Abby Evans is the Senior Policy Advisor for Salt Lake Couty, as well as the founder of Data Elect, Inc. Evans has developed a number of data-driven strategies and products beneficial to political campaigns big and small. In the last few years, Evans has advised US Senate, US Congressional, and state legislative candidates in their bids for office. She is always testing new software, keeping up on the latest in the political data management field, and creating new ways to make candidates more effective in Utah's unique electoral system. Evans’ work centers around knowing that campaign data is not just numbers and lists—it should be dynamic, centralized, and used to facilitate human-to-human contact when asking constituents for their vote.

Angela Choberka has lived in Ogden for more than 17 years. She was originally elected to represent Municipal District 1 on the Ogden City Council in November 2017 and is now serving a second term of office. In her tenure on the council, Angela has served as the Chair, Vice Chair, the Vice Chair of the Community Renewable Energy Agency Board, a board member of the Weber-Morgan Health Department, and a board member of the Ogden Nature Center, among other assignments. In her day job, she works at SelectHealth as a Member Equity Consultant.

Bayley Hedglin was elected Mayor of Monticello in 2021. Prior to that, she completed a four-year term on the Monticello City Council. Her current focus as Mayor is the overhaul of current city infrastructure and water rights. During her time as a Monticello City Council member, she served on boards of the San Juan County Business Expansion and Retention, San Juan County Economic Development, and on a number of committees, including Parks and Recreation, economic development, and Monticello Airport. She works full-time for Utah State University as a Project Director for the Blanding Campus and has seven children.

Becki Wright is the Founder and CEO of Proximity campaign management software launching this spring. Good leaders can be great candidates with Proximity tech solutions for political campaigns. Becki has worked as a political consultant, campaign manager, and fundraiser on campaigns large and small across Utah. She is passionate about removing barriers to entry into political leadership, improving election literacy, and solving campaign inefficiencies. Most recently she worked as Finance Director for Becky Edwards’ 2022 Senate run, where she was responsible for fundraising plans, resources, personnel, and events—raising $1.6M from over 4,000 individuals, resulting in more than 2xs the amount raised in-state than the incumbent. Becki has an English Language degree from Brigham Young University and a Master of Public Administration from the University of Utah. She champions advocacy work in her community and has served on the Utah state PTA Legislative Advocacy Committee, as Membership Director for FRIENDS of Great Salt Lake, and as a member of several other issue advocacy groups. Becki was recently elected to Community Council, serves as Vice Chair of the Centerville Planning Commission, and is co-leader of Political and Civic Engagement in the Bolder Way Forward framework with Susan Madsen. Becki and her husband, Jeff, have two girls, two boys, and a mini Aussiedoodle.

Becky Edwards is a lifelong Utahn and an unabashed champion of women’s civic engagement and political involvement. She served as a member of the Utah House of Representatives for ten years, representing Davis County from 2008-2019. Her legislative work focused on issues related to strengthening Utah’s economy, air quality, education, and helping families achieve economic stability. Most recently, Becky was a candidate for the U.S. Senate, representing Utah. While in the legislature, Becky served as Chair of the Economic Development and Workforce Services Committee and Co-Chair of both the Women in the Economy Commission and the Clean Air Caucus. Additionally, she served on the Governor’s Education Excellence Commission, the Utah Commission on Service and Volunteerism, and on the Organizing Committee for Real Women Run, now Utah Women Run. Becky graduated with an MSW and an MS in Marriage and Family Therapy from BYU and has worked as a Trauma Social Worker, Inpatient Substance Abuse Therapist, and Outpatient Family Therapist.

