Lance Holmstrom, Administrator

Email: lholmstrom@lhtac.org

Lance grew up in Midvale Idaho, graduating from high school with a class of 19, Lance earned 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 more than 20 years in Idaho, Oregon and Washington and has specialized in transportation planning for the last 15 years. Just prior to joining LHTAC in July 2005, as the Deputy Administrator, Lance spent nine years in District 6 as the senior transportation planner for the Idaho Transportation Department. He helped develop ITD’s corridor planning process and worked closely with local officials to solve transportation problems. Lance was named the Local Highway Administrator September 14, 2007.

Dan Shirilla, Deputy Administrator

Email: dshirilla@lhtac.org

Raised in the mid-west, Dan received a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration and a Master of Accounting degree in 1992 from the University of Michigan. After moving to Idaho in the fall of 1993, 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 in the spring of 1995, worked as a Financial Analyst for Hewlett-Packard, Inc. Dan began his public service with the State in 1999, working for the Idaho Transportation Department’s Highway Programming Section (now the Office of Transportation Investments). In 2001, 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. Completing the Boston Marathon in 1988, 1996, and 2000, Dan is an avid runner. He enjoys the mountains and the beauty the State has to offer and looks forward to traveling and visiting with the LHTAC members.

Cindy Stewart, Publications/Council Manager

Email: cstewart@lhtac.org

Cindy was raised in Meridian, Idaho. After high school, she attended a Vocational Secretarial school in Glasgow, Montana. From there she moved to Coeur d’ Alene and was employed by Clare-Pendar, Inc., as a Telex Operator. When company was sold to Texas Instruments in 1979, she moved with her family to Stanley, the Heart of Idaho, where she worked for the Stan Harrah Corporation for seven years. Afterwards, Cindy moved out of state to Indiana and Utah for several years. She returned to Idaho and has been with LHTAC since February, 1997.

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 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 administers the LHTAC federal-aid team and specifically manages local federal-aid projects within ITD’s Districts 3 and 4.

Wayne Herbel, P.E., Deputy Federal Aid 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., Deputy Federal Aid 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.

Michael Moffett, Assistant Federal Aid Manager

Email: mmoffett@lhtac.org

Born in Indiana, Mike grew up fishing, hunting, and trapping in Alaska and the mountains of Idaho. After Mike served in the U.S. Army as a Cavalry Scout, he earned his Associate of Applied Science Degree in Drafting Technology from Manhattan Area Technical College. Prior to coming to LHTAC in April, 2006, Mike worked as a Civil Engineering Technician for the U.S. Forest Service, a Transportation Designer for the Idaho Transportation Department and for Holladay Engineering Company. Mike continued his education, earning a Bachelor of Science Degree in Project Management in 2006 and a Master of Arts Degreee in Organizational Leadership in 2008 from George Fox University. Mike enjoys camping, fishing, and reading.

Mike manages federal-aid projects in ITD’s Districts 1 and 2.

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. In 1976 she and her husband Mike, and their two young sons, Paul and Justin, moved to Idaho.

In 1979 Denise started working at Albertson’s as the Idaho Division Secretary and continued in that position for 22 years. She assisted various Idaho Division Vice Presidents and Division Sales Managers, all who supervised the 32 Idaho Division stores; as well as managing the office, including the mailroom and reception areas.

Denise then went to work in the Idaho State Treasurer’s Office in the Local Government Investment Pool assisting Idaho municipalities with access to their invested idle 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 joined the Idaho T2 Center recently as the Event Coordinator and is looking forward to making her first project, the Safety Fest in Pocatello, a huge success.

Denise is an avid golfer and she and her husband golf in tournaments whenever possible. She also spends a lot of time with family and friends dining out and going to the movies.

Jim Zier, Asset Manager

Email: jzier@lhtac.org

Born and raised in Walla Walla, Washington, Jim earned his Bachelor of Arts and Sciences Degree in Business Administration in 1970, with special emphasis in Data Processing, Economics, and Statistics from Central Washington State University. After graduation, Jim served six years in the Washington Army National Guard as a Fuel and Electrical System Repair Specialist. During the 12 years Jim worked for the Transit Authority in Walla Walla, Jim held various positions including Operations and Program Manager where he administered the remodel of the fueling and maintenance operations and administration facility from pre-conceptual design through construction. After working for the Transit Authority, Jim worked 11 years in safety, loss control, and underwriting for the Idaho Counties Risk Management Program (ICRMP) including developing, administrating, and troubleshooting underwriting software for over 80 agents throughout the State of Idaho. In addition to his experience at the Transit Authority and ICRMP, Jim has 32 hours of Real Property Appraisal training, Rainier National Bank Management Training, and is an experienced third party Commercial Drivers License Skills Tester and training consultant. Working for LHTAC since June 2005, when Jim is not busy serving the Local Highway Jurisdictions, he enjoys golfing, motorcycles, and target practice.

Dylan Karaus, Local Highway Certification Coordinator

Email: dkaraus@lhtac.org

Dylan was born in Boone, North Carolina; nestled in the Southern Appalachian Mountains. He attained a Bachelor of Science Degree in Geography with a concentration in GIS from Appalachian State University. His love for the mountains and alpine sports brought him to Idaho where he has lived since 2004. His work experience includes GIS and drafting for telecommunications and power infrastructure. Dylan has been working for LHTAC since February, 2009.

In cooperation with the Idaho Transportation Department, Dylan is tasked with developing a statewide Local Roads Highway Inventory Geodatabase of over 27,000 miles of local roads. Each year Dylan validates the addition of new road mileage with the publication of the End-of-the-Year Mileage Report.

Matthew Syphus, GIS Specialist

Email: msyphus@lhtac.org

While attending Brigham Young University and starting a family, Matthew filled his spare time supporting operating systems, mechanical engineering design software, and enterprise database systems.  That experience proved valuable in successfully pursuing his Bachelor of Science degree in Geographic Information Systems.  His work in GIS includes creating a geodatabase 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, where helping to create the Local Highway Inventory geodatabase is a welcomed challenge. 

Jessica Barnes, Records Inspector

Email: jbarnes@lhtac.org

Jessica is an Idaho native and grew up in the Boise area. After completing the Cosmetology program at Idaho State University she returned to Boise to work as a hair stylist. After several years, Jessica decided she was ready for a career change and returned to school. She earned a Bachelors degree in History and Social Studies from Boise State University. In her spare time, Jessica enjoys reading, cooking, and the outdoors.

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 pregnant wife.