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, a professor in the School of Public and Population Health, directs the interdisciplinary Center for the Study of Aging at Boise State University. She is actively engaged with 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 and has been a faculty member in the College of Health Sciences at Boise State University since 2000. 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 Employment Related Supports: Opportunities and Challenges for the Idaho Home Choice Program, and Community Planning Association of Southwest Idaho (COMPASS): Needs Assessment of Individuals Who Are Homebound. These efforts reflect her commitment to generating real-time evidence for use in community-based planning and decision making.
Lead Navigator & Program Coordinator
Sheila Weaver, LCSW, is the Lead Navigator and Program Coordinator 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.
Communication & 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.
Intake Navigator & Graduate Research Assistant
Adrian Rodriguez began working at the Center for the Study of Aging as an Undergraduate Research Assistant for the Family Caregiver Navigator project and is now a Bilingual Intake Navigator. He is a graduate student in the Master of Public Health program at Boise State University with an emphasis in Prevention and Intervention Programming. Driven by a passion for social equity, Adrian’s continued research focuses on strategies to successfully implement caregiver and similar public health programs in Hispanic communities.
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.
Graduate Research Assistant
Jennifer Nguyen holds a B.S in Public Health and is a graduate student in the Master of Public Health (MPH) program at Boise State University. Jennifer was born and raised in Boise and plans to continue her education with an emphasis in Prevention and Intervention Programming. She is a graduate research assistant for the Center of the Study of Aging focusing on the Direct Care Professional (DCP) curriculum development under Medicaid and assisting with other tasks in the Idaho Caregiver Alliance.
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.