Vice President: David Hoekema, Idaho Department of Water Resources David graduated from University of Idaho with a B.S. Civil Engineering in 2002. He worked for several years as a civil engineer in Boise, Idaho for Toothman-Orton Engineering Company before returning to school and completing an M.S. in Civil Engineering from Boise State University in 2011.
David has been working for the Idaho Department of Water Resources for 10 years, he serves on the East Snake Plain Hydrologic Committee, has helped watermasters track water right allocation in the Boise and Payette basins, and helped develop a water right accounting system for the Big Lost River. He also develops and utilizes reservoir operations models for various planning studies on behalf of the Idaho Water Resource Board. David is currently a Ph.D. candidate with the Water Resource program on the University of Idaho and plans to graduate in the 2023. His research focuses on how climate change and other anthropogenic factors impact Idaho’s groundwater and surface water supplies.
Secretary/Treasurer: Andy Weigel, Environmental Specialist, Idaho Materials and Construction I worked in consulting in the Treasure Valley for 11 years before moving to private industry in 2020. I am currently based in the Magic Valley, but I travel around the intermountain west a lot for work, which gives me the opportunity to keep up with friends across the state and explore new streams and trails in my down time.
My work now is focused on supporting environmental regulatory planning and permitting activities for IMC's asphalt and concrete production facilities as well as our sand and gravel mining and crushing operations. Water resource focuses in this work include stormwater and groundwater quality management along with water use and conservation planning and monitoring. When opportunities come up I also enjoy participating in community education, outreach, and cleanup efforts, especially when events engage young people in hands on demonstrations of protecting and conserving our natural resources.
Secretary: Tambra Phares, Idaho Department of Environmental Quality
Tambra graduated from Humboldt State University with a B.S. in Environmental Science - Ethics with a Policy Concentration in 2005. After college graduation, she served two terms as an AmeriCorps Watershed Stewards Project member working as a biological technician for various California Department of Fish and Wildlife offices conducting comprehensive watershed assessments, salmonid data collection, and coordinating various habitat restoration projects throughout the Humboldt Bay area. She launched her professional career as the Environmental Engineer for Humboldt Redwood Company’s Scotia Sawmill and Forestry operations and then became the Environmental Coordinator for PG&E’s Humboldt Bay Power Plant Nuclear Decommissioning and Eureka Manufactured Gas Plant Remediation projects. In 2019, she relocated to Eagle, Idaho and became the 401 Certification Lead with the Idaho Department of Environmental Quality in 2022.
Student Liaison: Tao Huang is a PhD candidate in the Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior program at Boise State University. Born and raised in Taiwan, he received his Master of Science in Natural Resources and the Environments from the University of New Hampshire in 2017. Before moving to Boise, he worked as a data analyst at the Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies. His current research focuses on remote sensing, wildfire, and river temperature modeling.