Who We Are

Deborah Van Law is a long time resident of the Wood River Valley with 20 years of teaching experience in Blaine County Schools.

She attended Boise State University and graduated with a BA in Bilingual Education and an MA in Education, Curriculum and Instruction.

Deborah is passionate about providing opportunities for all Blaine County students to ensure they thrive and become productive members of our community.

She currently serves on the board at The Hunger Coalition and loves spending time outdoors with her husband and two sons.

Monica is an Idaho native who grew up in Boise and moved to the Wood River Valley in 2010. She received her Bachelor’s in Human Resource Management from the University of Idaho and her Associates in Graphic Design from Platt College in San Diego.

She spent 9 years as a freelance Graphic Designer living primarily in San Diego and Lemoore, California, and almost 10 years working as an Operations Manager for ClearRock/Mercer in Ketchum, Idaho.

Monica has a passion for helping others and works part-time as a Mindset Coach and part-time for the BCEF as the Operations Coordinator. She loves traveling, hiking, biking, camping, reading, playing pickleball with her husband, spending time with family and friends, and researching topics of interest.

Megan is a lifelong resident of Blaine County and was a student of Blaine County School District from kindergarten all the way through high school. She is passionate about giving back to the community that has given her so much.

Megan has worked and volunteered for many non-profit organizations in our community including Blaine County Recreation District, Friends of the Sawtooth Avalanche Center, Idaho Conservation League, Wood River Land Trust and Blaine County Education Foundation.

Her most treasured moments are spent in the mountains with family and friends.  Megan lives in Hailey with her husband, twins, and dog.

Kathryn is the Project Director of the Wood River Early Learning Collaborative, which was created in the fall of 2022 with funding from the Wood River Women’s Foundation.

She has a strong history of advocating for children and families in various capacities and is passionate about collaborating with other nonprofit organizations to improve the quality of life for all in the Wood River Valley. Kathryn believes in public education and improving opportunities for all children at BCSD. She is thrilled to be a member of the Board of Directors, helping to grow and support programs furthering BCEF’s mission.

Kathryn earned her J.D. and master’s degree in International Affairs with a focus on human rights at Columbia University. She has a BA in both Psychology and International Relations from Lewis & Clark College.

She loves skiing, stargazing, and road trips and aspires to join the Wood River Orchestra on violin.

As a resident and professional of the Wood River Valley for ten years, Alexis is very excited to be joining the board of the Blaine County Education Foundation as their Treasurer.

She and her husband enjoy spending time with friends, traveling and spending time with their beautiful basset hound Bonnie. Summers are their favorite and you’ll usually find them on the golf course.

Jessica Maynard was born, raised, and completed her professional education in the Tourism and Hospitality industry in Peru. She arrived in the Wood River Valley in the summer of 2006, and has been living in this wonderful valley ever since. She is very passionate about our community and loves to give back by volunteering with non-profit organizations as much as possible.

As a mother of an 11-year-old daughter who is a Blaine County student, she is an ardent supporter of public education and the Blaine County School District.

Jessica loves spending family time with her husband and daughter as well as enjoying the outdoors camping, hiking, running, and skiing.

Jessica is honored to join the BCEF board and looks forward to supporting the organization while learning from her fellow board members.

Lydia Flynn has worked in the Blaine County School District since 2008, teaching 3rd, 4th, and 5th grades—though she spent most of her time in 3rd-grade classrooms.

She now serves as the principal of Ernest Hemingway STEAM School.

Lydia is also a parent of three boys, all of whom attend Blaine County schools.

Outside of work, she takes full advantage of life in the Wood River Valley, enjoying skiing in the winter, mountain biking in the summer, and spending time outdoors year-round.

Sara Gilman has been a teacher in Blaine County School District since 2006, primarily working in elementary schools as a special education teacher. Sara is passionate about helping students thrive through academic interventions, special education support, and family-centered advocacy.

Sara now serves as an Intervention Teacher and Coordinator at Hailey Elementary. In this role, she supports students through Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS) and collaborates with teachers and families to improve learning outcomes.

Sara holds a B.A. from Middlebury College and a Master’s in Curriculum & Instruction from the University of Idaho. Sara lives in Hailey with her husband and three children.

When she’s not working with students and staff, Sara is happiest playing outside with her family and friends enjoying all the Wood River Valley has to offer.

Elizabeth is a lifelong educator whose career has taken her from the classroom to startups to nonprofit leadership. The importance of generosity, wellness, and community guide all of her endeavors and most recently drew her to the Sun Valley Museum of Art where she serves as the Director of Advancement.

Elizabeth first moved to the Wood River Valley in 2001, then spent a decade immersed in urban life in San Francisco and returned to the mountains to raise her children in 2014.

Elizabeth holds an Executive MBA from Boise State and a Masters in English from Breadloaf School of English.

When she is not working, Elizabeth can be found running on local trails, baking, and adventuring near and far with her family.

Jane Lopez grew up in the Wood River Valley. She moved here when she was 13 years old and attended school in Blaine County.

She has 4 wonderful children. One attends BSU and 3 are currently BCSD students. She previously worked for the Blaine County School District for 19 years.

Throughout the years, Jane has been able to build relationships with families and students within the Latino community. She currently works at the Hunger Coalition where she continues to support our community by helping families in need.

Jane is excited to be part of the BCEF because it gives her the opportunity to continue her work in a different capacity, allowing her to see Latino students succeed and strive.

In her free time, Jane enjoys watching her kids play their favorite sports and traveling. She especially enjoys going to Redfish Lake in the summer.

Scott moved to the Wood River Valley in 2020 with his wife Lyn and their two children, both of whom are currently students in Blaine County public schools.

Scott was a long-time visitor to the Valley prior to making a permanent move. One of the driving forces behind his family’s move was the quality of the public school education in our county. He is a passionate supporter of public education as the foundation of any community, and he is excited to work with BCEF to help all students in our schools succeed.

Scott is a Portfolio Manager with Snyder Capital Management and a graduate of Dartmouth College and the Stanford Graduate School of Business.  When not stuck on Zoom meetings, Scott can be found hiking, biking, and hanging out with friends and family.

Hilary has two children who attend Blaine County schools and she whole heartedly supports public education.

She has served on numerous other boards in the valley including Girls on the Run and the Snake River Alliance.

Hilary enjoys time in the backcountry with her friends and family, whether it is skiing, running or floating rivers.

Victor values the unique strengths and differences of every individual. He is a former special education teacher dedicated to fostering inclusive and welcoming learning environments.

As a business leader in the Wood River Valley, he continues to champion equity and inclusion via internet connectivity programs in order to level the playing field for all K-12 students in our community.

Victor loves spending time with his wife of over 30 years, 4 sons and grandchildren. He enjoys skiing, hiking, and yoga.

After 16 years of experience in legal, finance and human resources functions, and operational management, Susie returned to school to earn a Masters of Science in Nutrition Education and started a non-profit that empowered parents to raise healthy eaters.

Still passionate about early childhood nutrition, her focus has shifted to serving on non-profit boards, including two here in the Wood River Valley.

She is new to the community but already loves skiing, hiking and taking advantage of its cultural offerings.