KANSAS CITY, MO –  Lewis-Clark State College President Cynthia Pemberton has been elected chair-elect of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) Council of Presidents following a unanimous vote at the NAIA Fall Meetings.

Pemberton will serve a two-year term as chair-elect before becoming chair from 2027 to 2029. She has been a member of the council since 2023 and currently chairs the Cascade Collegiate Conference Council of Presidents.

The NAIA Council of Presidents includes 23 institutional presidents representing conferences and at-large members. The body oversees membership, fiscal matters, and conference operations.

Pemberton has led LC State since 2018 and is the third woman to head one of Idaho’s four-year public institutions.