Teresa Fleming
Chairman
tfleming@pistem.org

My husband and I have 6 children and 7 grandchildren. Our youngest child attends PiSTEM, and will be in the school’s inaugural graduating class in 2022. I am an Army veteran and have an undergraduate degree in Microelectronical engineering, and an MBA, and I currently work for the Veterans Administration in cost accounting. Although I have no formal training in education, I do believe education naturally becomes part of your life the minute you become a parent.

As a parent I recognized my children seemed oddly under-prepared for “adult-life” when they reached 18. Over the last few years I realized that yes, part of the issue was my own mistaken parenting methods. I had sheltered my children far too much from failure - but there were also external factors, the biggest of which I felt was school.
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These realizations are what lead me to where I am today in working with PiSTEM. I am a founding member of PiSTEM and will continue to advocate not only for PiSTEM but for all families to have a choice in the education of their children. And while I only have one child that will benefit directly from my learning and growth as a parent, and work with PiSTEM, I do hope my work can impact the lives of many others!

Sharina Jensen
Vice Chair
sjensen@pistem.org

I am a mother of 3 amazing kids, a wife (married a Kuna Native), and professional speaking I wear a lot of hats but all within helping professions, I do have a Bachelors degree from BSU. I am passionate for early intervention education (special education more specifically), informed choice/consent, and the transition of families (pregnancy, birth, and postpartum). I am a Founder for Project Impact STEM Academy (as is my husband) and did it all while pregnant with my 3rd child- who was born the day before PiSTEM was approved to be a Charter! I chose to be a founder because I wanted more choice for Kuna Families. My personal belief is that we are all unique individuals and we should be treated as such- that includes how we learn. I felt very lead to this for my own children, but for any child and family that would like a choice in their education! I am so proud to be on the Board of Directors.

Ben Peterson
Secretary
bpeterson@pistem.org

Ben Peterson was born and raised in Southeast Idaho, where became fascinated with his families first computer and has been tinkering with them since. In high school he gained a love of project based education from his electronics teacher. The teacher sent them out into the schools to support technology and solve problems. He also was able to build an electronic device that taught physics students principles of falling objects. He continued this love in college and was able to compete in the IGVC competition. He now resides in Kuna with his wife and 3 children where he works as an IT Systems Engineer at Boise State University. He hopes to continue support project based education by helping PiSTEM to grow and become a strong learning community for all ages.

Joshua S. Hopping
Board Member
joshhopping@pistem.org

My family joined the PiSTEM family when it first opened in the fall of 2018. In the years since then we have continued to be impressed with the teachers and administrators as more of my children have enrolled in the school. As a former first-generation college student who struggled to pass classes within elementary and middle school, I know firsthand how education can help transform the story of one’s life. PiSTEM’s mission of providing an adaptive and personalized learning environment that will foster confidence while practicing failure is something that I wish would have been available during my younger years. Hence it is my desire to help build and expand the school with the hope that thousands of lives will be changed through a life-long pursuit of knowledge and experimentation.

I have worked for two tech startups within the online brand protection industry with over seventeen years of experience helping multinational companies protect their intellectual property online. I am an Associate Member of the World Association of Detectives and a Professional Certified Investigator (PCI®) by ASIS International specializing in open-source intelligence (OSINT) analysis aimed at providing clients with actionable intelligence used to dismantle and disrupt counterfeit or otherwise abusive networks. Between 2018-2021 I served on the Board of Directors of the Idaho chapter of InfraGard, a partnership between the FBI and members of the critical infrastructure private sector. I am also currently serving on the 2022-2023 International Trademark Association’s (INTA) Indigenous Rights Committee. I hold an Associate of Science in Design Technology Engineering and Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from LeTourneau University (Longview, TX, USA) along with a Master of Arts in Theology and Culture from St. Stephen University (St. Stephen, NB, CA). In addition, I am a published author and a Cherokee Nation tribal member who gratefully acknowledges that we live in the traditional lands of the Shoshone and Bannock tribes, people who are still with us today.

Clay Zobell
Board Member
czobell@pistem.org

Born and raised in a small town in Montana, Clay enjoys living in the small community of Kuna. He is happily married to a wonderful wife and they have 3 amazing children that keep them busy.

Clay has worked in healthcare his whole career after college. He currently works for St. Luke’s. He feels it is important to be involved and joined the Pi STEM Board to be active in the school and community. He is a strong believer in parent’s rights and school choice. He likes helping others around him and really enjoys that he can give something back to the school that his children attend.