2025 PDD Presenters
Session 1A: Food & Your Mood
The objectives are to identify how food and nutrition impacts us physically and emotionally, and real life strategies to help you improve your diet that supports your mood, emotions and overall health and wellbeing.
Emily Clay
Emily Clay RDN, LD is the registered dietitian at University Health Services. Emily graduated with her Bachelor’s degree in Medical Dietetics from The Ohio State University. She has worked in a wide variety of health care settings but really enjoys the outpatient setting where she can establish trusting relationships with her patients. She strives to improve the health and wellbeing of her patients by navigating diet culture, eating for energy and pleasure, while strengthening the confidence in her patients to achieve their health goals. In her free time she enjoys spending time with her husband and children, reading and being outdoors.
Session 1B: Emotional Intelligence at Work: Unlocking Your Inner Superpowers!
Dive into the magical world of emotional intelligence (EI) in the workplace to discover how to become an EI superhero. By recognizing and managing your own emotions, understanding and influencing the emotions of others, you will build stronger, more collaborative relationships, enhance your communication skills, boost your personal resilience, and drive your professional growth. Join Suzie Owen to unleash your inner superpowers and create a more empathetic, resilient, and successful you. Capes optional, but highly encouraged!
Susie Owen
Wellness Consultant - PacificSource Health Plans
With over two decades of experience in employee engagement, workplace culture, and employee well-being, Suzie is a seasoned professional dedicated to fostering inclusive and thriving work environments. Currently serving as a Wellness Consultant and Team Lead at PacificSource Health Plans, she collaborates with large employers to develop and implement comprehensive employee engagement strategies. They focus on creating annual plans, measuring success through meaningful data, and continuously improving engagement and well-being tactics. Suzie also leads a remote team of Wellness Consultants, providing strategic direction, training, and mentorship to ensure professional growth and development. Her expertise in workplace well-being, employee engagement and leadership development makes her a valuable asset to any organization seeking to enhance employee engagement and organizational health.
Session 1C: Squirrel! Living with ADHD & Neurodivergence
ADHD isn’t just about distraction—it’s about seeing the world differently. Join Joe, a lifelong polymath, technologist, and creator, as he takes you on a hilarious, insightful, and interactive deep dive into what it means to live with ADHD and neurodivergence.
In this engaging and hands-on session, Joe will share his personal journey—how he went from being placed in special education classes to becoming a self-taught expert across multiple fields. He’ll uncover the science
of ADHD, explore the hidden links between ADHD & Autism, and reveal why traditional systems often fail neurodivergent minds.
If you’ve ever struggled with focus, burnout, or feeling
like your brain operates on a completely different frequency, this talk is for you. Whether you have ADHD, love someone who does, or just want to understand neurodivergence better, you won’t want to miss this.
Joe Roberts
Joe Roberts is a self-taught polymath, technologist, and creative thinker who has spent a lifetime defying expectations and pushing the boundaries of what neurodivergent minds can achieve. Once placed in special education and underestimated by the traditional education system, Joe later proved that ADHD isn’t a limitation—it’s a different kind of intelligence. His passion for learning spans computer science, engineering, philosophy, and the arts—demonstrating how ADHD and polymathy go hand in hand.
As an neurodivergence apologist, Joe has spent years researching ADHD, Autism, and executive dysfunction, applying real-world strategies that actually work for ADHDers. His expertise isn’t just academic—it’s lived experience. Joe has made it his mission to help others identify, understand and work with their neurodivergence.
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Session 2A: Alignment: Connections & Challenges
Finding common ground. Navigating differences. Strengthening teams.
Alignment within a team isn’t about everyone thinking the same way—it’s about creating shared understanding, finding connection, and learning to navigate differences effectively. In this interactive workshop, participants will explore the key elements of alignment: commonalities, values, and perspectives.
Through hands-on activities and meaningful discussions, we’ll examine:
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How to identify and build on shared connections
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The role of values in decision-making and collaboration
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How diverse perspectives shape team dynamics and problem-solving
Whether you're leading a team or contributing to one, this session will equip you with practical tools to foster alignment, encourage open dialogue, and create a culture where both connection and challenge drive success.
Eliseo Che Lanuza
Eliseo 'Che' Lanuza (just call him Che) is a keynote speaker, workshop facilitator, and leadership coach with a focus on emotional intelligence, team dynamics, and personal growth. Certified in TTI Emotional Intelligence, Driving Forces, and DISC, Che blends insightful coaching with practical, actionable strategies. With eight years of experience in higher education and a master’s degree in Leadership Facilitation and User Experience, he brings a balanced approach to leadership development.
Che calls Boise home, where he lives with his partner and their nine children. When he's not facilitating workshops, you'll find him running along the Boise River Greenbelt, practicing yoga, sipping espresso at local coffee spots, or expanding his carefully curated vinyl collection.
