Tanisha Townsend, HRM, CSM, MBA
PMIWIC President
E-mail: President
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tanisha-townsend-44309929/
Tanisha has over 15 years of experience working in program and project management in both the government and private sectors. She has managed a variety of projects and programs ranging from large scale IT project implementations to business process improvement projects. Tanisha served in the United States Air Force and in 2000, she was honorably discharged. She holds bachelor’s degrees in Project Management and Information Systems. In 2007, she earned a Master of Business Administration. She is certified in Agile methodology, in Prosci ADKAR Change Management and she is also a certified Scrum Master. Since 2018, she has worked for Micron Technology in various program and project management leadership roles. Currently she is the Senior Manager for Diversity, Equality and Inclusion supporting executive leaders to plan, develop projects and execute on Micron’s DEI commitments.
Tanisha enjoys giving back to the community. She has held board positions serving as a member of the Board of Directors for the Idaho Black History Museum; and as a governor appointed commission member on Serve Idaho – Governor’s Commission on Service and Volunteerism. She has served on the PMIWIC Board as the VP or Programs for the past two years.
In her free time, Tanisha enjoys writing and spending time with her family. She is excited for an opportunity to couple her experience in project management with her love for community service and volunteerism.
Tanisha is now in her second year of a three-year term on the executive team. She moved into her new position as President, effective July 1, 2023.
Karen Hardesty, PMP
President Elect
E-mail: President Elect
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/karen-hardesty-pmp-76a35253/
Karen Hardesty earned her PMP credentials in 2009. She has served on the PMIWIC Board of Directors as VP of Marketing, VP of Membership, and VP of Finance.
After almost 30 years, Karen retired from HP Inc in 2019, where she was a Senior Project Manager. She managed projects in a variety of functions, including Accounting/Finance, R&D/Manufacturing, Call Center Operations, eCommerce, and Managed Services Sales & Service Delivery.
While her son was active in youth soccer, Karen volunteered as both Team Manager and Team Treasurer, where she was responsible for reporting all income and expenditures for the team and providing final year accounting to the soccer club.
Karen is also an entrepreneur, working with a team of women to set and achieve goals, while building their own businesses.
Karen received her BSBA from the University of Arizona, with concentrations in Accounting and Management Information Systems. She is married with two children, two granddaughters (twins!), and a dog.
Karen begins her first year of a three-year term on the executive team, effective July 1, 2023.
Craig Hardesty, PMP, PgMP, MBA
PMIWIC Past President
E-mail: Past President
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/craighardesty/
Before joining the team at St. Luke’s, Craig spent 16 years in project and program management at HP and 6 years of IT management and project management prior to that. Craig has also volunteered on numerous projects at schools and churches in the Boise area. Craig has a BA in History from the University of Arizona, and an MBA from Boise State University.
Craig moved to Boise in 1990. He enjoys playing music, reading, and spending time with his wife, two grown children, and two energetic grand-daughters. He previously held the VP of Programs and the VP of Membership positions, before moving onto the executive officer track.
Craig is now in his third year of a three-year term on the executive team. He moved into his new position as Past President, effective July 1, 2023.
Trina Jaramillo
Vice President, Communications
E-mail: VP Communications
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/trina-jaramillo/
Trina and her family moved to the Boise area from Salt Lake City in 2020. She has experience working in Project and Program Management for various industries include landscape architecture, manufacturing, banking, and publishing. She currently works as a program manager for FamilySearch, working with international teams in the Asia Pacific.
Trina has a B.A. in Communications-Public Relations from Brigham Young University-Provo and an MBA from Westminster College, and she has been a certified PMP since 2015.
Trina is a California native but has spent most of the last 25 years in the Intermountain West. She loves spending time with her husband and 6 children. Her favorite activities include puzzles and anything music related. She also enjoys competing in triathlon events.
As VP of Communications, Trina is interested in contributing to the success of the Western Idaho Chapter by facilitating communications within the chapter. She will bring her experience in marketing project management to understand
member communication needs, as well as her experience with PMI Chapters in Northern Utah and the Kansas City Metro
area.
George Lewis, MSEE
Vice President, Technology
E-mail: VP Technology
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/george-lewis/
George has been a PMI member since 2003, involved with both PMIWIC and the Portland Chapter. For the last 2 years he has been part of the Technical Committee for PMIWIC.
George has over 35 years in management of R&D projects, mostly with HP in both the US and Europe, including 8 years with Xerox in international program management. He has managed project teams involved with technologies as diverse as NMOS process development, computer networks (including the first HP network printers), commercial printing, patent valuations, enterprise-level multi-company custom solution integration, IoT appliances and cloud software for a world-wide customer base.
Currently, George is the Senior R&D Director for a local company specializing in digital controls for commercial lighting. He is also Director of Technology for a non-profit organization providing educational opportunities to promising students in rural Kenya. And in his spare time, he enjoys being a referee for youth competitive and high school soccer in southwest Idaho and eastern Oregon.
George earned a BSEE (computer architecture) and MSEE (communications) from Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah.
