The Boise Metro Chamber was pleased to welcome our newest members at the President's Reception held on September 8, 2026, at The Arid Club in downtown Boise.

This celebration provided an opportunity for new Chamber members to connect with Chamber Board Members and staff as well as network with fellow business professionals, and learn more about the many ways to engage within our business community. Events like the President's Reception help strengthen relationships and foster the connections that make the Boise Metro Chamber a valuable resource for businesses of all sizes.

We appreciate our event host, The Arid Club, for providing an outstanding venue and welcoming atmosphere for the event our event sponsor, IBL Events, for their continued support of Chamber programs and member engagement opportunities.

Congrats to all of our Summer 2026 new members and thank you to those represented at the event:

​BOISE, Idaho – The Boise Metro Chamber is proud to announce the newest class of Leadership Boise. The 2026–2028 class includes 53 professionals representing a diverse range of industries and organizations across the Treasure Valley.
 
“We’re excited to bring these professionals together to learn about their community, explore issues and opportunities pertinent to our region, and form a network of allies and partners who can help lead our workforce now and into the future,” said Bobbi-Jo Meuleman, president and CEO of the Boise Metro Chamber.
The new class kicked off its Leadership Boise experience with the program’s traditional Opening Retreat at the YMCA’s Camp Horsethief in Cascade, Idaho, August 21 and 22.
 
Participants heard presentations from David Duro, CEO of the Treasure Valley YMCA, and Jim Everett, retired YMCA CEO and president emeritus of The College of Idaho. Mike Krauss of Global Bound LLC led discussions exploring leadership styles and team dynamics. Participants also took part in indoor and outdoor team building and personal leadership activities designed to strengthen connections and prepare the class for the two-year program ahead.
 
The Opening Retreat was planned in partnership with Chamber staff and a team of second year Leadership Boise participants.
 
Founded in 1975, Leadership Boise has graduated more than 2,100 individuals from across the Treasure Valley. Participants attend monthly, daylong civic and leadership sessions focused on relevant and pressing issues affecting the region. Topics include quality of life, health care, innovation, infrastructure, government, business, education and more.
 
Throughout the program, participants build relationships, broaden their perspectives and strengthen their leadership, management and strategic planning skills while gaining a deeper understanding of the community they serve.
 
2026–2028 Leadership Boise Class
Amanda Ryan | Amanda Ryan Designs, LLC
Amber Nelson | Idaho Coalition for Safe Healthcare
Amy Campbell | PacificSource Health Plans
Amy Bushlach | TOK Commercial Real Estate
Andrew Nelson | Hawley Troxell Ennis & Hawley, LLP
Angie Vanderpool | Idaho First Bank
Audrey Scholer | Stoel Rives
Brooks King | Morgan Stanley
Cassie Graves | Boise Metro Chamber
Chris Kutz | Boise State Athletics, BSU
Colby Bishop | Lysi Bishop Real Estate
Colette Wright | Bogus Basin
Colleen Toomey | WSP
Collin Mabe | ATS Inland NW
Cyndi Enderle | Your Health Idaho
Danni Parve | St. Luke’s Health Plan
Dharma Nichols | American Red Cross
Edinson Bautista | Ada County Highway District
Eric Nelson | Cushing Terrell
Eric Hanegraaf | Jacobs Engineering
Jacob Schwehr | Andersen Construction
Jakob Flores | Boise Cascade Company
Jakob Wachter | Velma V. Morrison Center
Jeff Maffuccio | Idaho Power Company
Jenn Aiko | Holland & Hart, LLP
Joe Huff | HDR
Jonathan Bigham | CSHQA, Inc.
Jose Giron | ICCU
Katie Dillavou | Boise Cascade Company
Katie Lamansky | St. Luke’s Healthcare
Katie Yeatts | Red Sky
Keith Mason | UnitedHealthcare Community Plan of Idaho
Kelly Schnebly | Colliers
Ken Corder | Idaho Housing & Finance Association
Kevin Archangel | HP, Inc.
Lauren Bouvia | Dorsey & Whitney
Lisa Mesenko | Allied Business Solutions
Lonnie Jackson | Saint Alphonsus Health System
Mauricio Guardia | Your Health Idaho
Megan Vogt | HP, Inc.
Michael Allen | Washington Trust Bank
Pardis Kabeh | HP, Inc.
Patrick Hymel | Fortinet
Rachael Bickerton | University of Idaho College of Agricultural and Life Sciences
Sadye Haylett | MDU, Intermountain Gas Company
Sam Brown | Block22
Sara Lords | Blue Cross of Idaho
Sarah Anderson | Boise State University
Scott Walker | Idaho Air National Guard
Shawn Jones | First Interstate Bank
Stephanie Tanis | Ada County Highway District
Steven Boscawen | Boise Cascade Company
Tanner Lindquist | Adler Industrial
 
Wes Stanfill of Johnson Barrow will serve as the 2026–2027 Leadership Boise president alongside Vice President Becky Moose of K2 Construction. Jeff Hunter of Horrocks will serve as vice president of Leadership Boise Academy.
 
Leadership Boise and the Boise Metro Chamber Foundation’s leadership programs are overseen by Karyn Stuart, director of leadership programs, and Cassie Graves, Leadership Boise programs manager.
 
The 2026–2027 Leadership Boise program is sponsored by K2 Construction. The Boise Metro Chamber also thanks the Opening Retreat sponsors whose support helped make the weekend possible.

