STACI DARMODY
Since earning her Bachelor of Science in Sociology from Westmont College in Santa Barbara, California in 1991, Staci has made a home in Boise with her husband Rick and, in time, their four children. Before having the privilege to be a stay-at-home mom, Staci worked in vocational rehabilitation and human resources. While Staci & Rick’s children were young, Staci began her work as a child advocate volunteering with various nonprofits throughout the Treasure Valley. As their children grew, Staci’s passion for children’s rights took her outside Idaho and the United States, most specifically to the Dominican Republic and The Mariposa School for Girls. In the Fall of 2017, Staci had the opportunity to pursue her lifelong goal of graduate school, eventually earning a Masters of Theological Studies from Iliff School of Theology located in Denver, Colorado. While at Iliff, Staci focused her studies on the theological mandate of being a voice for the marginalized, within the church and society as a whole. Her graduating thesis is titled: “HOLDING SEXUAL OFFENDERS ACCOUNTABLE IN NON-DENOMINATIONAL EVANGELICAL CHURCHES: Can Mainline Protestant Denominations and Theologies Answer Theological and Ecclesiological Questions Of Accountability Raised By The #MeToo Movement?”
Her longtime partnership with Rick, the challenges and love inherent to raising four beautifully unique children and treasured knowledge gained from books as well as experts in Staci’s fields of interest are the balm to Staci’s soul as – daily – she fights to heal the layered, never-ending scars of incest and further systemic sexual abuse that enveloped her childhood. Staci attributes her survival to the Bishop Kelly High School community that welcomed her as a shy, anxious teen – both her peers as well as a handful of their families – and seeks to be a similar refuge for her children’s friends, her resilient foster daughter and, this year, a determined Mariposa attending the College of Idaho as an international student. For Staci, there is nothing better than a big, old house full of inspired young-adults and ever-present animals and flowers.
While Staci considers next steps for herself and her family during these changing times, she is blessed to be a part of the Shanti Yoga Teacher Training Training where she is (slowly!) pursuing her 200 hour certification. It is her time on her yoga mat and with individual Pilates instruction that Staci is finally learning how to live each day NOT holding her breath, but rather, stay present in each moment as it unfolds.
Staci’s unshakable belief that all of Idaho’s adults can be doing a better job for Idaho’s children was a motivating force of ICAP’s creation. Staci is forever indebted to her smart, brave, tireless partners that collaborated to elevate ICAP to its new purpose and is honored to serve on the Board on their behalf.