Trustee Holbrook brings a wealth of experience to UTA.  She earned a Political Science degree from the University of Utah and started in the financial sector, working in bank management. She then established a real estate firm and went back into the financial sector, working in business development as Director of the Business Resource Center with Zions Bank. She then went to work with Waste Management as the Public Sector Manager for Utah. Trustee Holbrook was first elected to the Bountiful City Council in 2007.  She served on the Bountiful Planning Commission for 7 years and then on Bountiful Power Commission for 4 years. She was appointed by Governor Herbert to the Utility Facility Review Board for the Public Service Commission. She was nominated to the Executive Board of ULCT in 2016 and was President of the Utah League of Cities and Towns in 2018.  Since being appointed by Governor Herbert to serve on the UTA Board of Trustees, Trustee Holbrook has worked to increase community engagement throughout Davis, Weber, and Box Elder Counties. She serves on the EDCUtah, Envision Utah, Utah Association of Special Districts Boards, as well as the Commission Housing Affordability Commission as chair of Low Income Housing Legislation and also serves on the Olene Walker Housing Fund.  She is also Chair of the Legislative Sub-Committee for Board Members of APTA-American Public Transportation Association which serves to put legislative and funding priorities for all transit agencies across the country in front of Congress.

Candice Pierucci grew up in Herriman and has lived in House District 49 for over eighteen years and can remember when it was mostly farmland and neighborhoods. Since then, her district has seen tremendous growth, opportunity, and unique challenges. Peirucci and her husband have chosen to raise our family there in the South Valley. Pierucci currently serves as the Vice Chair of Health and Human Services and also serves on the Transportation, Government Operations, Social Services Appropriations, and Retirement and Independent Entities committees. She has worked as Director of Community Relations for Congressman Chris Stewart and, most recently, has been the development director for a conservative think tank that focuses on faith, family, and free markets. Pierucci has served as a Board Member and Flight Leader for Utah Honor Flight, Vice President of Professional Republican Women, and Vice Chair of the UFCRs. Over the years has worked on presidential, congressional, and local campaigns.
Pierucci received her Bachelor’s degree in Political Science with an emphasis in American Government from Utah Valley University and her Master's Degree in Public Administration from the University of Utah.

In 2020, Cecilee Price-Huish served on the Bountiful Parks & Trails Bond Committee, gaining support for a bond that will result in a new 10-acre park that will include playing fields and hopefully pickleball courts and a skatepark, among other features. The bond will also fund the extension and improvement of Bountiful area trails. Serving on the Community Council and PTA Boards of four Bountiful public schools for the last 21 consecutive years, Price-Huish has had the opportunity to create policies, procedures, and programs that have impacted thousands of Bountiful students. Price-Huish is an attorney with experience in family law and commercial real estate, and as such, has been able to use her legal skills to provide pro bono legal work and organize direct aid for victims of domestic violence, the unhoused and low-income pro se litigants. She also served for eight years on the Board of Trustees for Bountiful’s largest private employer, Lakeview Hospital, advancing capital improvements, sound budgetary policy, and the delivery of world-class healthcare. Additionally, she has also served on the Board of Directors and worked with multiple organizations focused on philanthropy, Indigenous youth, special needs individuals, and women in higher education, including Youthlinc, The American Indian Community Academy, Special Needs Primary, and Utah Women in Higher Education, among others. Price-Huish currently serves as a city council member for Bountiful City.

Cherie Wood is a lifelong resident of the City of South Salt Lake and began her career with the City 24 years ago. Cherie was elected as South Salt Lake’s first female Mayor in 2009. Cherie fully learned the ins and outs of how a city is managed and earned the respect of city employees, and then realized she had what it takes to run a city and be the leader her community needed. She took office as a mom, raising young boys in the midst of a recession and during the controversial closing of Granite High School. She could clearly see that change was needed and that the future would indeed be much different from the past. She launched several comprehensive initiatives and partnerships that have strengthened and fundamentally reshaped the City of South Salt Lake; of these, Promise South Salt Lake, an initiative that invests in youth and families, has become her proudest legacy. Mayor Wood’s motto, “What I wish for myself and my family, I wish for everyone in my community,” exemplifies her approach.

Clarissa Joyce Williams, Council Member, At-Large, City of South Salt Lake, South Salt Lake, Utah.
Laboratory Technician (January 2019 – April 2022), FLSmidth, Midvale, Utah. Senior Laboratory Technician (April 2013 – March 2018), US Magnesium, Rowley, Utah. Office Aide (January 2011 – March 2013), Manning Curtis Bradshaw & Bednar, Salt Lake City, Utah. In November 2021, I became the first American Indian woman elected to city council, in the city of South Salt Lake. I served on South Salt Lake’s Planning Commission from 2020 to 2021. From 1997 to 2000, I was a volunteer firefighter on the Navajo Nation. In May 2010, I graduated from Salt Lake Community College with an Associates in Pre-engineering in Chemical engineering. Currently, I am enrolled at the University of Utah, where I am pursuing my Bachelors and Masters degree in Chemistry. Anticipated graduation date is 2025.

