Eve Knudtsen is officially in the running for the Zone 4 seat of North Idaho College's board of trustees.

The Knudtsen Automotive Group president filed the required paperwork Wednesday morning with the Kootenai County Elections Office.

A former NIC student, Knudtsen studied principles of accounting and English the summer between her junior and senior years, and took more classes after she graduated from high school. Her grandfather, Clifford E. Knudtsen, was a trustee around 1950, providing her with another layer of connection to the community college she wishes to serve.

"I just really feel like it's my time," Knudtsen said Wednesday afternoon. "I'm passionate about economic development, I'm passionate about health care, but I've really been passionate about education, specifically about workforce and professional-technical education."

Knudtsen previously served on the board of the NIC Foundation, the nonprofit that raises money for scholarships to help students on their higher education journeys. She will vie for the Zone 4 seat, currently filled by board secretary/treasurer Greg McKenzie.

If elected, Knudtsen said, she will aim to ensure the stability of the college's accreditation and protect professional tech and workforce training.

"NIC significantly contributes to our economic prosperity by ensuring we have well-prepared students and a skilled workforce across all sectors of our local economy," she said in a Wednesday news release.

Knudtsen said she is eager to serve the community in this role.

"I will serve the North Idaho College Board of Trustees with the same energy and devotion that has characterized my work ethic throughout my life," she said.

    Knudtsen Automotive Group President Eve Knudtsen, left, and Patricia Phillips in the North Idaho College business office are seen on campus Wednesday as Knudtsen files official paperwork to run for a seat on the college's board of trustees.
  

    Eve Knudtsen on Wednesday points to a photo of her grandfather, Clifford E. Knudtsen, who served as a North Idaho College trustee around 1950. The photo of the board at that time hangs on a wall in the Sherman Building on campus. Eve Knudtsen has announced she is running to serve as trustee on the college's board.