Jody Harris
Officers
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Jody Harris
El Lyon
Vice President
Joan Woodard
Treasurer
Judi Cronin
Secretary
Career: Certified Public Accountant
Volunteer: WGA Board and Grant Committee, Volunteer income tax preparer for AARP Foundation's TaxAide; Lutherhaven Ministries Fundraising Events Committee.
Personal: Graduated from CdA HS and Univ. of Idaho, moved all over, retired to CdA with my husband in 2014. Two adult children, 1 grandson, and 3 grand dogs live
nearby.
Career: University of Connecticut, School of Social Work, Researcher and Assoc. Professor. Currently Research Consultant for National Center on Domestic Violence.
Volunteer: Boards - Safe Passage, HREI, CDA Symphony, Natl Board of Applied Sociology, WGA Board and Grant Committee
Education: Ph.D. in Sociology, Northwestern University
Career Highlights: Commercial Real Estate design, management, finance, development for buildings, hotels, retail centers, medical buildings.
Volunteer: Highlights WGA Board and Grant Committee. Instructor and mentor, participated in business and economic development organizations. Board of Community Foundation of Sonoma County, social therapy and comfort dog volunteer.
Career: Branch Manager for Mountain West Bank, Hayden location and Wells Fargo Bank,
Coeur d'Alene. In the banking industry for over 25 years with a stint in residential real estate
in Minneapolis.
Volunteer: WGA Board and Grant Committee, Board of Directors for CDA Sunrise Rotary, served as Chair of the Board of Directors for the Hayden Chamber of Commerce, participated in numerous volunteer events in Coeur d'Alene.
Personal: B.S. from the University of Nebraska at Omaha in Business Management. Moved to Coeur d'Alene in 2005 from Minneapolis and married my husband, Tom. We have one grandson and a yellow lab named Abby Normal.
President
Board
Communications
Chair
Vacant
Jan Tymesen
Education
Committee Chair
Career: Licensed As a CFP® with Wells Fargo Advisors for over twenty-three years. My life work and mission is to help people gain financial clarity. I am honored to have been recognized on the 2021 list of Best-in-State Wealth Advisors by Forbes.
Volunteer: WGA Board
Personal: My husband Troy and I have called North Idaho home for over thirty years and are blessed with three adult children, four grandchildren and a variety of grand pets.
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Laurie Brunette
Grant Administration
Chair
Career: Physical Therapist, Director of Rehabilitation Services, Kootenai Medical Center
Volunteer: Medical Reserve Corps, WGA Grant Administrator, Birds of Prey
Personal: Moved to North Idaho from New York City in 1971, and enjoy the outdoors.
Susan Engebretson
Grant Committee Co-chair
Career: Wells Fargo for 26 years in the Treasury Management Group
Volunteer: Minnesota- Board of Global Minnesota, Swedish Institute Museum and Mansion. In Idaho, Board of Hayden Lake County Club, Chair of Hayden Arts Commission, WGA Board and Grant Co-
Chair.
Personal: Built home in Hayden 2008, relocated here with husband in 2011.
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Sarah Swanby
Grant Committee
Co-chair
Career: Social Services Director in long-term care, Social Worker and Case Manager in community mental health
Volunteer: WGA Board and Grant Committee Co-chair, Board Secretary for Civic Engagement Alliance, Homeless & Community Outreach volunteer at Heritage Health
Education: BA, Univ. of Idaho; BSW, Lewis-Clark State Coll.ege.
Peggy Schell
Grant Committee
Co-chair
Career: North Idaho College employee for 20+ years, most recently Program Manager
for Construction Apprenticeship Programs
Volunteer: WGA Board and Grant Committee Co-Chair, church benevolence ministry
Personal: Marquette University (Milwaukee), University of Idaho (Adult Education), Well
Read Moose book club, River City Garden Club
Valerie Hodge
Member At-large
Career: Educational Policy and Institutional Research
Volunteer: Washington Literacy Board, Oxford Community Foundation Board, WGA Board and Grant Committee
Personal: Idaho native, lived in Seattle for 30 years and
then Ohio for 10. Retired here in 2016. Macalester College, B.A., University of Washington, M.A.
Chris Quinn
Member At-Large
Career: Former Vice President and Director of Strategic Ingredient Supply for The Coca-Cola Company. Retired in 2020 after 39 years of service. Held positions in quality control, quality assurance, environmental projects and crisis management.
Volunteer: P.E.O Post Falls Chapter Member, Soroptimist International of Coeur d'Alene, WGA Board and Grant Committee.
Education: BS in Chemistry, University of Idaho, MBA, Georgia State University
Pat Krug
Membership Chair
Career: Licensed Realtor for over 35 years, Designated Broker Windermere Coeur d'Alene
Realty, Co-owner Windermere Realty Coeur d'Alene, and Seasons CDA Fresh Grill and Bar
Volunteer: WGA Board, Membership Chair, and Grant Committee; Coordinator of the
Elderly Christmas Adoption for Area Agency on Aging since 1992; 2021 Soroptimist Woman
of Distinction Award and Idaho Nonprofit Adult Philanthropist of the year; Board Chair Big
Brothers Big Sisters
Janice Baldwin
Emerita Board member
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Janet Robnett
Emerita Board Member
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History
In March of 2004, Janice Baldwin and seven visionary women established the
Women's Gift Alliance of Kootenai County. The goal of this endeavor was two-fold:
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to enable women to pool their financial resources in order to make large focused gifts to improve the community
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to teach women about giving and developing skills as engaged and informed philanthropists
In 2005, 52 women served as the founding members of Women's Gift Alliance.
The membership voted to award its first pooled grant of $26,000 to Kootenai County Search and Rescue Council.
As of 2021, WGA has gifted over $1,400,000 back to the community through its pooled grant fund and individually designated gifts. Over 100 different organizations have received funds through pooled fund grants and individually designated gifts of the membership. Countless women in the region have been given the opportunity to give through WGA, and to gain a deeper knowledge of the greatest needs in Kootenai County.
about
We support local nonprofits that improve the quality of our community, whether that's a raptor program at the Birds of Prey Northwest, adult literacy in Rathdrum, or clothing for high school students, we are there to support and help through collective philanthropy.
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