Welcome to the Idaho Small Business Development Center State Office

Doug joined the Idaho SBDC as Region III Director in 2015. In 2018 he transitioned to State Director. Prior to joining the Idaho SBDC, Doug served as an executive for a cloud-based company where he directed a dynamic team on strategic initiatives targeted to improve customer experience.

For 12 years he was CEO for an education service provider where he restructured the company while creating top line growth and reducing expenses. He held business management positions with the nation’s largest outdoor retailer for 10 years and has consulted with existing and start-up businesses.

He co-founded the Kids at Hope Association and established a joint partnership with the Kids at Hope Organization by creating the first Kids at Hope Academy for school-aged youth. He is a volunteer for EF Education First, which provides life-changing education for global citizens.

Doug graduated from Northern Arizona University with a Bachelor of Science Degree and Colorado State University with a Master of Science Degree. He grew up in Arizona, migrated to cooler climates throughout the West and fortunate enough to call Boise, Idaho home with his wife, three children and occasional exchange student.

Will Fowler joined the Idaho Small Business Development Center in 2013 as the Marketing Manager for the Nampa Business Accelerator. In 2016 he became Boise Regional Entrepreneur Initiatives Manager, and he was recently named the Associate State Director of Operations.

Will manages the Idaho SBDC’s delivery of outreach programs to assist small businesses. He focuses on strategic development and implementation of the SBDC’s Strategic Plan. Will prepares and reviews grant proposals and connects with key organizations, legislators, and congressional offices about new program development and implementation.

Will is active with the Boise Angel Alliance, which has been instrumental in forming and administering Boise’s only Angel Funds that have invested over $11.8 million in promising local startups. He also works with groups across the country to raise Angel Funds and educate new investors.

Will holds a B.A. from the College of Idaho, a M.F.A. from the University of Missouri – Kansas City, and a M.B.A. from Northwest Nazarene University.

In his free time you can catch Will on the ski slopes, traveling, reading the latest/greatest fiction or business books (not mutually exclusive), or making a fool out of himself to get smiles out of his wife and kids.

Deanna Berry joined the Idaho SBDC as the Associate State Director of Finance in 2021. She brings 30 years of accounting and finance experience to the Idaho SBDC from various industries, including live entertainment, higher education, treasury, property management, real estate, non-profit, self-employment, and public accounting.

She continually evaluates systems and processes to create timely, accurate, and useful reporting; and incorporates design principles for decision-making ready presentations. Deanna considers her efforts successful when team members quickly understand reports and have their reporting needs fulfilled. She is honored to be selected to serve and support the Idaho SBDC Team.

Deanna is a CPA and earned a Bachelor of Science degree from San Diego State University and a Master of Science degree from Boise State University. She grew up in southern California and moved to Boise in 2003 with her husband and two young children. She soon discovered that raising a family in Boise is a wonderful adventure. Deanna and her husband are recent empty-nesters and look forward to learning more about kayaking on Idaho’s lakes and rivers.

Jessica Roth joined the Idaho SBDC as the Communications and Design Specialist in August 2020. Jessica’s background is in graphic design and marketing, having earned a bachelor’s in Digital Technology and Culture with a minor in English from Washington State University.

After graduation, Jessica sought out creative and professional opportunities outside the comfort of her small town in Eastern Washington. She landed in Austin, Texas working as a Content Specialist for tech giant GoDaddy Social. Although she enjoyed her time there and the invaluable experience, Jessica missed her Northwest roots, so she decided to relocate to Boise, Idaho and has happily called it home ever since.

Margaret is an eighth generation Texan who has a BS in Advertising and a BA in English from the The University of Texas. After working in publishing for UT Austin she wanted to be more engaged in helping others directly so she went through Alternative Certification through the state of Texas.

Margaret taught seventh grade Language Arts for five years. She is a certified teacher in Texas and Idaho. She co-chaired several large gala events as a volunteer. She has been married for 25 years and she is honored to be the mother of four young adults/teenagers.

