• Innovation Hub Leadership & Strategy
• Institutional Effectiveness & Strategic Execution
• Systems & Process Improvement
• Change Leadership (BENGAL Framework)
• Project & Portfolio Management
• Strategic Planning & Initiative Coordination
• Faculty & Staff Training & Development
• Data Analysis & Visualization
• Microsoft 365 (SharePoint)
• Google Workspace
• Document Management Systems

Patience Ternus serves as the Innovation Hub Director for Finance and University Planning at Idaho State University, where she leads the development and coordination of the university’s centralized engine for innovation, institutional effectiveness, and strategic execution.

In this role, Patience works across academic and administrative units to translate strategy into action—aligning people, processes, and technology to improve outcomes, strengthen organizational agility, and build institutional capacity. She provides leadership and oversight for initiatives spanning systems and process improvement, change leadership, strategic technology enablement, project management, training and development, and product and service innovation.

Patience brings over a decade of experience in administrative leadership, operations, and organizational development within both public and private sectors, including prior work with ISU’s Campus Operations Division and the Office for Research Outreach and Compliance. She is known for her ability to connect teams, facilitate cross-functional collaboration, and implement practical solutions that support long-term institutional goals.

She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Organizational Learning and Performance, along with academic certificates in Organizational Leadership and Workplace Training.

Patience is an ISU alumna and the mother of two girls, and enjoys reading, cooking, gardening, and watching kung-fu movies.

• Systems & Process Improvement
• Lean Six Sigma & Continuous Improvement
• Process Mapping & Workflow Design
• Operational Efficiency & Optimization
• Root Cause Analysis & Problem Solving
• Business Process Reengineering
• Facilitation & Process Workshops
• Cross-Functional Process Alignment
• Performance Measurement & Process Metrics
• Change Implementation Support
• Standardization & Documentation
• Data-Informed Process Analysis

Cory grew up in Pocatello and completed both his Bachelor of Science and Master of Business Administration degrees at Idaho State University. He served in the United States Army before beginning his career in analytical roles across manufacturing and higher education.

With training in Lean Six Sigma and a passion for improving how work gets done, Cory has consistently focused on identifying inefficiencies, eliminating waste, and designing smarter, more effective processes.

Prior to joining the University Planning Division, Cory spent six years with ISU’s Graduate School as a Technical Analyst, where he helped modernize workflows, enhance systems, and streamline operations. In his new role as the university’s System and Process Improvement Analyst, he is excited to bring his experience, service mindset, and campuswide perspective to support continual improvement across ISU.

• Innovation Hub Project Management
• Translate strategy into actionable project plans
• Lead execution of cross-functional initiatives
• Define scope, timelines, and success metrics
• Maintain governance and milestone tracking
• Coordinate cross-departmental alignment
• Act as liaison between leadership and stakeholders
• Drive stakeholder engagement and communication
• Manage risks, dependencies, and barriers
• Ensure on-time, goal-aligned delivery
• Standardize project management practices

Lisa Scholes holds a Bachelor's degree in Business Management and a Master's degree in Management & Leadership and serves as Project Manager for the Innovation Hub where she leads the planning and execution of cross-functional initiatives aligned with institutional strategy. She coordinates project schedules, resources, risks, and communications, ensuring initiatives remain on track and stakeholders are informed and engaged. She is known for bringing structure, clarity, and accountability to complex projects while supporting collaboration across departments.

Lisa brings more than a decade of progressive leadership experience in higher education. Throughout her tenure, she led large-scale process improvements, developed performance metrics and reporting systems, and managed cross-functional teams to achieve measurable results. Her leadership contributed to significant gains in productivity, reductions in error rates, and the successful implementation of new processes and training programs. She is particularly skilled in data-driven decision-making, change management, and building high-performing teams.

At the Innovation Hub, Lisa focuses on translating strategic priorities into actionable project plans, strengthening project governance, and aligning efforts across diverse functional areas. She is passionate about fostering collaboration, improving organizational effectiveness, and supporting innovative solutions that drive meaningful impact across the university.