(BOISE) Gov. C.L. “Butch” Otter has appointed Dr. Dene Thomas of Lewiston to Idaho Housing and Finance Association’s (IHFA’s) Board of Commissioners.

Thomas is president of Lewis-Clark State College (LCSC) in Lewiston. She was named president of the institution by the Idaho State Board of Education in July 2001. Prior to assuming the presidency of LCSC, she was the Vice Provost for Academic Affairs at the University of Idaho, having worked her way up through the ranks as Assistant and Associate Professor of English, Director of Writing, and Associate Dean of the College of Letters and Science.

“Dr. Thomas is a welcome addition to IHFA’s board,” said Gerald Hunter, IHFA’s president and executive director. “Her leadership experience will be an asset to IHFA as we work to address important housing needs across Idaho.”

Thomas earned her baccalaureate degree in Literature, with a Secondary Education Certificate in English, from Southwest State University, Minnesota. She received her Ph.D. in English, specializing in rhetoric and composition, at the University of Minnesota.

Thomas holds a wide variety of leadership positions both nationally and on the local level. She is a commissioner for the American Council on Education Commission on Effective Leadership, a commissioner for the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities, serves on the board of directors for Higher Education Resource Services, and is a member of the executive board for the American Council on Education Network – Office of Women in Higher Education. Locally, she serves on the board of directors for Valley Vision; is a member of the Idaho Workforce Development Council, the Idaho Higher Education Council of Presidents, the Frontier Athletic Conference; and serves on the Legislative Committee for the Lewiston Chamber of Commerce. Additionally, Thomas received the Council for Advancement and Support of Education District VIII’s Distinguished Leadership Award for 2007.

Thomas was appointed to IHFA’s board Nov. 25, 2008. Her term expires July 1, 2012.

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Idaho Housing and Finance Association, a financial services and housing business organization, provides funding for affordable housing in Idaho communities where it is most needed and when it is economically feasible. For more information, visit our Web site at www.ihfa.org.