Board Members and Executive Director
The State Board of Education consists of eight voting board members. Seven of the eight voting members are appointed by the governor for terms of five years. The eighth voting member, the State Superintendent of Public Instruction, is an ex-officio voting member elected to a term of four years.
Board Members
Shawn Keough of Sandpoint is the executive director of the Associated Logging Contractors, an organization representing Idaho-based independent logging and wood hauling contractors, where she has worked since 2000. Her professional background includes business management and public relations.
Keough served in the Idaho State Senate from 1996 to 2018, becoming the longest-serving female senator in Idaho history. During her legislative service, she spent 18 years on the Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee, including three years as co-chair, and also served five years on the Senate Education Committee. Her work in higher education helped expand educational opportunities across Idaho, including the growth of North Idaho College satellite campuses in Sandpoint and Bonners Ferry, expanded online course offerings, implementation of dual-credit opportunities for high school students, expanded career technical education programs, and the establishment of four-year degree programs through Idaho’s public colleges and universities.
Keough earned an Associate of Arts in Liberal Arts and a Bachelor of Science in Interdisciplinary Studies from Lewis-Clark State College, as well as an Associate of Science in General Studies from North Idaho College.
She and her husband, Mike, have been married for more than 30 years and have two sons, two daughters-in-law, and grandchildren. Their family has longstanding ties to Idaho public education and higher education institutions.
Audit, Risk and Compliance Committee 
David Turnbull was appointed to the Idaho State Board of Education by Governor Brad Little, effective October 23, 2024.
Turnbull is chairman of Brighton Corporation, a Boise-based developer of residential, commercial, and mixed-use properties. Through his work with Brighton, he has remained actively involved in the Treasure Valley community, supporting organizations including the Boys and Girls Club, Special Olympics, and the YMCA.
Born and raised in Idaho Falls, Turnbull earned a degree in finance from Brigham Young University. He and his wife, Kristin, have four children.
Peter C. Koehler, a Parma native, brings more than two decades of military and public education leadership experience to the Idaho State Board of Education. He served 21 years in the U.S. Army, retiring as a Lieutenant Colonel, before transitioning to education leadership roles as a teacher, principal, area director, and superintendent. He later served as Senior Deputy Superintendent and Chief of Staff at the Idaho State Department of Education.
Koehler earned degrees from the University of Idaho and Boise State University, and completed administrator certification through Northwest Nazarene University. He is active in several community and conservation organizations, including Trout Unlimited, the Henry’s Fork Foundation, the Idaho Community Foundation, and the Veterans of Foreign Wars.
Kurt Liebich serves as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Boise-based RedBuilt LLC and New Wood Resources LLC. RedBuilt is a supplier of engineered structural solutions, and New Wood Resources operates veneer and plywood manufacturing facilities. He previously served on the executive management team for Weyerhaeuser Corporation, one of the world’s largest integrated forest products companies.
Liebich has served on the boards of numerous education-focused nonprofit organizations, including Idaho Business for Education, Project Lead the Way, Riverstone International School, and the Lee Pesky Center. He also served on Governor Brad Little’s “Our Kids, Idaho’s Future” Task Force focused on strengthening public education in Idaho.
He earned a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from Bowdoin College and an MBA in General Management from Harvard University.
Cally J. Roach grew up on a family farm in southern Idaho and is the retired Vice President of Corporate Relations and Organizational Development for the employee-owned Clear Springs Foods.
Her extensive community and civic involvement includes service on the Idaho Parks and Recreation Board, the WWAMI/University of Idaho Advisory Board, the Idaho Business for Education Board of Directors, and the St. Luke’s Health System governance committee. She also previously served as president of the CSI Foundation, a board member of Agri-Service, Inc., and an executive committee member for the Idaho Association of Commerce and Industry.
Roach earned a bachelor’s degree from Lewis-Clark State College and a master’s degree in human resource training and development from Idaho State University. She is a graduate of Payette High School.
William G. Gilbert, Jr. was appointed to the Idaho State Board of Education by Governor Brad Little in July 2021. He previously served as co-chair of Governor Little’s “Our Kids, Idaho’s Future” Task Force in 2019.
A native Idahoan, Gilbert is the Co-CEO and co-founder of Caprock, a multi-family office investment firm advising on more than $8 billion in client assets. He also serves on the boards of St. Luke’s Health System and Idaho Business for Education.
Gilbert is a former chairman and emeritus director of the University of Idaho Foundation. He earned a Bachelor of Science in Finance from the University of Idaho and is a graduate of Borah High School.
Cindy Siddoway owns and operates a historic multi-generational family sheep ranch in eastern Idaho and also owns and manages an elk and bison hunting preserve.
She previously served as a member of the Board of Trustees for West Jefferson School District 253 and has held numerous leadership positions within organizations that support and promote production agriculture.
Siddoway is married to former Idaho State Senator Jeff Siddoway. They have three children and four grandchildren. She earned her degree from Idaho State University and graduated from South Fremont High School.
Debbie Critchfield was elected Idaho Superintendent of Public Instruction in November 2022 and sworn into office on January 2, 2023.
Prior to her election, she served seven years on the Idaho State Board of Education, including two years as president. She also served as co-chair of Governor Brad Little’s Education Task Force in 2019, chaired Governor Butch Otter’s Higher Education Task Force committee in 2017, led the Re-Open Idaho Schools Committee in 2020, and served on the Governor’s K-12 Council.
Critchfield previously served ten years as an elected school board member in Cassia County, including five years as board chair, and was a member of the executive committee of the Idaho School Boards Association. She also served as a local library trustee and president of the Oakley Valley Arts Council.
Before becoming superintendent, she worked for nine years as public information officer for Cassia School District. A fourth-generation Idaho farm family, Critchfield and her husband, Dave, live in Oakley, where they raised their four children and now enjoy time with their grandchildren.
Executive Director
Jennifer White serves as Executive Director of the Idaho State Board of Education, where she leads and coordinates statewide efforts across K-12 and higher education. Her oversight includes agencies and organizations such as Idaho Career and Technical Education, the Idaho Public Charter School Commission, Vocational Rehabilitation, and Idaho Public Television.
Before becoming executive director, White served as Assistant Vice President for Finance and Operations and Senior Counsel for Government Relations at Boise State University. Her professional experience also includes work as in-house counsel for a major corporation, as a litigator in the Washington, D.C., area, and in the offices of former Idaho Governor Dirk Kempthorne and former Lieutenant Governor Jim Risch.
White is a graduate of Vallivue High School. She earned her bachelor’s degree from Willamette University and her Juris Doctor from the University of Washington School of Law.
Executive Director
Jennifer White
(208) 332-1571