CDA Reporter

University of Idaho Professor Julie Amador has earned a spot as a 2022 Women of the Year honoree by the Idaho Business Review. Amador is a Coeur d’Alene-based mathematics education professor with the U of I College of Education, Health and Human Sciences.

“I feel honored,” Amador said. “There are a lot of wonderful women worthy of such recognition in this state. I hope this honor helps to highlight my passion for Coeur d’Alene as a town where people have opportunities to thrive educationally and in families.”

As director of the Region 1 Idaho Regional Mathematics Center, Amador leads the local effort to provide school-specific support and professional development for mathematics educators and coaches.

“Dr. Amador’s scholarly work is practitioner and student focused, and exemplifies the land-grant mission of University of Idaho,” said Philip Scruggs, interim dean for the College of Education, Health and Human Sciences. “She is an exceptional faculty member and her exemplary work is highly regarded locally, nationally and internationally.”

Amador started her career as an elementary school teacher. After earning her Ph.D. at the University of Nevada and working as a postdoctoral fellow at the Center for Research on Learning and Technology at Indiana University, she joined the curriculum and instruction department at U of I in 2012.

“I had an amazing teacher in fifth grade who really instilled a sense of curiosity in trying to understand the ‘why’ with mathematics,” Amador said. “It’s been intriguing to me ever since, and I try to channel that same inspiration still today.”

Amador currently leads a $2.7 million study on rural math coaching, funded by the National Science Foundation. In 2020-21, she earned the Mid-Career Award as part of U of I’s Excellence Awards. She is active in the community, serving on the boards of directors for Coeur d’Alene Rotary and the Coeur d’Alene Regional Chamber, as well as the advisory board for the KROC Center. She and her husband Paul live in Coeur d’Alene with their young sons, Peter and Simon.

A full list of Women of the Year honorees can be found on the Idaho Business Review’s website.

^{Source: https://www.uidaho.edu/news/news-articles/news-releases/2022/062922-womenoftheyearhonoree}