Meet the Staff of Emerge.
Executive director
Jeni Riplinger
Jeni Riplinger is the founder and Executive Director of Emerge, Jeni worked in the arts for the past fourteen years and was instrumental in bringing awareness to homelessness through art installations, volunteer artists, and special events. Jeni has received the accolade for distinguished service including the 2014 Inlander Peirone Prize and the 2014 Mayor’s Arts Awards for excellence in arts education.
Chair
Betsy Black
Betsy Black joined the Emerge Board of Directors in 2022. Betsy was born and raised in the Coeur d’Alene area. She obtained her bachelor’s degree in Social Work from Lewis Clark State College and her Juris Doctorate through the University of Idaho, School of Law. She has a family law practice in Coeur d’Alene and is a certified civil and child custody mediator. She supports our local art community by serving as the Chair on the board of directors for Emerge.
Vice Chair
Jane Clark
Jane Clark joined the Emerge Board of Directors in 2024, now serving as Vice Chair. She is a Coeur d’ Alene native and downtown business owner with over 20 years of experience in the jewelry industry. Jane is a Graduate Jeweler and Gemologist from the Gemological Institute of America with Applied Jewelry Arts Certificates in both Jewelry Design and Computer Aided Design & Manufacturing. Following the completion of her education in California, Jane returned home to Idaho to apply her knowledge to the family business here in Coeur d’Alene.
Secretary
Mark Rakes
Mark Rakes has been a director on the Emerge Board since its inception in 2015 and currently serves as Secretary. Originally from El Paso, Texas, he moved with his family to Coeur d’Alene in 1985. He has worked in software engineering for the last 20 years. Mark is a founding board member of the Sorensen Magnet School of the Arts and Humanities PTO, which has raised over $500,000 in funds specifically to support an Arts and Humanities-focused school curriculum. He is also currently the Vice President of the Board of the Coeur d’Alene Education Partnership, an organization formed to support quality and excellence in Coeur d’Alene schools. He holds an AA Degree with an emphasis in Music Theory and Composition from North Idaho College, and a dual BS in Computer Science/Computer Information. In his spare time, Mark still actively plays music and hopes that through his involvement with Emerge he will someday learn to paint.
Treasurer
Robin Bundy
Robin joined the Board of Directors in 2023, bringing a decade of experience in real estate and a strong commitment to community involvement. Born and raised in Coeur d’Alene, he earned his Bachelor's degree in Political Science from the University of Idaho. In addition to his professional work, Robin is passionate about youth development and serves as a coach for the Sting soccer club.
Board
Chris Grubb
Chris Grubb and his wife, Sheila, moved from Atlanta to Coeur d’Alene in 2019 to get “back to the west.” With a BS from Furman University and bachelor’s and master’s degrees in civil and structural engineering from Georgia Institute of Technology, Chris practices engineering as the president of Grubb Engineering and Design, PC and holds engineering licenses in 17 states. Alongside his structural engineering track, he has always had one foot in the arts as a musician, sound engineer and most recently as an emerging sculptor.
Board
Tom Perkins
Tom Perkins has been on the Emerge Board since 2018. Tom and his wife have had a home in Coeur d’Alene since 2003. Tom retired in 2018 from Core-Mark International, Inc., a Publicly Traded Fortune 250 company where he served as the Chief Executive Officer and board member. His 25 years of experience with Core-Mark encompassed finance, sales, operations, strategy, investor relations, M& and board management. Tom held a variety of positions over his 25-year career with Core-Mark; Controller, Division President, Vice President of US Divisions, and Senior Vice President – Resources prior to being named President and CEO in January 2013. Tom worked in a variety of financial roles prior to joining Core-Mark. He worked for Arthur Andersen & Co and was a CPA in the state of California. He was part of PepsiCo’s Corporate audit group and was the Controller for Pepsi Cola Bottling Group’s Southern California Business Unit. Tom serves on the Northern Arizona University Foundation Board. He received his bachelor’s degree from Northern Arizona University in 1980.
Board