Session 2B: Technology, Gadgets and Hacks
That Might Keep You Safe
This presentation will cover some essential security tips, tricks, and gear that can be used in everyday life while at home or traveling. I will be displaying some items that I actually use personally and when on a security detail.
Claude Demesmin
Claude Demesmin works for Fortis Protection Group. He's been in security for about 25 years, from loss prevention, Homeland Security, and public safety to executive protection. He is a certified firearm instructor and enjoy training individuals who never set foot on a shooting range. Claude specializes in security advances (walkthroughs of buildings and complexes to identify security deficiencies and come up with suggestions on how to secure and harden easy targets).
Session 2C: Team Building and Leadership with Trello
This course is designed to help teams and leaders enhance collaboration, communication, and productivity using Trello, a powerful project management tool. Participants will learn how to set up and manage Trello boards effectively, streamline workflows, and improve team dynamics through structured task management.
Through hands-on exercises, real-world case studies, and interactive team challenges, this course will cover:
• The fundamentals of Trello: boards, lists, cards, and automation
• Best practices for team collaboration and delegation
• Leadership strategies for fostering accountability and motivation
• Customizing Trello to fit different team needs and leadership styles
By the end of this course, participants will be equipped with the skills to lead teams more effectively, boost productivity, and create a transparent, organized workflow that enhances team cohesion and success.
Kim Wilcox
Kim Wilcox graduated in 2016 from Boise State University with a BA in Theatre Arts, design. Her career background includes office management and supervision, event management, building client relationships, and customer support and service. She is an accomplished vocal musician and studied dance and movement for over a decade. Kim loves to spend her free time with her family and friends.
Session 3A: Adaptive Communication: Connecting with Impact
Effective communication isn’t one-size-fits-all. This interactive one-hour training will help you adapt your tone, language, and energy to different audiences and situations, leading to stronger collaboration, empathy, and relationships.
Participants will explore how adaptive communication leads to greater success in both personal and professional interactions.
Key Takeaways:
Learn to assess your communication style, adjust to your audience, and refine your message for clarity and impact.
Develop feedback-driven strategies to enhance adaptability and build meaningful personal and professional connections.
Keith Quatraro
Keith currently works as a Training and Organizational Development Specialist at Boise State University. He was a Health Education Volunteer in the United States Peace Corps and served in Tanzania from 2009 – 2011. Keith specializes in adult learning principles and experiential learning opportunities. He emphasizes strong communication as a way to build and maintain sustainable working relationships.
He is a strategic thinker with multiple years of experience in training design and facilitation in the private, non-profit, and university sectors. In his free time, you can find Keith outdoors hiking, fishing, and playing in the dirt with his children..
Session 3B: The Art of Adaptation: Navigating Your Emotions During Times of Change
This one-hour interactive workshop provides practical tools to understand and leverage your emotions in order to build resilience and lead effectively through uncertainty. Engage in activities designed to help you identify your emotional responses, examine your coping mechanisms, gain insights into the messages your emotions convey, and use emotions as a resource to carry you forward with greater confidence and clarity in today’s dynamic university environment.
Elizabeth Lester Barnes
Elizabeth Lester Barnes, MFA is a lecturer at Boise State University and a Writer In The Schools (WITS) for The Cabin. She is passionate about Community-Engaged learning and purposeful gathering. She was the Neighborhood Association President for six years, a Faculty Associate for Service-Learning at the Center of Teaching and Learning at Boise State University, and she is currently on the board of Compassionate Communities. She is a Narrative 4 Story facilitator and loves to utilize both story and Design Thinking in her teaching and consulting. She is passionate about bringing people together and guiding them towards leading creative lives. When not teaching, she can be found traveling the world with her husband and kids.
Nicole Brun-Mercer
As Associate Director of English Language Support Programs, Dr. Nicole Brun-Mercer works with students, faculty, and staff to build systems of support for multilingual students. She teaches in the Department of Linguistics and in the First Year Writing Program and presents and publishes on communication strategies, goal-setting, second language acquisition, materials development, and corpus-assisted discourse analysis. Before coming to Boise State, Nicole taught English and trained teachers in Switzerland, France, Russia, and Guinea.
Session 3C: Change Culture: Navigating change, when change is constant
How does change and disruption affect teams and organizational culture? In this presentation from David Johnston, AVP for Alumni & Constituent Engagement at the Boise State Foundation, you'll learn how to effectively navigate change and strengthen your culture through ethical leadership principles that build trust and a shared sense of purpose.
David Johnston
David Johnston serves as associate vice president for alumni and constituent engagement at Boise State University. Johnston joined the university in November 2022 after a 20-year career at the University of Kansas. In his previous role, Johnston served as senior vice president for strategic communications with the KU Alumni Association.
