Lance Holmstrom, Administrator

Email: lholmstrom@lhtac.org

Lance has an undergraduate degree from BSU in Public Administration, and a Masters degree in Urban Planning from the University of Oregon. He has been a practicing planner for 25 years in Idaho, Oregon and Washington and has specialized in transportation planning for the last 20 years. Lance grew up in rural Idaho. His great grandparents were pioneers and homesteaded Idaho in 1876.

Lance moved to Boise in 2005 to become the Deputy Administrator for the Local Highway Technical Assistance Council. He was promoted to Administrator in September 2007.

Prior to joining LHTAC, Lance spent nine years in the Idaho Falls area as the senior transportation planner for the Idaho Transportation Department in District 6 focusing on corridor plans. Over the course of his career he has worked throughout the Northwest as a planner for a metropolitan planning organization, a county and several cities to assist local officials solve transportation and land use problems.

He enjoys competitive shooting, fly fishing, and backpacking, but only as a means to get to less crowded fishing holes.

 

Jeff Miles, P.E., Deputy Administrator

Email: jmiles@lhtac.org

Jeff began as the Deputy Administrator at LHTAC in July 2011.

 
 
 
 

Cindy Stewart, Publication/Council Manager

Email: cstewart@lhtac.org

Cindy was raised in Meridian, Idaho, and has lived in several areas of the State to include Coeur d’Alene and Stanley.  After high school, she attended vocational secretarial schools in both Washington and Montana.  She is married and has two daughters.  Cindy started working as LHTAC Secretary/Receptionist in February 1997.  She was promoted to Publication/Council Manager in September 2006.

 

Susan Lasuen, Office Manager

Email: slasuen@lhtac.org

After receiving her Bachelors degree in Social Sciences from Boise State University, Susan began her career working with non-profit organizations doing case work and grant administration.  After several years of working with non-profits, Susan decided to pursue a new career path in accounting.  She took some additional courses at Boise State in accounting and is pursuing her CPA certification.  She is excited to be with LHTAC, which has presented her with new opportunities and learning experiences.

Susan enjoys spending time with her husband, her daughter and her two dogs.

 

Nancy Ziebarth, Secretary/Receptionist

Email: nziebarth@lhtac.org

Nancy has lived in Boise for the past 10 years.  She comes to LHTAC with a variety of administrative and accounting experience from previous jobs in Minnesota, Oregon and Idaho.

Nancy and her husband Mike enjoy traveling, camping and spending time with family and friends.

 

Jerry Flatz, P.E., Federal Aid Area Manager

Email: jflatz@lhtac.org

Jerry graduated from Oregon State University in 1977 with a degree in Education.  He taught school at Lincoln City, Oregon and also Kongiganak, Alaska.  After nine years of teaching, he decided to change careers and went back to Oregon State for a second opportunity.

In 1989, he graduated with a degree in Civil Engineering.  After graduation Jerry took a job with Benton County, Oregon, and was responsible for the traffic issues within the County.  In 1990 he came to Boise for a position as an Engineer-in-Training with JUB Engineers, Inc.  Jerry worked for JUB before coming to LHTAC as the Federal Aid Manager in June 2001.

His lovely wife, Lori, teaches third grade at Monroe School.  His Daughter, Ramona, has graduated from the University of Idaho and Arizona State University and now manages a genetics laboratory at Willamette University.  Hans, Jerry & Lori’s son, matriculated at Jamestown College in North Dakota, and is now employed as a radiology technician in Bowman, ND.

Jerry manages local federal-aid projects within ITD’s Districts 3 and 4.

 

Wayne Herbel, P.E., Federal Aid Area Manager

Email: wherbel@lhtac.org

Raised on a small farm in Canyon County, Idaho, Wayne obtained a Bachelor of Science degree in Engineering from Walla Walla University in 1990 and began working for a Civil Engineering consulting firm in Pasco, Washington. In 1992 he returned to school at Washington State University to study Geotechnical Engineering. After graduating in 1994 with a Master of Science degree in Civil Engineering, he returned to Idaho and began working for a Geotechnical Engineering consulting firm in Boise. In 1998 Wayne went to work for the Idaho Transportation Department and over the next 10 years he worked as Geometrics Engineer, Associate Construction Engineer, and the Roadway Design Area Engineer for Districts 4, 5, and 6. Wayne’s wife, Barbara, is a clinical Dietitian for St. Luke’s, Meridian. They enjoy camping, motorcycle riding, and geocaching with their two boys, Caleb and Reuben. Wayne began working at LHTAC in January of 2008.

