The People

Erin Westfall grew up in Burley, Idaho, where music was a cornerstone of her family life. She began piano lessons at an early age before transitioning to saxophone in middle school, consistently earning first chair positions across ensembles throughout high school while cultivating a lasting passion for jazz.

Erin earned her Bachelor of Arts in Theater Arts from Central Washington University in 2004. During her undergraduate studies, exposure to the intersection of communication, performance, and speech science inspired her to pursue a Master of Science in Speech-Language Pathology at Idaho State University (2007). She went on to build a 14-year career as a speech-language pathologist in the medical field, specializing in rehabilitation for individuals recovering from traumatic brain injuries and strokes.

Erin later joined the founding team of a health-based startup, where she discovered a strong aptitude for organizational leadership and systems development. To further strengthen her executive skill set, she earned an MBA in Executive Leadership from Boise State University in 2024. She served as Marketing Director for Ballet Idaho before being selected as Executive Director of the Boise Jazz Society in 2024. In this role, she brings together her expertise in leadership with her lifelong passion for the performing arts and jazz.

A dedicated artist, Erin has been an active performer in the Treasure Valley for more than two decades. She is an award-winning actor, director, dancer, and choreographer, serves as director of the dance collective Twist of Fate Dance, and performs with professional ensemble, Flamenco Idaho.

Outside of her professional work, Erin is an avid long-distance hiker. Her accomplishments include completing 500 miles of the Camino de Santiago in Spain, hiking the Kumano Kodo in Japan, summiting the tallest mountain in the “lower 48” (Mount Whitney), and backpacking more than 200 miles along the Idaho Centennial Trail. She lives in Boise with her husband, Troy, and their two dogs.