Johnston's background includes experience in strategic communications, alumni engagement and branding.
At Kansas, he served as the university's inaugural director of marketing, overseeing the creation of the university's first visual identity system and brand guidelines. More recently he served as a member of the KU Alumni Association’s senior leadership team, working closely with the president and board to oversee brand, content, marketing and engagement strategies for more than 350,000 alumni and constituents.
His experience also includes roles as an instructor in the Leadership Studies Institute and the William Allen White School of Journalism and Mass Communications at the University of Kansas.
At Boise State, Johnston leads the alumni and donor relations teams, as well as annual giving and communications and marketing within the Boise State Foundation. He and his wife Sara live in Boise with their son, Austin (15), and they have two daughters, Sydney (22, who graduated from the University of Kansas) and Sophia (20, who currently attends Flagler College in St. Augustine, FL). They also have a mini-golden doodle named Millie.
Session 4A: The Pomodoro Technique & Other Time Management Tools
Master your time with the Pomodoro Technique: focused 25-minute work bursts, punctuated by short breaks. Beyond Pomodoro, prioritize tasks, batch similar activities, and block time for efficiency. Crucially, integrate self-care—rest, exercise, and mindfulness—for sustained productivity and well-being.
Victoria Wood
Coming Soon
Angela Roberts
Angela has been a dedicated member of the Boise State University team since 2016. She began as an Administrative Assistant and, through her exceptional organizational and time management skills, advanced to the role of Executive Staff Specialist in 2023. In this position, she expertly manages complex schedules and coordinates meetings across multiple departments, ensuring seamless collaboration among staff.
Before joining Boise State, Angela spent 23 years in her family’s printing business, a fast-paced environment where prioritization and efficiency were essential. Beyond her professional work, Angela is deeply committed to maintaining a healthy work-life balance. She enjoys hiking, watching movies, and playing games with her family.
Session 4B: FUNDamentals of Budgeting
We will cover budgeting basics - discussing the psychology of budgeting and money personalities, how to go about creating a budget, and how to track spending for budget goals. If time allows, we will also discuss financial options for families.
Brenna Greenwood
I grew up in northern California and small-town Washington, then came to Idaho for college at NNU where I majored in Secondary Education with content areas of English and Communications. I later got a History endorsement as well. I was a teacher and volleyball coach for several years (9+), with a few other jobs between schools, and then I transitioned out of the traditional classroom and now teach financial literacy to all ages and stages for CapEd Credit Union. I am a wife, and also a mom to two wonderful little boys (ages 3 and 1). I am passionate about helping people be the best version of themselves. I like to read, write (currently working on a children's book), and play sports in whatever free time I can find.
Session 4C: AI at Work: Boosting Productivity While Protecting Privacy
Unlock the potential of AI tools like ChatGPT and Gemini to streamline your workflow—whether it’s drafting emails, analyzing data, or generating reports for smart workplace communications. This session will explore practical ways to enhance efficiency while ensuring accuracy, security, and alignment with workplace best practices.
Learn how others at Boise State are leveraging AI and walk away with clear, actionable strategies to optimize your work while safeguarding privacy.
Jill Heney
Jill Heney is a faculty member with the Department of Writing Studies and a Faculty Affiliate with the School for the Digital Future at Boise State. She enjoys teaching, researching and presenting nationally about the intersection of writing and technology, and she continues to learn from students and colleagues in this era of burgeoning AI. Heney recently completed Stanford University's Certificate of Creativity and Design Thinking and is passionate about cultivating optimal learning environments that support others in developing their writing and creativity.
Keynote Speaker:
Sue Latta
Redefining Creativity:
Discovering the value of Creativity in work and in life.
Bio
Sue Latta owns The Sculpture Studio in downtown Boise where she teaches and mentors community members in welding, casting, and other artistic disciplines. She’s taught an array of art courses at Boise State University where she currently holds a position as a lecturer in the School of the Arts teaching Arts Entrepreneurship. She has proven herself as a valuable contributor in nurturing talent and appreciation for art as well as being a great example of a professional artist.
Sue Latta is a determined and intuitive sculptor who creates visually poignant, skillfully executed artwork utilizing a variety of processes, including welding, woodworking, carving, casting and photography –she’s continually exploring new forms of artistic expression.
Sue’s held over 20 solo exhibitions as well as being featured in numerous invitational and juried shows. Her work is found in private and institutional collections throughout the United States and Canada, including Boise State University, University of Nevada Reno, Idaho Shakespeare Festival, and Boise City Hall.
The Boise Weekly selected Sue as “Best Local Visual Artist” in 2024 and 2015, an indication of her wide appeal. She is also committed to giving back to the community. She serves on boards, volunteers for causes, and follows her convictions from supporting those undergoing cancer treatments to championing marriage equality.
Sue is generous with her knowledge and bold in her convictions.