Democratic Senators
Les Bock – District 16
Les has just finished up his first term and is the Assistant Minority Leader in the Idaho Senate. He is a member of the Senate Judiciary and Rules, Health and Welfare, and Agricultural Affairs committees. He has a bachelor’s degree from the University of California, Davis and his J.D. from Univeristy of California, Hastings College of Law in San Francisco. He served on the Idaho Commission for Children and Youth and as executive director for the Idaho Human Rights Education Center. He has received awards from the Idaho State Bar for outstanding service and pro bono legal work. He has two sons.
Committees: Health & Welfare; Judiciary & Rules; Transportation
Cherie Buckner-Webb– District 19
Cherie is a fifth-generation Idahoan and graduated from Boise High School. She graduated from George Fox University with a B.A. in Management and Organizational Leadership. She earned a Master of Social Work degree from Northwest Nazarene. She is a board member of community organizations including the Boise State University Foundation, Idaho Commission on the Arts and the Idaho Black History Museum. Cherie is the recipient of numerous awards including the 2010 Community Hero award, Boise State University’s Excellence in the Arts award, the Idaho Governor’s Awards in the Arts and the Jefferson Award for public service. Her family includes her husband Henry, two sons, and a granddaughter.
Committees: Agricultural Affairs; Education; Transportation
Branden Durst-District 18
Info coming soon!
Roy Lacey– District 29
Roy has lived almost his entire life in Idaho. He attended Idaho State University. He was the owner of Roy’s Western Wear in Pocatello, Idaho and the Senior Manager of Perishable Operations of the Union Pacific Railroad. Presently, Roy is also the Vice President of Operations of the Idaho Food Bank. He lives happily with his wife, Renee, and has four children and thirteen grandchildren.
Committees: Finance; Local Government & Taxation; Resources & Environment
Dan J. Schmidt– District 5
Dan was born in Salem, Oregon. He graduated from Stanford University with a degree in Human Biology with an emphasis in Anthropology. He attended medical school at the University of Washington School of Medicine and in 1986 he received his MD along with the Ted Phillips Award as the top graduate in family medicine. He was the Latah County coroner for 15 years and a hospital board member for six. Dan has finished out his first legislative term in the Idaho Senate. He has a loving family in his wife, Martha, and four daughters.
Committees: Commerce & Human Resources; Finance; Health & Welfare
Michelle Stennett– District 26
Michelle was born in Sacramento, California but spent her childhood in a dairy farming community in Wisconsin. She has been an Idaho resident for 25 years and this is where she met and married Clint Stennett, who was raised in southern Idaho. She received a degree from the University of Oregon in International Studies and Latin Languages with a minor in Business. She has worked in advertising sales for the family’s television company and in flight operations with Horizon Air. She enjoys fly-fishing, hunting, hiking, skiing and horseback riding.
Committees: Resources & Environment; State Affairs
Elliot Werk– District 17
Senator Elliot Werk was born in Montreal, Canada, immigrated to the United States when he was seven and became a citizen in 1979. He has a Bachelor of Science degree in geology began his career working as an environmental consultant restoring contaminated properties for companies like General Dynamics and Shell Oil Company.
He married his wife Nancy in 1990 and they moved to Idaho later in the decade. Elliot is involved in the community and has been both President and a member for the Borah Neighborhood Association. He has a daughter who is currently in college. Senator Werk is in his fifth term and has focused on legislation associated with job creation, energy and energy efficiency, consumer protection, bicycle and road safety, tax modernization, mental health and substance abuse, and ethics and transparency in government.
Committees: Judiciary & Rules; Local Government & Taxation; State Affairs
Democratic Representatives
Grant Burgoyne– District 16A
Grant was born in Ketchikan, Alaska and graduated from the University of Idaho. He received his J.D. from the University of Kansas School of Law. Grant worked as an assistant to the Secretary of State, Pete Cenarrusa from 1976 to 1978. Grant has been the managing partner at Mauk & Burgoyne since 1997. He and his wife Christy have been married for 33 years, have two children and three grandchildren.
Grant is serving his second term representing District 16. Grant has been a strong advocate for more ethical government, the environment, creating good paying jobs, better public transportation, and improved roads. He has passed legislation to protect the Public Employee Retirement System, and to protect our citizens against unfounded action against them by government agencies.
Committees: Judiciary, Rules & Administration; Revenue & Taxation; Ways & Means
Susan “Sue” Chew– District 17B
Sue was born in Oakland, California and graduated with a B.S. in Biology and Natural Resources from the University of California at Berkley. She also attended the University of California at San Francisco Department of Pharmacy and is an Adjunct Biology Professor at Boise State University. She is a member of the Advisory Board at the Boise State Women’s Center; President of the Idaho State National Organization for Women; Board member of the Idaho Women’s Network and a member of the United Vision for Idaho and Women in Government.
