MEMBERS
Idaho
A Letter From the Association President
Greetings,
Before I get into the year in review, please allow me to introduce myself. I pledged FarmHouse as a senior in 2001. To this day, I tell fellow alumni and prospective students alike one of the few regrets of my college experience is not joining FarmHouse earlier. While my time in the house was short, the lessons and relationships from that experience have been lasting. Since graduation I’ve lived in Montana, the greater Seattle area, Washington DC, Salt Lake City, Washington state, and finally home to Idaho when my family and I were able to relocate to Coeur d’Alene in May 2020. I’ve served on UI Alumni Association Board since May 2015, currently as the Vice President. My wife, Sarah and I have two sons and a daughter, all future Vandals (fingers crossed) our oldest is adamant that he will be in the FarmHouse pledge class of 2027. My time as an Army officer led me into the critical infrastructure security profession with stops at the Department of Homeland Security, as a regulatory auditor, head of security at a mid-sized electric utility, and currently as a managing partner at Archer, a security and compliance consulting firm.
As you may recall, all students on campus were sent home in spring of 2020. The board, in consensus with FarmHouse International, elected to pause the chapter for two years with a return to Idaho in September 2022. This period allows for some long overdue facility work while planning a strong restart of the chapter. The remainder of 2020 and into early 2021 the board focused on assessing the physical state of the facility and prioritizing work. This prioritization work is now underway with a modern boiler system installed and designs underway for interior and exterior updates.
With COVID providing Idaho a brief respite in late summer and early fall we were able to hold a hybrid in-person and Zoom annual meeting, getting a handful of members back into the house for the first time in at least 16 months. Prior to the annual meeting, Taso Kinnas informed the rest of the board that he would not seek another term due to a new job and cross-country move. Cameron Ryffel was elected to that seat. The board meeting saw officer changes with Nick Weber elected President, Mike Conklin re-elected Vice President, and Wayne Wohler elected Secretary. Travis Palmer, Simon Barnes, and Cameron Ryffel fill the two at-large director positions on the board. The board was unable to elect a Treasurer at the annual meeting. At present, treasurer tasks are being completed ad hoc by board members but if you are interested in jumping in to assist as Treasurer please contact me.
Since the annual meeting we’ve focused heavily on getting into the next phase of house updates and have organized committees to address more efficiently both project and “steady state” tasks. The goal of these committees is to ensure we’re utilizing our board members’ time and talents judiciously while also allowing other alumni opportunities to engage where and how they are comfortable.
CURRENT COMMITTEES:
House Update – Nick Weber and Mike Conklin
This committee is currently focused on managing the projects around interior and exterior updates to the facility but will transition to facility maintenance and updates once the chapter restarts next year.
Strategic Planning – Wayne Wohler and Cameron Ryffel
One of the most exciting ideas to come out of the annual meeting was reinvigorating the goal to build a new house. While that goal isn’t within our current fiscal means, that vision reminds us that to reach lofty goals takes planning and preparation. This committee is charged with charting our path to those goals through developing and maintaining our strategic plan.
Alumni Engagement and Communications – Cameron Ryffel
Our strongest and most valuable resource are the very men FarmHouse has built over the years. This committee focuses on ensuring opportunities to continue to grow individually and collectively. This committee serves as the central hub for coordinating events, volunteer opportunities, and communications.
FUTURE COMMITTEES:
Recruiting
We are following FarmHouse International’s lead and experience in rebuilding the chapter but once that process is complete, we know the chapter will need our support identifying and recruiting the future men of FarmHouse. Who better to provide this support and demonstrate the value of FarmHouse than those of us who have benefitted from that brotherhood and our values? This committee will form over the course of the next year, working closely with our Alumni Engagement and Communications committee to support recruiting efforts.
Chapter Support
This committee is the most vital to the long-term success of FarmHouse at the University of Idaho. The Chapter Support committee will ensure a regular presence in and around the house. This presence will ensure we provide mentorship, coaching, and accountability to the men of the chapter. The Chapter Support committee will be charged with identifying alumni and friends who can regularly visit the chapter and coordinating those visits to ensure a consistent presence without overextending any of our volunteers. We plan to begin forming this committee in early 2022.
If any of these committees interest you, please get in touch with me or the board member(s) leading the committee(s). Keep in mind there is no minimum participation requirement for these.