What began with a lighthearted game of fact or fiction quickly developed into a wide ranging conversation about leadership, Idaho’s rapid growth, artificial intelligence, energy infrastructure and the importance of remaining curious throughout a career.

Leadership Without All the Answers
Grow’s career at Idaho Power began in 1987 as the company’s second female engineer. Becoming CEO was never part of a carefully mapped career plan.

Instead, Grow described a career shaped by curiosity, new opportunities and a willingness to continue learning.
“I wanted to be an engineer. I wanted to solve problems,” Grow said.

As her responsibilities grew, so did her understanding of leadership. One of her most significant lessons came almost immediately after becoming CEO in 2020, when she found herself leading Idaho Power through the COVID pandemic.

There was no handbook for the situation, and Grow quickly realized leadership did not mean having every answer. It meant surrounding herself with people capable of finding them.

“My job is to help all of the 2,200 people at Idaho Power be their very best, sometimes in impossible circumstances,” she said.

That philosophy continues to shape how she leads today. Rather than viewing leadership as an individual responsibility, Grow emphasized the importance of trusting teams, asking questions and creating an environment where people can succeed.

Managing Idaho’s Rapid Growth
The conversation turned to one of the most significant issues facing businesses throughout the Treasure Valley: growth.

For Idaho Power, that growth means determining how to expand infrastructure quickly while maintaining the safety, reliability and affordability customers expect.

Grow described the pace and scale as unlike anything she has experienced during her nearly four decades with the company.

New infrastructure requires equipment, land, permitting, contractors, financing and a skilled workforce, all while Idaho Power continues serving existing customers.

“The truth is maybe balance is the single biggest thing that is the biggest challenge,” Grow said.

Richins and Grow also addressed concerns that large industrial customers are responsible for increasing residential electricity rates.

Grow explained Idaho Power's approach as “growth pays for growth.” When infrastructure is required specifically for a large customer, that customer is responsible for those costs rather than passing them along to other customer classes.

Growth, she explained, can create benefits when it is managed responsibly.

Preparing for Risks Customers May Never See
Some of Idaho Power’s most important work happens behind the scenes.

Grow highlighted the company’s wildfire mitigation efforts, which range from vegetation management and infrastructure improvements to drones, artificial intelligence and sophisticated weather modeling.

Idaho Power is using technology to inspect infrastructure in ways that would be difficult from the ground while atmospheric scientists analyze conditions to help the company better understand where wildfire risks may emerge.

The goal is not only to reduce the possibility that electrical infrastructure could contribute to a fire, but also to strengthen the system so it can better withstand fires when they occur.

The work reflects a larger theme of the conversation: preparing for challenges before customers ever experience them.

Using AI While Preserving Human Judgment
Artificial intelligence is also beginning to change how Idaho Power operates.

Grow pointed to opportunities to use AI for tasks such as reviewing decades of documentation, analyzing drone imagery and assisting with coding and other time intensive work.

But she cautioned against viewing AI simply as a replacement for people.

Instead, she compared its emergence to earlier workplace technologies that changed how employees performed their jobs rather than eliminating the need for their expertise.

“I think that it will make human judgment more important, not less,” Grow said.

For a company responsible for critical infrastructure, that distinction matters. AI can accelerate work and help employees process enormous amounts of information, but Grow emphasized that Idaho Power must remain thoughtful about where and how it is deployed.

Creating an Idaho the Next Generation Wants to Call Home
When Richins asked about Idaho’s greatest opportunity, Grow pointed to something larger than any single business or industry: quality of life.

Maintaining that quality of life as the state grows will require continued investment in education, workforce development and businesses that create opportunities for the next generation.

For Grow, the issue is also personal. She spoke about wanting Idaho to remain a place where young people can build meaningful careers and choose to return after leaving for college or other opportunities.

That means economic growth is not simply about attracting more companies. It is about creating the conditions that allow people to build lives here.

“We’ve got a good thing going here,” Richins said.

Stay Curious
Throughout the conversation, Grow repeatedly returned to curiosity.

Early in her career, she sometimes hesitated to ask questions because she worried that not knowing an answer could be viewed as a weakness. With experience, she learned the opposite.

Asking questions became one of her greatest tools as a leader.

The best career advice she received reinforced that lesson: what gets someone to one stage of a career will not necessarily be what makes them successful at the next.

Every new responsibility creates another opportunity to learn.

“Anytime you think you don't have anything more to learn, you are fooling yourself,” Grow said.
It was a fitting conclusion to a conversation that stretched from engineering and energy infrastructure to artificial intelligence and leadership.
​
The challenges facing Idaho will continue to evolve. Grow’s message to business leaders was simple: remain curious, trust good people, keep learning and be willing to solve the next problem together.

Thank You to Our SponsorsThe Boise Metro Chamber extends a special thank you to the sponsors whose support makes the CEO & Business Leader Speaker Series possible.

Presenting Sponsors: Regence and Idaho Power

Official Airline Sponsor: Alaska Airlines
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Event Sponsors: Ahlquist, Blue Cross of Idaho, Idaho Business Review, Intermountain Gas Company and Simplot

Lisa Grow delivered these remarks at the Boise Metro Chamber's CEO and Business Leaders Speaker Series Event at JUMP on August 19, 2026. This blog post was prepared from a transcript using the help of AI.