Committees: Health & Welfare; Local Government
Mat Erpelding-District 19A
Info coming soon!
John Gannon- District 17A
Info coming soon!
Phylis K. King– District 18B
Phylis has a B.S. in Microbiology from Colorado State University and worked in hospital labs for over 30 years as a Registered Medical Technologist. She was an Assistant Supervisor in the Chemistry department at General Rose Memorial Hospital in Denver, Colorado. She moved to Idaho in 1977 from Colorado and worked at St. Alphonsus Medical Center for 11 years. Phylis attended the Art Center College of Design from 6 semesters and returned to Boise to start her commercial photography business—King Photography Studios. She has served as the President of Soroptimist International of Boise, which is an international organization that works to better the lvies of women and girls in our communities and throughout the world. Phylis served on the Rocky Mountain Region Board as a District Director for Soroptimist International of the Americas.
Committees: Appropriations; Commerce & Human Resources; Transportation & Defense
Hy Kloc- District 16B
Info coming soon!
Carolyn Meline-District 29A
Info coming soon
Donna Pence– District 26B
Donna is a 61 year resident of Idaho. She was raised in Richfield and attended the University of Idaho. As a graduate student, she taught classes at Idaho State University where she received her M.A. in Education in 1966. After helping with the family farm, Donna returned to the classroom at Gooding Middle School and taught and coached there for sixteen years. Donna, her husband, Lewis, and their three kids enjoy spending time in the natural resources found throughout Idaho. They love to hike, hunt, ski, bike and horseback ride.
Committees: Agricultural Affairs; Education; Resources & Conservation; Ways & Means
Shirley G. Ringo– District 5B
Shirley was born in Fort Collins, Colorado. She lived in Spokane, Washington with her family and later attended B.A. and M.A.T. in Mathematics from Washington State University. Shirley received her teaching endorsement as well and later taught mathematics at varied levels of education for thirty-six years. She has held numerous leadership positions in the Moscow Education Association and Idaho Education Association and also chaired the Latah County Democrats for a number of years. Shirley has three children and lives with her husband John in Moscow.
Committees: Appropriations; Judiciary, Rules, & Administration’ Transportation & Defense
John Rusche– District 6B
John was born in Wisconsin and attended Notre Dame for college and Washington University in St. Louis for his M.D. He met and married his wife, Kay, during school and they started up a practice at Valley Medical Center in Lewiston, Idaho in 1980. After working as a Medical Director at the BlueShield of Idaho, he retired as the Senior Vice President and Chief Medical Officer for Regence BlueShield of Idaho and Regence BlueCross BlueShield of Utah. John has served as the Chief of Staff at St. Joseph Regional Medical Center and Secretary-Treasurer of the Idaho Pediatrics Society. In 1991, he was awarded the Pediatric Society “Shaker and Mover” award for child advocacy and governmental activities. John and Kay have a daughter, Caitlin.
Committees: Business; Environment, Energy, & Technology; Health & Welfare; Ways & Means
Elaine Smith– District 29B
Elaine is a native Idahoan. She graduated Idaho State University with a B.A. in Education and History. She is employed as a Volunteer Services Coordinator for Pocatello-Chubbuck School District. Shirley received the Friend of Education Award in 2004 from the Idaho Education Association and was the Pocatello Chief of the Greater Pocatello Chamber of Commerce in 2008. She is an active member of the NAACP, the Silver Sage Girl Scout Council Nominating Committee and serves as State First Vice President of the Delta Kappa Gamma International Society. She lives with her husband Rick and has three children.
Committees: Business; Environment, Energy, & Technology; State Affairs
Janie Ward-Engelking-District 18A 
Janie Ward-Engelking a native Idahoan. She grew up on a small farm near Marsing with four brothers. Janie and her husband, Kay Engelking, raised five children in Idaho and are currently watching seven wonderful grandchildren thrive in the area. After graduating from Vallivue High School in Caldwell, she attended Whittier College, received a Bachelor of Science degree from Idaho State University, and a master’s degree from Boise State University.
Janie was a classroom teacher for 33 years and has served her community in various capacities, including but not limited to the following: Trainer for College of Western Idaho; Curriculum writer for Boise School District; Curriculum writer for CWI/Medicaid; Part of a community interview team to pick the current superintendent of the Boise School District; Trainer and facilitator for building community partnerships throughout the state; Chairperson for numerous committees in her professional organization; A member of the steering committee and facilitator for a public school summit for parents, educators, and businesses (S.P.E.A.K.); Member of a community drug advisory committee; Past member of Phi Delta Kappa (Education group); Past member of Boise Junior League
Holli Woodings-District 19B
Info coming soon!