After relocating to Boise she began working at the Idaho Positive Behavior Network at Boise State University as a Program Coordinator. There she facilitated teacher/school district trainings throughout the state of Idaho, helping them reach their full potential.

She is excited to join the Small Business Development Center as a Project and Support Specialist to help their outreach to small businesses, providing needed guidance and support in their strive for excellence and success.

Rieta Eldridge is a second-year Boise State student studying Kinesiology. She grew up in Caldwell, Idaho, and graduated from Vallivue High School. She was very active in sports, especially volleyball. Now she loves to spend her time outdoors with friends and family!

She brings her experience working for the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Office of Compliance air program in Washington D.C. She has written Clean Air Act regulations; led a team to create regulations that were straightforward and understandable; and developed compliance training.

Belinda has a B.S. in Geology from the University of Florida and a M.S. in Environmental Planning from Florida State University. Belinda joined the Idaho SBDC in January of 2018 as the Environmental Assistance Coordinator. Her role is to assist businesses understand and comply with air regulations.

Glenna is responsible for the maintenance and integrity of the business.idaho.gov website (formerly known as Idaho Biz Help}. She was involved in the development of and currently manages the website.

Glenna also performs market research and works on special projects for Idaho SBDC clients. Glenna is a graduate of Boise State University with a degree in Entrepreneurial Management. She has been with the Idaho SBDC since July 1997.

Lori Manning comes to the PTAC program with over 24 years of experience in the education sector. Lori has served as a teacher, coach, principal, superintendent and education consultant. Lori’s primary focus has been to help non-profit organizations achieve independence and financial success.

Lori Manning will serve the State of Idaho as the PTAC Program Director to support small businesses in their endeavor to be awarded federal, state and local vendor contracts. She will also provide leadership and management of the Idaho Procurement Assistance Centers including: strategic planning, development of resources, management of personnel, control budgets, and evaluation of program outputs.

Michell joined the PTAC team in January of 2019. She is the Procurement Technical Assistance Center’s Administrative Assistant and assists staff with various duties while directing PTAC clients to the appropriate Counseling Specialist.

Michell brings an extensive background working in Public Education sector for over 15 years, an additional 4 years’ experience working in Health and Human Services. Michell is a previous small nonprofit business owner and also has experience in working in the office of a Family & Criminal Law Attorney.

Michell is currently pursuing an MDS B.A. degree minoring in Sociology with an emphasis in Conflict Management. In her free time, she enjoys traveling and spending time with her family.

Chris is a third generation Idahoan who joined the SBDC state office in May of 2020. Before coming to work for the Idaho SBDC, Chris attended Northern Arizona University earning a Bachelors in Hospitality Management as well as a business minor from the W.A. Franke school of business.

Whilst completing his Bachelors, Chris worked all over the west including Idaho, Montana, and Arizona. Upon graduation, Chris went to work for Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts working as an accountant in Scottsdale as well as in Whistler, BC.

After six months of working in Canada, however, the itch to get back to Idaho and start a business became too strong to ignore. After teaching himself how to weld and fabricate metal, Chris built and manages a food truck in the Boise area.

Michael joined the Idaho SBDC in May of 2020 after graduating from Boise State University with a Bachelor’s Degree in Urban Studies and Community Development with minors in Applied Mathematics and Geospatial Information Analysis, as well as certificates in Dispute Resolution, Spanish, and Arabic.

Michael has a diverse background in many areas including engineering, math, data, statistics, programming, and conflict management that allows him to coordinate efforts across a multitude of different backgrounds and disciplines. He believes in a holistic approach to solving problems and constantly looks for ways to improve processes. He loves being able to teach and share what he knows with others.

Michael also works for the City of Boise at the Boise Airport working on mapping and survey projects for the airfield. Michael is working on obtaining his Master’s in Business Administration from Boise State University. Michael is currently trying to create a makerspace for the Treasure Valley, a place where people and business of all backgrounds have access to cost prohibitive tools and software.