Darlene McDonald is a writer, author, and social and political activist in Utah. She’s currently the DNC National Committeewoman for Utah. A Quaker, Darlene serves as a member-at-large for the American Friends Service Committee (AFSC), a Quaker organization that works with communities and partners worldwide to challenge unjust systems and promote lasting peace. Darlene has served on the Salt Lake City Racial Equity in Policing Commission since July 2020. In December 2020, she launched her nonprofit, 1Utah Project, to boost civic engagement for Black, Indigenous, People of Color, and disaffected voters in Utah, as well as tackling the spread of disinformation on social media. She’s been outspoken about racism in Utah, the attack on public education, and teaching of black history. Ms. McDonald holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Information Technology Management from Western Governors University and studied economics at Westminster College in Salt Lake City.

Emily Bell McCormick is the founder of The Policy Project—a U.S. non-profit that helps educate around and move forward healthy, long-term policy at a state and national level. Emily is also the editor of Utah’s NBC affiliate KSL Studio 5 "Smarter" series--informing viewers about issues, government, policies, and politics of the time and helping to empower viewers to find their place in it all. Emily’s past professional experience includes strategic communication consulting in a myriad of industries, including government, policy, NGOs, and tech. She also founded two apparel companies. Emily has a master’s degree in communication from The Ohio State University and a bachelor's degree in broadcast journalism from Brigham Young University. While leading The Policy Project, through its effort the ‘The Period Project,’ Emily and her team successfully negotiated a public-private partnership to pass HB 162 in the 2022 Legislative session that mandated that period products be provided in every Utah public and charter school girl and all-gender bathroom, grade K-12. That change will affect more than 330K girls and menstruators this year.

Erin Rider ran as a candidate for the U.S. House of Representatives in the 2nd congressional district this past year and currently works as a corporate attorney at Dorsey & Whitney. She received a degree in Business Management from BYU and a JD/MBA from Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. In 2015 she worked as a law clerk on the Senate Finance Committee in Washington, D.C., under the direction of Senator Orrin Hatch. She has served as a board member of Utah Women Run since 2020. She has volunteered with numerous community programs, including the My Hometown Initiative in West Valley City, where she worked with city leaders to organize and direct a community youth council targeted at addressing the needs of underserved youth in the community. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with friends and family, exploring the great outdoors here in Utah, and increasing her DIY skills through various home remodel projects.

Gina Timmerman retired from serving in the Utah Division of Child and Family Services for 30 years.

Timmerman has served in various national, state, and local political campaigns in Weber County for the past six years and is the former HD10 house chair for the Weber County Democratic Party. She is a founding member and current organizer of the Utah Campaigns Co-op, a volunteer organization that serves as a network of former candidates, campaign supporters, and volunteers based in Ogden, Utah.

Holly Richardson is the editor of Utah Policy, where she scours the news and curates the most essential stories for a daily newsletter. She is also a regular columnist for the Deseret News. A former Utah legislator, she holds a master’s degree in professional communication and a Ph.D. in political science, where she focused on Public Administration/Nonprofit Management and International Relations. She and her husband, Greg, are the parents of a large and unique family.

