Julie Reister-Keaton is a retired educator whose career spanned 39 years, 36 of which were dedicated to the students of Lake Pend Oreille School District. Julie earned a BA in Special Education at Central Washington University and an MA in Elementary Education at the University of Idaho. She taught grades kindergarten through high school and was an adjunct professor at the U of I field campus in Coeur d’Alene, instructing Elementary Language Arts Methods. Both instilled by their parents that quality education was essential in life, Julie and her husband, Kim Keaton, raised their two children in the Sandpoint area and worked diligently on school levy committees, PTA boards and activities, curriculum committees, and after-school programs to ensure their and other children had excellent educational experiences. Julie knows first hand the empowerment PAFE grants have on classroom teachers; she has been a recipient of a few. Grants awarded by the Alliance change teachers’ “if only” ideas into reality, and in turn, enrich students’ lives far beyond the classroom. Although she thoroughly enjoys this time in her life to more fully experience the outdoor activities she loves and to travel the globe, Julie embraces the chance to enhance the lives of students and teachers in our community, and being involved with Panhandle Alliance For Education gives her that opportunity.