Mayor Diana Thomas
Diana Thomas was born and raised in Idaho and devoted 35 years of her career life to education. Following her decision to leave education, Mayor Thomas served as Washington County Commissioner for over 6 years and was appointed by Governor Otter to the legislature to complete a term. Mayor Thomas was re-elected Mayor of the City of Weiser in November of 2015 and her 4-year term ends in December of 2019. She currently sits on the Weiser Memorial Hospital board of trustees, the Local Highway Technical Assistance Council board, and her church board of trustees. She is a graduate of Leadership Idaho Agriculture (LIA) which works to directly cultivate leaders in agriculture – our state’s biggest and most influential industry. Mayor Thomas was honored with the Harold Hurst Award for her outstanding contributions to the Association of Idaho Cities (AIC) at the 71th AIC Annual Conference in Boise, June 21st,Thomas and her husband of 53 years have 2 sons and 3 grandchildren.
“I appreciate the work the staff and board at LHTAC do to provide a quality resource to local entities. I have learned the difficulty of balancing the financial resources with the needs for improvements on the roads in our state. I have also learned the narrow line we walk to follow the directives from our partners at the state and federal level and still help our local government needs. I appreciate how LHTAC staff advocate for the locals. It is sometimes difficult to help those who don’t ask for help but expect immediate answers when a problem arises. Balancing time and resources are always a challenge.” Mayor Thomas
You can follow her on twitter @weiserite
Weiser, Idaho is a small rural community of 5,507 located in southwest Idaho and the home of the National Oldtime Fiddle Contest and Festival. Located at the confluence of the Weiser and Snake Rivers.
LHTAC’s First Female Council Chair
Mayor Thomas has served on the LHTAC Council since September of 2014. At the recent Quarterly Council Meeting Mayor Thomas was elected Chair and her new position will take effect July 1st. Mayor Thomas will be LHTAC’s first female Chair! This is not the only time she has been the first female in a position of leadership. She is the first elected female mayor for the City of Weiser. And she was also the first female administrator at a small school district she led in the 90’s.
LHTAC Employee Statistics
- 48% Female Staff
- 28% of our Female Staff are Licensed Engineers
- Out of our Engineers on Staff, 40% are females
LHTAC is governed by a Council and led by an Administrator. The Administrator is assisted by a 3-person management team 2 of which are women; Laila Kral the Deputy Administrator and Susan Lasuen the Administrative Manager.
Women at LHTAC
LHTAC encourages the advancement of women in transportation through a number of venues. LHTAC staff members volunteer at and support the Idaho Future City competition, where junior high students (approximately 50% female) design all aspects of a city which is heavily influenced by transportation. The teams are led by a mentor, providing the opportunity for female mentors to leave a lasting impression on female youth. LHTAC also promotes continuing education through a tuition reimbursement program and the involvement in professional societies and organizations. Currently, 6 LHTAC staff members are involved with the WTS SW Chapter. WTS attracts, sustains, connects and advances women’s careers to strengthen the transportation industry.