Jackie Biskupski is a well-known equality activist, climate champion, and political figure in the State of Utah. Her political career spanned city, county, and state levels of government for over 20 years. She was first elected to the Utah House of Representatives in 1998 and, at the same time, earned a second title as Utah’s first openly gay elected official. She served in the Utah Legislature for 13 years. Jackie was a policy advisor and project manager in Salt Lake County government for 8 years, and in 2015, became the 35th Mayor of Salt Lake City. She is the second female to serve in this role and the first lesbian elected to run a Capitol City in our country. Jackie is a founding member of several organizations, including the Minority Caucus and the Women’s Caucus in the Utah Legislature. She also co-founded Real Women Run, now named Utah Women Run, and Utah Women in Law Enforcement—a local non-profit that recruits, mentors, and educates women in law enforcement.  Jackie started the Global Leaders Scholarship Fund in 2020, a legacy project of the 68th United Nations Civil Society Conference she hosted as Mayor in Salt Lake City. She served as co-chair of Climate Mayors, a bipartisan network of more than 470 U.S. mayors, and as Chair of the Alliance for a Sustainable Future, a partnership between the U.S. Conference of Mayors and C2ES. She currently serves on the Rethink Racism Women Leaders Forum, the Utah Clean Infrastructure Committee, Path to Positive Communities Leadership Circle Executive Committee, and Chairs the Global Leaders Scholarship Fund committee. Jackie and Betty were legally married in 2016, uniting their multi-racial family of four.

Jani Iwamoto was elected to the Utah State Senate in 2014. Recently “retired,” she served in leadership as the Assistant Minority Whip.  She previously served on the Salt Lake County Council, where she became the first Asian American woman elected in the state of Utah.  Her 2008 election win gave Democrats a 5-4 majority for the first time in Sal Lake County’s mayor-council form of government.  Jani Graduated Magna Cum Laude in Mass communication from the University of Utah and received a J.D. from the U.C. Davis School of Law.  She practiced law as a partner in a prominent California law firm. While in the Utah State Senate, she served on nearly two dozen committees, including Executive Appropriations, Legislative Management, Rules, Government Operations, and Political Subdivisions, Natural Resources, Agriculture and Environment, Legislative Water Development, and Native American Legislative Liaison. She has been and will continue to be passionate about criminal and social justice issues, campus safety, and environmental issues, especially including water quality and quantity. Jani serves on the boards of the National Japanese American Historical Society, Primary Children’s Hospital, and Lauren McCluskey Foundation, among others. Jani resides, has two children, and lives in Holladay with her husband and two four-legged children Yuki and Maile.

Joy Petro has lived in Layton most of her life. She lives with her daughter in the Gentile Street historical home she restored, receiving the State of Utah Excellence in Preservation award. She served as Chairman of the Board for the Layton Heritage Museum. Joy was raised in Layton by her parents, Sam and Donna Petro. She attended Layton schools and graduated from Layton High in 1979. Joy attended college at Weber State University. She served as the Area Coordinator for Layton City’s Emergency Preparedness program and is CERT certified. She collects antiques, cars and restores homes. She is active in several different sports and is a diehard yard sale and auction enthusiast. She was the recipient of the Ronald Reagan Community Award. She volunteered as Precinct Chair and Legislative Vice Chair. She served as Senate Chair and was elected to the State Central Committee. She was involved and volunteered during the 2002 Olympics. She helped as a fundraiser for charitable organizations such as Make-A-Wish, and scholarships for Native Americans through American Indian Services. Joy worked for Smith’s for sixteen years and was the Advertising Director for the Southwest Region and a Sales Executive for seventeen years for Quad. Her business background gives her strength in planning, budgeting, forecasting, and negotiation. Joy believes it is important to preserve Layton’s rich and diverse heritage and its farming roots while balancing the future needs of the community.

Kate Bradshaw serves on the Bountiful City Council. She was appointed to fill a mid-term vacancy in  2018 and then won city-wide election in 2019.  Professionally, her background is in government relations, campaigns & fundraising, and association management. As the Director of Government Affairs for the law firm of Holland & Hart, LLP  her responsibilities include overseeing the firm’s government affairs programs in 8 western states. She is a graduate of Westminster College in Honors and History. Currently, she serves as the Chair of the Lakeview Hospital Board of Directors,  on the board of directors for the Westminster College Honors Advisory Board, the Utah League of Cities & Towns, the Alta Club, the South Davis Recreation District, and as a Commissioner on the Utah Outdoor Adventure Commission.  In her free time, she most likely can be found outdoors as an avid mountain biker, skier, and hiker.

