CHS, NIC alum named interim CEO of U of I center

MOSCOW — Lee Ostrom, professor of engineering at the University of Idaho, Idaho Falls, has been named the interim center executive officer effective immediately. He will serve in this capacity until a search for a permanent executive officer is completed, according to a news release.

He was born in Coeur d’Alene and graduated from Coeur d’Alene High School. He attended two years at North Idaho College and went on to earn his Bachelor of Science in bacteriology from U of I. He later attained a master’s degree in interdisciplinary studies, occupational safety and health and a doctoral degree in industrial engineering, both from Texas Tech University.

The executive officer serves as the public face of U of I in southeast Idaho and supports the university in legislative engagement, program leadership and business engagement, among other duties. Ostrom has been at U of I since 1989, working his way from adjunct faculty in Adult, Counselor and Technology Education to academic director and associate dean in the College of Engineering — all at the Idaho Falls center.

Ostrom is on the Fulbright Specialist roster, which provides opportunities for people to engage internationally in two- to six-week project-based exchanges. He most recently completed a six-week project in Helsinki, Finland, in early 2018.

A search for a permanent executive officer is anticipated to be conducted during this academic year. In addition to its academic programs, U of I’s Idaho Falls Center partners with the Idaho National Laboratory, the Center for Advanced Energy Studies and other state institutions in the southeast portion of Idaho.