Fraternally,
Nick Weber ‘02
OFFICERS
Wayne Wohler
Secretary
ASSOCIATION NEWS
EVENTS
PHOTO GALLERY
Idaho
MEMBERS
Idaho
A Letter From the Association President
Greetings,
Before I get into the year in review, please allow me to introduce myself. I pledged FarmHouse as a senior in 2001. To this day, I tell fellow alumni and prospective students alike one of the few regrets of my college experience is not joining FarmHouse earlier. While my time in the house was short, the lessons and relationships from that experience have been lasting. Since graduation I’ve lived in Montana, the greater Seattle area, Washington DC, Salt Lake City, Washington state, and finally home to Idaho when my family and I were able to relocate to Coeur d’Alene in May 2020. I’ve served on UI Alumni Association Board since May 2015, currently as the Vice President. My wife, Sarah and I have two sons and a daughter, all future Vandals (fingers crossed) our oldest is adamant that he will be in the FarmHouse pledge class of 2027. My time as an Army officer led me into the critical infrastructure security profession with stops at the Department of Homeland Security, as a regulatory auditor, head of security at a mid-sized electric utility, and currently as a managing partner at Archer, a security and compliance consulting firm.
As you may recall, all students on campus were sent home in spring of 2020. The board, in consensus with FarmHouse International, elected to pause the chapter for two years with a return to Idaho in September 2022. This period allows for some long overdue facility work while planning a strong restart of the chapter. The remainder of 2020 and into early 2021 the board focused on assessing the physical state of the facility and prioritizing work. This prioritization work is now underway with a modern boiler system installed and designs underway for interior and exterior updates.
With COVID providing Idaho a brief respite in late summer and early fall we were able to hold a hybrid in-person and Zoom annual meeting, getting a handful of members back into the house for the first time in at least 16 months. Prior to the annual meeting, Taso Kinnas informed the rest of the board that he would not seek another term due to a new job and cross-country move. Cameron Ryffel was elected to that seat. The board meeting saw officer changes with Nick Weber elected President, Mike Conklin re-elected Vice President, and Wayne Wohler elected Secretary. Travis Palmer, Simon Barnes, and Cameron Ryffel fill the two at-large director positions on the board. The board was unable to elect a Treasurer at the annual meeting. At present, treasurer tasks are being completed ad hoc by board members but if you are interested in jumping in to assist as Treasurer please contact me.
Since the annual meeting we’ve focused heavily on getting into the next phase of house updates and have organized committees to address more efficiently both project and “steady state” tasks. The goal of these committees is to ensure we’re utilizing our board members’ time and talents judiciously while also allowing other alumni opportunities to engage where and how they are comfortable.
CURRENT COMMITTEES:
House Update – Nick Weber and Mike Conklin
This committee is currently focused on managing the projects around interior and exterior updates to the facility but will transition to facility maintenance and updates once the chapter restarts next year.
Strategic Planning – Wayne Wohler and Cameron Ryffel
One of the most exciting ideas to come out of the annual meeting was reinvigorating the goal to build a new house. While that goal isn’t within our current fiscal means, that vision reminds us that to reach lofty goals takes planning and preparation. This committee is charged with charting our path to those goals through developing and maintaining our strategic plan.
Alumni Engagement and Communications – Cameron Ryffel
Our strongest and most valuable resource are the very men FarmHouse has built over the years. This committee focuses on ensuring opportunities to continue to grow individually and collectively. This committee serves as the central hub for coordinating events, volunteer opportunities, and communications.
FUTURE COMMITTEES:
Recruiting
We are following FarmHouse International’s lead and experience in rebuilding the chapter but once that process is complete, we know the chapter will need our support identifying and recruiting the future men of FarmHouse. Who better to provide this support and demonstrate the value of FarmHouse than those of us who have benefitted from that brotherhood and our values? This committee will form over the course of the next year, working closely with our Alumni Engagement and Communications committee to support recruiting efforts.
Chapter Support
This committee is the most vital to the long-term success of FarmHouse at the University of Idaho. The Chapter Support committee will ensure a regular presence in and around the house. This presence will ensure we provide mentorship, coaching, and accountability to the men of the chapter. The Chapter Support committee will be charged with identifying alumni and friends who can regularly visit the chapter and coordinating those visits to ensure a consistent presence without overextending any of our volunteers. We plan to begin forming this committee in early 2022.
If any of these committees interest you, please get in touch with me or the board member(s) leading the committee(s). Keep in mind there is no minimum participation requirement for these.
Fraternally,
Nick Weber ‘02
OFFICERS
Wayne Wohler
Secretary
