Board Members

Member Phone: (208) 221-0246 Practice: Hospital / Retail Term Expires: June 30, 2024
Justin Messenger grew up in Idaho Falls and graduated Valedictorian of his high school. He is a 2011 graduate from Idaho State University’s College of Pharmacy and is currently enrolled in the MBA program ISU. He had close to 12 years of retail experience before pivoting into hospital pharmacy two years ago. Looking back, he set his sights on pharmacy because of a recommendation from his older brother. That was during his sophomore year in high school. After researching the profession and presenting on it during career day, he knew pharmacy was what he wanted to do. During his research years ago, he valued the different career paths pharmacists have access to. There are many: community pharmacy (retail, independent), hospital (ER, ICU, Ambulatory Care), clinical, pharmaceutical, or a combination of those to name a few. It’s truly amazing how many different paths a pharmacist may take, or even change, during the course of his or her career. He has enjoyed the switch to hospital pharmacy from the community/retail sector, although he misses the patient interaction greatly. He sees himself continuing to develop his hospital skills and applying the MBA teachings to continue to improve processes, workflow, and inventory management at the hospital he’s employed at. For the past 14 years, he’s worked in some aspect of the pharmacy business. He started as a technician, then intern, and finally pharmacist. He’s witnessed many changes, some positive and some negative, but looks forward with hope and excitement for what the future brings for the profession like provider status and independent prescribing. He has a wonderful wife and 3 kids! They love the outdoors. They ski every weekend in the winter and bike and rock climb in the summer.

Member
McCall, ID Phone: (208) 630-3744
Practice: Chain
Term Expires: June 30, 2025
Dr Ellis is a 1997 graduate of ISU College of Pharmacy. He worked with Rite Aid pharmacies for 20 years before joining the team at Albertsons. Dr Ellis also provides relief to the McCall anti-coagulation clinic that was started with grant funding in 2014. He currently holds the distinguished title of longest tenured pharmacist at McCall Hospital. He and his wife, Mary, have been married since 1998. Their daughter is headed to nursing school, while their son finishes up high school. Dr Ellis loves all things outdoors, including hunting, fishing, and golfing.

Executive Director (Ex Officio Member) Pocatello, ID Phone: (208) 334-2356 Nicole “Nicki” Chopski, PharmD, is the Executive Director of the Idaho State Board of Pharmacy. In this capacity, her primary role is to promote, preserve and protect the health, safety, and welfare of the public by and through the effective control and regulation of the practice of pharmacy in the state of Idaho. Raised and educated in Pocatello, Nicki Chopski obtained her Doctor of Pharmacy degree from Idaho State University College of Pharmacy in 1997. She is a Certified Geriatric Pharmacist and completed Purdue University College of Pharmacy’s program in nuclear pharmacy in 2006. She previously served as a hospital pharmacist at Portneuf Medical Center and served as a board member for the Board of Pharmacy for 12 years. Dr. Chopski believes that it is through leadership and involvement of the individual pharmacist that the profession of pharmacy will continue to advance and succeed, which is demonstrated by her involvement in multiple professional organizations at the local, state and national level. Outside of pharmacy, her interests include riding her Harley Davidson motorcycle, traveling and serving the POW*MIA Awareness Association locally and National League of POW/MIA Families nationally.