LTCs Laura and Bart Hill Endowment

Donor Background

Retired Army Lieutenant Colonels Laura L. and Bart J. Hill met at Idaho State University through
their participation in the ISU ROTC program while pursuing their studies in the College of
Education and College of Business . Both continued their educations earning master’s
degrees at Saint Mary’s College and held leadership roles in military service. Laura
pursued further certificates and specialized courses of study including communications and
cyber security through the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College, Cornell and Harvard Universities among others.
Laura’s distinguished military career as an Army Signal Corps officer included command of the Washington Area Communications Command,
White House Communication Agency (WHCA) in a position impacting directly the security of the United States
post 9/11. Following their military careers, Laura and Bart both worked for Cisco Systems.
Laura went on to serve the State of Idaho before assuming her role as the first female CIO for
the U.S. Forrest Service. Bart concluded his working career as the Director of Information
Technology for the Catholic Diocese of Boise.
Bart and Laura were one of the first ISU ROTC married couples to get commissioned as Army Signal
Corps Officers. Throughout their lives they retained a fondness for ISU and a respect for
the impact that personalized education had on their lives and careers. They have multiple military
service awards and decided to establish this endowment as a way to reflect their passions for
supporting wounded and disabled veterans as well as members of federally recognized Indian tribes.
Together they have worked on STEM and STEAM camps for youth including indigenous communities such
as the Shoshone-Bannock Tribes as well as projects to support and serve disabled veterans. It is
their goal that this scholarship can help support veterans or tribal members pursuing an education
at Idaho State University .