Otter promotes Ronk to Commerce Department director

BOISE — Gov. Butch Otter announced Thursday that he is promoting Megan Ronk, chief operating officer at the Idaho Department of Commerce, to director of the agency. The appointment is subject to confirmation by the Idaho Senate.

If confirmed, Ronk will succeed Jeff Sayer, who recently left after four highly successful years.

“Megan has had a lot to do with the improvements we’ve seen in our economic development efforts under Jeff’s leadership. She has a thorough understanding of State government’s role and priorities and what employers and entrepreneurs need in order to grow Idaho’s economy,” Otter said. “I’m especially proud of the strong partnerships that Megan has helped build with businesses and local economic development leaders throughout our state. She is the right person to ensure that we continue to accelerate Idaho.”

Ronk ran the day-to-day operations at the Department of Commerce throughout Sayer’s tenure, overseeing the agency’s work on business expansion and recruitment, travel and tourism promotion, international marketing and interagency collaboration. That enabled Sayer to focus on working directly with legislators, employers, site selectors, and local chambers of commerce and economic development leaders.

“I am humbled and honored to have the opportunity to lead a team that is truly passionate about Idaho. Working closely with our partners throughout the state, we have the privilege to spend each and every day selling Idaho to businesses and travelers throughout the world,” Ronk said. “Idaho is uniquely poised to achieve greatness, and I’m excited to continue to be a part of that in this new role.”

Before her work at Commerce, Ronk was executive director of the Idaho Meth Project, a strategic projects manager for Blue Cross of Idaho, and a policy adviser to Gov. Dirk Kempthorne. She also has been an adjunct faculty member teaching microeconomics at the College of Western Idaho since 2010, and a member of the Idaho Human Rights Commission since 2008.

Ronk has a bachelor’s degree in business administration from the College of Idaho and a master of business administration from the Thunderbird School of Global Management. She was named one of the Idaho Business Review’s “Women of the Year” in 2015 and was one of the newspaper’s “Accomplished Under 40” award recipients in 2008.

Ronk and her husband, Jayson, live in Meridian with their two children.