Kathryn Calderon, Senior Policy Advisor to Councilwoman Suzanne Harrison, Salt Lake County, Salt Lake City, UT. Political Director, Better Utah, Salt Lake City, UT. Kathryn graduated from the University of Utah with a degree in Communication and two minors in Political Science and Spanish. She is currently pursuing a Master of Public Administration from the University of Utah with an anticipated graduation date of 2024. Kathryn has worked on various campaigns, nonprofits, and governmental organizations at the local, national, and international levels. During her time as a student, she focused on GOTV-related outreach, assisted with campaign communications, interned with a local nonprofit during the legislative session, spent a semester working in Washington D.C., and spent her final summer before graduation interning for a Member of Parliament at the British Parliament in London. Upon graduation, Kathryn spent two years working at a local nonprofit focused on advocacy and civic engagement efforts. She later transitioned to her role as Campaign Manager for Dr. Suzanne Harrison’s race for the Salt Lake County Council.

Kendalyn Harris served as a Legislative Intern and graduated in Political Science and Communications from the U. She was President of the Davis County Republican Women organization. She served on the City Council for eight years before being elected as the first female Mayor of Bountiful City. Kendalyn's grateful to her husband, James, and for the trust Bountiful residents have given her with this opportunity to serve. She's working on a new Master Plan, Fiber, and fresh ideas for economic development.  

Kim Rodela serves on the Highland City Council and is also a Fiscal Grants Manager for the Governor's Office of Planning and Budget.  She holds a bachelor's degree in broadcast journalism, and a master's in public administration with an emphasis in finance, both from Brigham Young University. After graduating with her master's, Kim worked as a budget analyst over Natural Resources for GOPB before joining the non-profit sector as the executive director of the International Association for Business and Society.  She has served on the Highland City Council for the past three years and also serves on the Highland City Library Board and Highland Fling Committee.  Kim and her husband Lance spend most of their spare time cheering on their four children at many, many baseball, soccer, cross-country, and cheerleading competitions.  She also loves to run marathons; among her favorites are Boston, Chicago, and New York marathons.

Mayor Overson has 20+ years in public service with the City of Taylorsville. She served for 11 years on the planning commission and six years as a City Council member. She is now serving in her second term as Mayor. As a servant leader, Mayor Overson is always quick to credit and build up those working around her at City Hall – whom she calls Team Taylorsville. “Taylorsville is where community connects,” she’ll say. With Mayor Overson at the helm, Taylorsville celebrated its 25th Birthday this past year as they marked the completion of the beautiful new Salt Lake County Mid Valley Performing Art Center and opened the Centennial Plaza connecting the Arts Centre and City Hall, creating a “living room for the community.”Mayor Overson launched a new Taylorsville Police Department and welcomed Google Fiber, becoming the first city on the west side of the valley to receive its high-speed, high-bandwidth service. There is much more in store as Taylorsville continues to work hard to support its residents and businesses. Prior to public service, Kristie Overson worked both as an Office manager/bookkeeper for a construction supply company and as a Paraeducator with Granite School District. She and her husband, Brent have raised five children in Taylorsville and are now trying to keep up with their busy grandchildren.

Kristin Andrus is the mother of six wild and crazy kiddos and is an avid exerciser, traveler, cook, and memory maker. Kristin runs a large Instagram platform inspiring others and sharing about motherhood, advocacy, and giving back to her community and world. In 2020, Kristin launched SisterGoods in partnership with The Utah Food Bank distributing over three million period products statewide. She then went on to work on the Utah Period Project, which unanimously passed legislation that now provides free period products in every Utah school. Kristin’s faith and family are at the heart of her “hands dirty and hearts a little broken” mentality as she serves and loves those around her.

Lauren Gustus became Executive Editor of The Salt Lake Tribune in the fall of 2020. The Tribune is the only major metro news organization to become a nonprofit. It achieved sustainability in 2021 under Lauren’s leadership. In 2022, The Tribune became a founding member of the Great Salt Lake Collaborative, a group of 23 organizations focused on elevating solutions to the lake’s challenges. It also shares its daily reporting with journalism partners throughout the state through the Utah News Collaborative. Lauren previously worked for McClatchy as West Region Editor, overseeing ten news organizations in Idaho, Washington, and California, including the flagship Sacramento Bee. She is a coach in the Media Transformation Challenge at The Poynter Institute, supporting other news executives as they look to make performance-driven change. Utah is a homecoming for Lauren, who met her husband while working as a reporter at The Tribune in the early 2000s. The couple and their two sons enjoy skiing and playing and coaching soccer.

