Marita Diffenbaugh has twenty years of service in Idaho’s education system, from the classroom, school district, and university to the State Department of Education. With fourteen years dedicated to students in the classroom and six years of district and state-level administrator experience, she believes her greatest contributions involve building relationships with others and helping them connect their talents, knowledge, and skills with community needs.
As a teacher, administrator, and leadership support for educators in Idaho, Marita gained expertise and experience as a student-focused, purpose driven servant leader. She has supported school and district leadership in the strategic development of mastery-based education and instructional technology implementation. As a connected educator, she has provided teachers with professional development for student engagement and positive digital citizenship practices through local, state, national, and international presentations.
Marita’s education – a Bachelor of Arts in Elementary Education (K-8), Master of Arts with a Technology emphasis, and Education Specialist (Ed.S) in Executive Educational Leadership – provide a foundation for her work in K-12 instructional leadership, augmented by her teaching and administrator/superintendent certifications. Being a co-Founder of #EdCampIdaho, facilitator/participant of the Idaho Mastery Education Network, #IDedchat, Discovery Education Network, and iCivics keeps Marita engaged in professional learning as part of a growing and dynamic network of educators.
She is honored and excited to support the expansion of Elevate Academy, a public charter school working to create a pipeline of highly-skilled, employable workers that meet the needs of Idaho industry and business, while empowering students to be leaders in their own lives. As a leadership partner, with Elevate Academy’s co-founders Monica White and Matt Strong, Marita will plan, develop, and launch a 6-12th grade Career Technical school.
This will be a school of choice for students who qualify as at-risk, with CTE offerings that reflect workforce needs and opportunities in North Idaho. Marita is dedicated to using her strengths and experiences to ensure respect and opportunity for all students. She is passionate about connecting learning to community resources and needs, and restoring hope to support learners of all ages to develop their full potential.