Wayne manages federal-aid projects in ITD’s Districts 5 and 6.

 

Dan Coonce, P.E., Federal Aid Area Manager

Email: dcoonce@lhtac.org

Dan was born and raised in Nebraska.  He received two Bachelor’s degrees from the University of Nebraska in 1992, Draft Design Engineering Technology and Construction Engineering Technology.   In Nebraska, Dan worked for private engineering consultants for a total of 12 years, working on site civil projects mostly but pursuing heavy highway construction projects as well.   After receiving his professional engineering license in Nebraska, he decided to move to the mountains to pursue a position with the Idaho Transportation Department, District 3 as a project manager.  While at ITD, Dan was promoted to the District 3 Traffic Engineer after receiving a certificate of completion from Northwestern University Center for Public Safety, a two-week traffic course, in 2002. In 2005, Dan accepted a position at The Transpo Group, traffic engineering and transportation planning consulting firm, to manage their Boise Office. Dan joined LHTAC in June 2009, to help administer the Stimulus program and augment the Federal Aid Team once the Stimulus program has been completed.

Dan enjoys all of what Idaho has to offer for outdoor activities, whether in the summer or winter.

 

Scott Ellsworth, P.E., P.L.S., Federal Aid Manager

Email: sellsworth@lhtac.org

Scott has been active in the Boise area in engineering and land surveying since 1985. He has 30 years of experience encompassing roadway design, site and land development, and survey and mapping projects. Scott grew up in Minnesota, served in the Army, and then attended OSU. He graduated from Oregon State University in Corvallis Oregon then began working for CH2M HILL. Scott moved to Boise in 1985 to design the Boise Connector. Since then he has been working all around the state on various transportation projects. He  joined the Local Highway Technical Assistance Council (LHTAC) as a Area Manager on the Federal Aid team and was promoted to Federal Aid Manager April 2013. He has been married to Susie for nearly 30 years and has three daughters, two currently enrolled at the University of Idaho.

 

Dan Shirilla, Federal Aid Financial Manager

Email: dshirilla@lhtac.org

Raised in the mid-west, Dan received a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration and a Master of Accounting degree from the University of Michigan. After moving to Idaho, Dan has served in several positions within the private and public sectors. His first position was as a Staff Accountant for Micron Technology, Inc. and followed that up with working as a Financial Analyst for Hewlett-Packard, Inc.

Dan began his public service with the State working for the Idaho Transportation Department’s Highway Programming Section (now the Office of Transportation Investments). From there Dan accepted a position at the State of Idaho Parks and Recreation Department and in 2005, Dan began working for the city of Garden City as Treasurer. Dan joined LHTAC with his wealth of experience in November, 2007. Dan is an avid runner, having completed the Boston Marathon three times. He enjoys the mountains and the beauty the State has to offer and looks forward to traveling and visiting with the LHTAC members.

 

Craig Herndon, Federal Aid Engineer Assistant

Email: cherndon@lhtac.org

Craig graduated from Idaho State University with a Bachelor of Science in Engineering degree in 1996. Following graduation Craig sold Automotive Paint and Supplies until 2000. In October 2000 he came to Boise for a position with the Ada County Highway District (ACHD). Craig held positions at ACHD as an Assistant Traffic Engineer, Traffic Design Engineer, Senior Transportation Planner and Project Manager II before coming to LHTAC as the Federal Aid Engineer Assistant in May 2013.

He met his lovely wife, Vicki, while in junior high in Eastern Idaho and they eventually married. Vicki works as an Optician at Eastgate Optical in Boise. Craig and Vicki have three children, Dillon, Sierra, and Shayawna.

