Chanel Tewalt was appointed by Governor Brad Little to serve as Director of the Idaho State Department of Agriculture (ISDA) in January 2023.

Director Tewalt first joined the ISDA while in college at Boise State University and has 16 years of experience at the department, including serving as the deputy director and chief operations officer. In her work at the agency, Tewalt has focused on collaboration with industry partners and on the implementation of agency programs with a clear understanding of statutory requirements and stakeholder needs. She also oversaw efforts to reduce regulatory red tape and respond to emergency issues impacting agriculture.

Tewalt grew up on a livestock operation in Klamath Falls, Oregon, which is home to longstanding struggles over water. These experiences and other lessons learned in agriculture are foundational to the way Tewalt approaches her work at the ISDA.

Tewalt and her husband have two children. They co-own a family club lamb and seedstock operation in the Treasure Valley and are proud to be raising their children in and around production agriculture.