On behalf of the Idaho Policy Institute, it is our pleasure to announce that Dr. Vanessa Fry will serve as Interim Director of the Idaho Policy Institute. This announcement follows the departure of Dr. Greg Hill, who has accepted a new role as Chief Administrative Officer and Dean of Faculty at the University of Utah’s Asia Campus in Incheon, South Korea. “IPI’s founding director, Dr. Greg Hill, has helped build the foundation for an impactful and resilient institute. I’m looking forward to working with the IPI team to continue scaling our work across Idaho and beyond,” Fry said.
Throughout her education and professional career, Vanessa has focused on utilizing multi-sector, evidenced-based solutions to address persistent social, environmental, and economic issues. Prior to coming to Boise State, Vanessa collaborated with a number of non-profit organizations and is the co-founder and former chair of what is now Sun Valley Economic Development, a public-private partnership. She has taught as adjunct faculty at Presidio Graduate School for more than ten years and also serves on the Board of Directors of the American Red Cross of Greater Idaho, where she assists with strategic planning and fundraising.
In 2016 she co-founded the Idaho Policy Institute (IPI) with Greg Hill. Since then, Vanessa has led projects focusing on a number of issues including education, workforce development, transportation, and housing and homelessness. Her scholarship has been influential throughout the state and beyond.
We look forward to continuing to grow under Vanessa’s innovative and reliable leadership. The depth and breadth of Vanessa’s experience alongside her work as the Research Director of the Institute embody IPI’s core principles of collaboration, community responsiveness, educational impact, public engagement, and research integrity.
Effective this summer, Vanessa has also taken over the instruction of the Master of Public Administration Capstone course, and this fall she will co-launch a Vertically Integrated Project (VIP) to allow students to engage in research to address housing issues in the Treasure Valley.
Vanessa is an alumna of Boise State University, where she earned her Ph.D. in Public Policy and Administration from the School of Public Service. She also holds a Master of Business Administration from Presidio Graduate School and a Bachelor of Arts in Biology and Fine Art from Wittenberg University.
Outside of her work at Boise State, she can often be found running, floating rivers, skiing, and exploring Idaho with her husband, two daughters, and puppy. Learn more about her in our 25 questions series.