 

Laila (Maqbool) Kral, P.E., Traffic Safety Engineer

Email: lmaqbool@lhtac.org    lkral@lhtac.org

Laila began working for LHTAC in the spring of 2012. She grew up in rural northern Idaho and holds a degree in Civil Engineering from Boise State University. She has worked the past nine years in the Treasure Valley on a wide range of civil engineering projects. Her current responsibilities include managing the Local Highway Safety Improvement Program as well as assisting the Federal Aid team.

Laila is newly married to her husband Jason. She enjoys going boating, trips to McCall and cheering on her favorite teams.

 

Karissa Hardy, P.E., Environmental Engineer

Email: khardy@lhtac.org

Karissa grew up in a suburb of Phoenix, Arizona. She obtained a Bachelor of Science Degree in Civil & Environmental Engineering from Brigham Young University and a Master of Science in Civil & Environmental Engineering from the University of Massachusetts Lowell, with an emphasis in Environmental Engineering. After spending six years on the East Coast she returned to the West, moving to Idaho in 2006 and is happy to call Idaho her home.

Prior to joining LHTAC, Karissa spent time working for various consulting firms and government agencies. Most recently she worked at Sunrise Engineering Inc. in Meridian, Idaho, and at the Idaho Transportation Department’s Environmental Section.

Karissa is married to a native Idahoan and enjoys spending time with her husband and their three boys.

 

Vicki Courtois, Federal Aid Administrative Assistant

Email: vcourtois@lhtac.org

Vicki is originally from Weiser, although she has lived all over the US.  Vicki has experience in Real Estate, Construction and Project Development.  She has been able to use her skills to assist the Federal Aid team and moved from being LHTAC’s Receptionist/Secretary to the Federal Aid Administrative Assistant.

 
 

Bruce Drewes, Idaho T2 Center Manager

Email: bdrewes@lhtac.org

Bruce has been working in the transportation industry for more than twenty five years, with the last twelve years in the transportation educational field. He is currently the Manager of the Idaho Technology Transfer Center which is housed within the Local Highway Technical Assistance Council (LHTAC).

Bruce provides training and technical assistance to the Local Highway Jurisdictions in a number of areas, specializing in Safety, Maintenance and Traffic related topics. He currently manages the Center as well as teaches a number of courses around the state. Bruce’s educational and transportation background has allowed him to provide an added element to the courses that he teaches.

 

Lorie Cover, Idaho T2 Center Training Coordinator

Email: lcover@lhtac.org

Lorie is a native of Boise and graduated from Borah High School. In 1992, Lorie began working for Hewlett-Packard on the production line and then later as an Administrative Assistant. During her 16 years at HP, she gained valuable technical skills and began volunteering for Community Education teaching computer courses for beginners. Lorie also taught introductory computer courses and internet basics for the BSU Center of Workforce Technology.

Lorie joined the LHTAC organization in December, 2008. She is excited about being a member of the Idaho T2 Center and is looking forward to contributing to its success.

Lorie lives in Meridian with her family and enjoys camping in Idaho or visiting the Oregon coast whenever the opportunity presents itself.

 

Denise Shields, Idaho T2 Center Event Coordinator

Email: dshields@lhtac.org

Denise was born and raised in San Francisco and moved to Idaho in 1976.
She worked at Albertson’s as the Idaho Division Secretary for 22 years and moved on when the company was sold and started its restructuring program.

She then worked in the Idaho State Treasurer’s Office for six years assisting local government agencies with their short term investment funds. She was also on the organization committee in 2008 for the Idaho Smart Women, Smart Money Financial conference sponsored by the State Treasurer.

Denise has been with the Idaho T2 Center as the Event Coordinator for the Safety Fest of the Great Northwest since August 2009, and has organized 4 events so far, 2 in Pocatello and 2 in Lewiston, as well as assisting in the other 3 Safety Fest events in Boise, Post Falls and Twin Falls. She also is the librarian for the T2 Center and assists the local highway jurisdictions in their safety training video and publication needs.

Denise is married and has two grown sons. She is an avid golfer and, along with her husband, Mike, golfs in tournaments whenever possible. She also spends a lot of time with family and friends dining out and going to the movies.

 

Doug Chase, P.E., Idaho T2 Center Instructor

Email: dchase@lhtac.org

Doug grew up on a small farm in eastern Idaho. He obtained a Bachelor of Science Degree in Civil Engineering from the University of Idaho, and became a Professional Engineer four years later. Doug recently retired after a 33-year career with the Idaho Transportation Department.

