We are here for you! If you have questions for our team, please don’t hesitate to reach out!
Phone
Social Media
idahocaregiveralliance@gmail.com
208-426-5899
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Meet our Team
Director
Dr. Sarah Toevs, PhD, is a professor emeritus in the School of Public and Population Health. Her tenure at Boise State University spans 24 years during which she directed the interdisciplinary Center for the Study of Aging and established the Idaho Family Caregiver Alliance. Dr Toevs is passionate about actively engaging students, faculty, and community partners in efforts to maximize quality of life for individuals of all ages.
Dr. Toevs holds a doctoral degree from the University of Utah with an emphasis in Gerontology. Her research expertise is in the areas of program evaluation and assessment and have resulted in several state and regional reviews such as the Idaho Needs Assessment of Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Dementia, Idaho Family Caregiver Needs Assessment, Idaho Fit and Fall Proof Evaluation, and Valley County Age-friendly Assessment. These efforts reflect her commitment to generating real-time evidence for use in community-based planning and decision making.
Dr. Toevs maintains an extensive network of local and state partners including colleagues with the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare and District Health Departments, the Idaho Commission on Aging and regional Area Agencies on Aging, LEARN Idaho, and the Idaho Public Health Association, Alzheimer’s Association, and AARP, to name a few.
Program Manager
Sheila Weaver, LCSW, is the Program Manager for the Family Caregiver Navigator project and a therapist at a local behavioral health agency. She has a background in child protection and substance abuse and mental health treatment. She is proud to have worked in state government since 2005 in a variety of roles at Boise State University and the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare.
Sheila earned a Master and Bachelor of Social Work, with a minor in Gerontology and a certificate of Dispute Resolution from Boise State University. She is active with the National Association of Social Workers’ Legislative Education and Advocacy Days committee to engage students and social workers in learning to lobby and understand political issues. She is passionate about safe children, supporting families, vulnerable populations, and cultivating a community where everybody can grow and thrive.
Community Collaborator
Marilyn Borup Sword has been a consultant on disability and aging issues in Idaho and nationally for more than 40 years. She served as Executive Director of the Idaho Council on Developmental Disabilities from 1998-2013. Since then, she has consulted on various long-term care, care coordination, and caregiver issues. Marilyn currently coordinates the Idaho Caregiver Alliance and provides consultation to the ICA’s Family Caregiver Navigator Project. Marilyn has a B.S. in Political Science and a Masters in Public Administration, both from Boise State University.
Communications & Evaluation Coordinator
Edwina French is the Communication & Evaluation Coordinator at the Idaho Caregiver Alliance in the School of Population and Public Health at Boise State University. Her work focuses on website management, communication and logistics of the Idaho Caregiver Alliance and evaluation for the Family Caregiver Navigator program. She graduated with her Master’s degree in Public Health with an emphasis in Prevention and Intervention Programming from Boise State University. She also obtained her bachelor’s degree in Health Studies with a minor in psychology from Boise State University.
Edwina was part of a research team that conducted a needs assessment on the impact of substance use disorder on Idaho Relatives As Parents and their families (otherwise known as kinship care families). She worked as a caregiver and med tech at an assisted living and memory care facility for three years where she experienced the highs and lows of formal caregiving. Edwina’s passion within public health is improving the overall health and well-being of family caregivers and their support system through research and education.
Bilingual Navigator, Health Educator & Graduate Research Assistant
Adrián-Miguel Rodríguez is a Health Educator for Boise State University’s Idaho Caregiver Alliance under the School of Public and Population Health. He completed his Master’s in Public Health from BSU and received his CHES certification. His areas of interest include advocacy, research, public policy, and prevention and intervention programming involving marginalized communities. Adrián’s work includes published, awarded research, advocacy, and policy focused on engaging Hispanic communities and caregivers.
Senior Navigator
Jennifer Glenn, LSW, is a senior caregiver navigator with the Family Caregiver Navigator project. Jennifer has been a licensed social worker in Idaho since 2011, earning her bachelor’s in Social Work from Boise State University. Since that time, Jennifer has had the opportunity to serve some of Idaho’s most vulnerable families, working with Veteran families at risk of homelessness and providing housing case management to individuals with severe and persistent mental illness. Most recently, Jennifer worked in the child welfare system and that experience has taught her that families are the most valuable source of knowledge and information when it comes to the issues affecting them. Jennifer is passionate about engaging families in planning and identifying resources to support their success.
Research Associate
Jennifer Nguyen earned her Master’s degree in Public Health with an emphasis in Prevention and Intervention Programming and her Bachelor’s degree in Public Health with an emphasis in Health Education and Promotion from Boise State University. She previously worked as a graduate research assistant for the Idaho Caregiver Alliance (ICA), contributing to projects such as the Direct Care Professional (DCP) curriculum development under Medicaid and the Annual Idaho Family Caregiver Conference. Jennifer currently continues her work with the ICA as a Research Associate, focusing on the Idaho Family Caregiver Survey and other key initiatives.
Student Interns and Graduate Assistants
ICA moved to the School of Public and Population Health (SPPH) at Boise State University in 2024. It was formerly housed within the Center for the Study of Aging. ICA regularly engages undergraduate and graduate students in research, programs, and outreach. Check out the ICA page under the “SPPH Projects and Initiatives” page to see which talented students we are currently working with.