OUR STAFF

ANNA ALMERICO

Senior Program Director

Active, engaged, curious and dedicated, Anna Almerico, has worked with and assisted in building strong organizations and movements to strengthen the quality of life for youth in Idaho.  Anna is passionate about ensuring accessibility for all to programs and opportunities, and is excited to be the Director of ION.  Anna grew up in rural Minnesota, in a town of 500, where she tried her hand at every afterschool activity possible; including, but not limited to, baton twirling, softball, cheer, Girl Scouts, FLA and marching band.  Anna is delighted to be raising her family (and pets) in Boise, and enjoys the four seasons and being active outdoors in all ways, from yardwork to Nordic skiing.

Anna is a member of the Idaho Workforce Council. She also serves on the Advisory Board for Idaho's AWARE Project and IDHW's HEAL.

aalmerico@jannus.org
208.947.4271

DIANNA MCALLISTER

Quality & Professional Development Coordinator

Dianna McAllister comes to the Idaho Out-of-School Network after twelve years at IdahoSTARS and the Idaho AEYC.  Dianna found her passion in education and completed her master’s degree in Early Childhood Education in 2008.  She has a fantastic husband and two little boys and loves spending time reading and exploring Boise.  She’s also a huge Boise State fan and watches as many games as she can!  When she was younger she participated in numerous after school activities.  Dance, flute lessons, Girl Scouts, drama and many more.  She could be found hanging out at the community center when not attending one of her clubs or activities.  Her love for out-of-school time came from the many wonderful interactions she had throughout her school age years.

dmcallister@jannus.org

208.947.4272

WENDY WILSON

STEM Education & Communication Coordinator

Wendy Wilson is an organizational wizard and messaging geek who helps build nonprofit groups. She has launched many innovative programs focused on climate-resilience and watershed protection. Wendy grew up in Michigan and graduated from the University of Michigan School of Natural Resources. She came to Idaho to enjoy the outdoors and to raise a family. Before becoming a trainer for national River Network where she worked for over a decade, she founded and led Idaho Rivers United for nine years. She is an active birder, hiker, back-country skier, river runner and is passionate about broadening STEM education for Idaho’s youth.

wlwilson@jannus.org

208.947.4275

TINA GOSSELIN

ION Project Coordinator

The outdoors has always been an important place for Tina Gosselin. Growing up in New Hampshire until the age of 21, her early days were spent afterschool playing softball, gymnastics, engaging in Girl Scouts, going to the YMCA, hanging out in the library, camping, swimming, hiking with friends and family, and lots of Ghosts in The Graveyard played with neighborhood kids on humid summer evenings. During college, Idaho became Tina’s home where she enjoys the beautiful scenery of Idaho's forests, deserts and rivers with her husband and daughter. As her daughter grew, it was important to involve her in fun and engaging opportunities afterschool. Not all children have access to the right opportunities to keep them engaged afterschool, and she feels strongly that organizations like Idaho Out-of-School Network are necessary. She is very excited to be part of a group that helps children find their passions and enjoyment through engaging in out-of-school activities.

tgosselin@jannus.org

AMY POST

Think Make Create Labs Program Coordinator

Amy Post is an experienced, non-traditional educator who creates, organizes and leads after-school programing, summer camps, and environmental and outdoor education programs.  She’s also a fully-certified alpine ski instructor and taught skiing for 14 years.  She holds a M.S. in Environmental Education from Southern Oregon University and a B.A. in English and Global Studies from Pacific Lutheran University.  As a young kid, Amy enjoyed Girl Scouts, playing outside and figure skating when she wasn’t in school, and then turned to ski racing, music and youth groups in her teenage years.  Now, she enjoys being active outdoors: gardening, skiing, biking, hiking or just strolling through the neighborhood.  She’s also an avid reader and crafty-lady, who likes to sew, embroider and bead.

apost@jannus.org

208.789.6325
young cheerleader black and white

RAINE SIMPLOT

Out-of-School Time Specialist

As a child, Raine grew up outside, camping, fishing, hiking and playing on the beach. Although she engaged in many out-of-school activities including cheer, synchronized swimming and ballet, her first love was always books. She still enjoys reading them, listening to them, talking about them, recommending them and buying them. At university, she studied Spanish, French and Secondary Education and received her M.Ed. in Bilingual Education. She has taught French and Spanish to students in the United States and English as a New Language to students in Mexico, Europe and China.

rsimplot@jannus.org

208.947.4274

Natalia DiGiosia

Grants Coordinator

Writing has always been at Natalia’s core. First introduced to creative writing in her youth, Natalia has since adored the craft–whether composing personal memoirs or analyzing technical grants. Natalia holds a B.A. in Writing, Rhetoric, and Technical Communications from Boise State University. She filled her time at BSU at the Writing Center, where she enjoyed collaborating with students as a consultant. In addition to her role in grants management at ION, Natalia is a writer for Premio Services, a grant consulting firm in Boise.

Outside of grants, Natalia supports the Story Story Night community as a Board Member and Volunteer Coordinator. She also loves to dance, bike on the Greenbelt, study the Italian language, and teach knitting classes.

ndigiosia@jannus.org

LLOYD "PAUL" VERHAGE

Think Make Create Labs Americorps Member

Paul was born into a US Navy family stationed in Tennessee, Rota, Spain, and California. At 6 years old, he discovered his first love - space and astronomy. He has a bachelor’s degree in physics and a teaching certificate, masters’ degree, and PhD in education. He also served in the US Air Force, worked as an IT Specialist for a university, started launching experiments into the stratosphere using weather balloons, and earned an amateur radio license. After a long career teaching at the University of Kansas and then the Boise, Nampa, and West Ada school districts, he retired in 2022. When not serving with AmeriCorps, he enjoys gardening and working on projects in his shop.

lloydv@uidaho.edu

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