While working in a rural District, he provided contract oversight to the most costly Idaho highway construction project to date. He also served as the District Traffic Engineer. While working in an urban district, also home to Boise, the state capitol, he served as Project Development Engineer and managed the project development activities of nearly 50% of the state construction program, including over 250 projects, worth in excess of $500 million, which also included the design of the most complicated and costly highway construction project yet undertaken in Idaho.

Doug was the first State of Idaho Bridge Maintenance Engineer and built the Bridge Inspection and Repair Program to national prominence, while developing and instituting many new and innovative methods and programs.

Doug now provides technical training services to the Idaho LTAP community. His current classes include Speed Limits and Speed Zones, Roadway Drainage, Roads 101, Pavement Maintenance I & II, ADA Accessibility, Environmental Best Management Practices, and Road Safety 365.

Doug’s hobbies include bowhunting, whitewater rafting, and camping.

 

Matthew Syphus, GIS/Website Manager

Email: msyphus@lhtac.org

While attending Brigham Young University, Matthew worked in various capacities supporting operating systems, mechanical engineering software, and enterprise database systems, complementing a Bachelor of Science degree in Geographic Information Systems. His work in GIS includes creating a GIS database for the northern Bighorn Mountains in Wyoming and a summer in Yellowstone National Park’s Spatial Analysis Center.

Matthew began working at LHTAC in July 2009 to help create the Local Highway Inventory GIS database. He now contributes to various projects at LHTAC that benefit from GIS analysis and skills.

 

Todd Bartolome, Construction Engineering Manager

Email: mailto:tbartolome@lhtac.org

Todd has spent the last 25 years working in field of Civil Engineering. He obtained a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering from the University of Nebraska. Before joining LHTAC, he spent time working at the Idaho Transportation Department and HDR.

Todd was raised in the Midwest, but has called Idaho home for the last 15 years. He spent a short stint in Arizona and dreams of returning there someday.

Todd has a particular interest in swimming and photography. He enjoys coaching a local swim team and when he is not actually in the pool he can be found on the side of the pool, camera in hand.

 

Byron Walker, Construction Intern

Email: bwalker@lhtac.org

Byron grew up in the small southern Idaho town of Hollister.  He attended the College of Southern Idaho where he focused his efforts in the cabinetry program.  After moving to Boise, Byron worked construction by day and tried to finish his under-graduate degree in construction management by night.  The economic times allowed Byron to go to school full time, at BSU, where he is closing in on his degree in Construction Management at Boise State University.  He is now the senior intern for the Construction Engineering Section at LHTAC.  LHTAC is helping him learn the difference between labor and administration in today’s construction industry.

When he is not at school or work, Byron loves to rock-climb, play football, and hang out with his wife and son.

 

Steve Sprague, Construction Coordinator

Email: ssprague@lhtac.org

Steve attended Boise State University where he earned his Construction Management degree. After graduation He worked for the Idaho Transportation Department and ACHD for many years before accepting his position at LHTAC. Steve spends his free time with his wife and kids golfing, boating, fishing, swimming and skiing.

 

Odo Grandi, P.E., Construction Staff Engineer

Email: ograndi@lhtac.org

Odo joined LHTAC in March 2012 as a Construction Staff Engineer. His prior experience was with the Oregon Department of Transportation and previous to that working for a private geotechnical consultant. He grew up around Weiser, coming from a ranching and agriculture background, and graduated from the University of Idaho. He is excited to be with LHTAC and looks forward to the new and challenging experiences and construction projects ahead. Odo enjoys to team rope at rodeos and jackpots throughout the Northwest in his spare time.

 

Bev Williams, Records Inspector

Email: bwilliams@lhtac.org

Bev worked at the Idaho Transportation Department Residency B Construction Office for 20 years as Construction Office manager assistant. Some of her duties included reviewing, posting, paying, and filing construction pay documents, running estimates, and reviewing files for close out. She is now performing similar duties for LHTAC as a Records Inspector.

She enjoys barrel racing, swimming, and doing things with her grandkids and family.