Shawn Wilson, MSE, PE
Vice President, Finance Pro Tem
E-mail: VP Finance
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shawn-p-wilson/
Shawn Wilson is a Professional Engineer with 25 years of experience. He received a B.S. in Chemical Engineering from the University of Idaho and an M.S. in Engineering from the University of Washington. Currently Shawn is the Facilities Program Manager for the City of Boise.
His focus at the City is the planning and implementation of new municipal facilities such as fire stations and libraries, and the operation and maintenance of all existing municipal facilities.
Prior to the City, Shawn spent 16 years as an engineering consultant. As a consultant, he was fortunate to spend time supporting public and private agencies in the planning, permitting, and capital delivery of utilities such as water and wastewater.
Shawn looks forward to contributing to the chapter, by filling the role and responsibilities of the VP of Finance position, so Karen Hardesty, who previously held the position, can fulfill her new role as President-Elect for the chapter. Shawn was appointed by the PMIWIC Board to hold this position for the remaining one-year term accordingly.
LaDonna S. Speiser MS, PMP, PMI-ACP, CCMP
Vice President, Professional Development
E-mail: VP Professional Development
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ladonna-speiser-a309b8b/
LaDonna worked for the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare for over twenty years, with many roles, including project manager. Her career in project management has taken her places she would have never imagined she would go. In 2008, LaDonna became the Executive Director of the Idaho Health Data Exchange where she led the implementation of the exchange infrastructure and development of HL7 interfaces with member hospitals. In 2011, she became Idaho’s Health Information Technology Coordinator, where she worked with statewide stakeholders to help hospitals and providers adopt and use electronic health records. In 2013, LaDonna joined a consulting firm, where she managed projects in Illinois (Land of Lincoln), Texas (Keep Austin Weird), Missouri (the Show Me State), and Oregon (Keep Portland Weird).
Later, she joined Healthwise in 2016 as a project manager and became part of an amazing team. She and her team have grown the reputation of project management and the PMO over the last few years which culminated in the recent implementation of an enterprise project governance structure.
LaDonna has a Bachelor of Science in Human Resource Management from Western Governors University, a Master of Science in Instructional and Performance Technology from Boise State University, a Project Management Professional (PMP), a PMI Agile Certified Practitioner (PMI-ACP) and a Certified Change Management Professional (CCMP) from PROSCI.
She lives in Boise, Idaho with my partner, Monty, and our dog, Bashful. She loves reading, bicycling, and paddle boarding.
As the VP of Professional Development, LaDonna wants to give back to a profession that has given her so much. By providing professional development opportunities to aspiring and tenured project managers, she will create a community of practice which provides support for practitioners and helps advance project management to the benefit of the organizations we serve. LaDonna strongly believes that sharing our collective knowledge lifts everyone.
Alison Garrow, PMP, MPA, GIAC (GSEC, GFACT)
Vice President, Marketing
E-mail: VP Marketing
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alison-garrow/
Alison is the Education Director for Mission43, an initiative of the J.A. & Kathryn Albertson Family Foundation, where she works to create meaningful educational opportunities for military members, veterans, and their spouses that align with the demands of Idaho’s growing economy.
As a prior Air Force service member and military spouse, she understands the importance of education as it leads to personal and professional advancement. Alison is passionate about continuing to serve the Idaho community she calls home. She believes in fostering the development of diverse thought leadership and that quality education should be both accessible and available to help Idahoans reach their full potential.
Alison’s career is supported by a Master’s of Public Administration, Urban Nonprofit Management from the University of Texas at Arlington and PMP Certification.
With a breadth of experience in nonprofit program management, spanning over 15 years, Alison brings expert knowledge and skills to the VP of Marketing board position, including but not limited to: Public speaking in large venues and media outlets, management of social media platforms, strategic partnerships, community outreach and engagement, brand alignment, communications and marketing strategy, and most importantly, adaptability and willingness to take on new challenges.
Janel Peterson, PMP, MSIT
Vice President Pro Tem, Programs
E-mail: VP Programs
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/janel-peterson-b0910a1/kedIn
Bio is forthcoming … stay tuned!.
Tami Manevitch, PMP, EMOD
Vice President, Membership Pro Tem
E-mail: VP Membership
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tami-manevitch-284b68268/
Tami has been a PMI member and PMP certified since 2021. With many years of experience in semiconductor manufacturing, automotive manufacturing and software development, she’s had project management experience in a wide range of organizations and applications. Leading up to project management, she’s worked in Quality Systems, Quality Assurance, Engineering & Reliability, Document Control and Vendor Management.
After years of being a serial volunteer for youth development and environmental causes, she has turned her attention to PMI where she has served as the Volunteer Coordinator and was recently appointed by the PMIWIC Board to the VP of Membership position, pro tem, to serve the remainder of the existing term. When she’s not at work, you can find her spending time with her husband, two adult children and a granddaughter exploring and learning about Idaho.
Tami holds a BS in Microelectronic Engineering from Rochester Institute of Technology and an Executive Masters of Organization Development from Bowling Green State University (Ohio).