economically significant deposits of molybdenum, copper, silver and tungsten. CuMoCo is approved by the U.S. Forest Service to explore approximately 10,000 acres of federal land, involving the building of up to 10 miles of roads and small-bore exploratory drilling at 137 sites over five years.

CuMoCo successfully completed its federally authorized exploratory drilling program for the 2012 season with encouraging results. At this advanced exploration stage, the work is now transitioning from outlining the shape and size of the deposit to obtaining the detailed information required to make informed and intelligent decisions with regard to the development of the project.

Nonprofits

Larry Price and Brandon Woods have been named to the board of directors of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Ada County.

Price is vice president of sales and marketing at Syringa Networks. Woods is general manager of West-Pak Equipment Company. Corey Surber, Saint Alphonsus Regional Medical Center, is president of the 26-member volunteer board.

More than 4,000 local at-risk teens and children participate in programs at the clubs' three facilities. Clubs include the Moseley Center in Garden City, Meridian Boys & Girls Club in Meridian, and the summer-only program in Kuna.

The Boys & Girls Clubs of Ada County provide many youth development programs conducted by professional staff. Key programs emphasize academic success, good character and citizenship, and healthy lifestyles.

Frank Wallace, KJ Mac, Kennette McWilliams and Janelle Conaway have been elected to serve as officers on the Wish Granters board of directors for 2013. Community volunteers Cindy McClaskey and Cherie Coonce also have been elected to the board.

Wallace, of Pepsi Bottling Ventures, was elected president. Mac, of KOOL Oldies 99.5, is vice-president. McWilliams, of St. Luke's Hospice, is secretary, and certified public accountant Conaway is treasurer.

Other board members serving in 2013 include: Bruce Wehler of Mountain States Tumor Institute; Judy Geier of Evans and Keane; Cami Hill of the Discovery Center of Idaho; Matt Hill of Boise Inc.; Sara Nelson of Saint Alphonsus Regional Medical Center; and community volunteers K'lyn D'Elia and Kevin Grant.

Retail

Lisa Duplessie has accepted the position of executive director at the Capital City Public Market. Melissa Nodzu has been hired to serve as the market manager.

For the past eight years, Duplessie has served in leadership roles at the market, including market manager.

Nodzu has worked with the East End Market in Bown Crossing and the Eagle Saturday Market.

The Capital City Public Market Executive Board says the new leadership represents a significant step toward the organization's goal to build a world-class local public market that supports local food growers, producers and artisans, and provide consumers with access to those products.

Barbara Hooper has been hired by Clothesline Cleaners of Boise and Meridian as delivery driver.

Hooper is responsible for Clothesline's delivery service to businesses and residences in North Boise, from Warm Springs Mesa west to Eagle, including Hidden Springs.