Commencement Speaker

Sylvia Medina ‘93, President and CEO of North Wind, Inc.

Sylvia Medina is president and CEO of North Wind, Inc., an
Idaho Falls-based company with expertise in environmental consulting, professional technical services and construction. The company was incorporated in 1997, and since has grown to more than 300 employees with 19 offices in the U.S.

North Wind’s sustained growth since inception, coupled with Ms. Medina’s corporate vision to positively impact the environment, has drawn recognition and awards. In 2007, Ms. Medina received the Fast Five Award from Women Impacting Public Policy and the Protégé of the Year Award from the Department of Energy.

In addition, in 2007 DiversityBusiness.Com gave North Wind three #1 ratings as:

• Top Diversity Owned Businesses in Idaho;
• Top Small Businesses in Idaho; and
• Top Woman Owned Business in Idaho.

Most recently, Ms. Medina and North Wind have won the Small Business Administration’s 2008 Subcontractor of the year award for Region X.

North Wind has 152 employees in the Idaho Falls area, many of whom have attended the University of Idaho.

Ms. Medina is a 1993 graduate of the University of Idaho, where she earned her master’s degree in interdisciplinary studies - waste management.