Lenise Peterman graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in psychology and a minor in sociology from the University of Southwestern Louisiana.  Her work background is extensively tied to the litigation support industry, and she has worked with companies such as General Motors, Ford Company, Dow Chemical Company, Exxon, and more.  She previously served the community as Helper Arts, Music, and Film Festival Co-Director and Helper Revitalization Committee Co-Chair.  Entering her second term as mayor in 2022, she continues to focus on those areas previously determined during the Sustainable Design Assessment in 2017. Her skills include documentation strategies, process definition, organization, creative problem-solving, and grant writing. Those skills have led to over $8 million dollars in grant funding which has been distributed across Helper City for Main Street restoration and beautification, river restoration, water infrastructure, and more.  She has participated extensively with Carbon County as well, chairing the Carbon Tax Advisory Board and delivering projects such as kiosks, wayfinding, and the Carbon Power Plant memorial. Lenise’s objective for the city is to create a sustainable community via our historic, artistic, and recreational assets and to bring the community together to be all we can be.  

Lisa Watts Baskin is serving her third term on the North Salt Lake City Council.  She served on her city’s Planning Commission for two terms and started the Tree City program in her city.  A founding member of the former Real Women Run, and present Utah Women Run Board Member, Lisa is an experienced leader, working in public sector law and advising municipal clients and special districts. She is Of Counsel at Smith Hartvigsen PLLC.  Lisa worked as an Associate General Counsel at the Utah State Legislature and Judicial Law Clerk at the Utah Supreme Court.  She is an Administrative Law Judge with the Utah Office of Inspector General and formerly with the Utah Insurance Department. She has practiced law for more than three decades and has served on numerous boards and commissions. Lisa wants to assist you in your goals and advise you on inroads to effective leadership and public service.  

In 2021, Lyndsay Peterson became the first female mayor of North Logan City. Her first year as mayor has been a busy one filled with cemetery district controversy, spearheading waste-hauling discussions, the construction of new city offices, and a revamped sewer and water infrastructure. She began her civic service with the Friends of the North Logan Library after moving with her husband and three kids to North Logan in 2017. She then served on the Planning Commission and became the chairperson for her third and final year of her term there. Prior to her political career, she was an environmental litigation attorney who graduated from the J. Reuben Clark Law School at BYU.

Maile Wilson-Edwards served two terms as the Mayor of Cedar City, having been initially sworn into this position in January of 2014. Beyond being the Mayor, she is also an attorney with Kirton McConkie law firm with the focus on serving the firm’s clients in the Cedar City/Iron County area. Besides assisting clients in general counsel services, her emphasis is, among other areas, practicing in the area of public policy and government relations, health care law, and international commercial transactions. Born and raised in Cedar City, Utah, where she attended Cedar High School before attending Southern Utah University (SUU), where she graduated with a Bachelor’s in Political Science followed by a Master’s in Public Administration. Upon graduation from SUU, Wilson-Edwards moved to Charlotte, North Carolina, where she graduated from Charlotte School of Law with a Juris Doctorate earning Pro Bono Honors. Wilson-Edwards’  focus has always been on public service and policy. This passion has led to national public-service record, including a White House internship with First Lady Laura Bush, working for the Mitt Romney for President Transition Readiness Project in Washington D.C., and serving at the Department of the Interior. On a local level, she has worked for the city manager of Washington City, Utah, focusing on budget, zoning, and policy issues. Additionally, she worked in the Charlotte City Attorney’s Office in Charlotte, North Carolina. Wilson-Edwards is delighted to be able to continue the long-standing traditions of service throughout Cedar City.

Marina Baginsky Lowe is the Policy Director at Equality Utah, as well as representing the ACLU of Utah and other nonprofits on limited issues such as reproductive freedom and criminal justice policy.  She was previously the dedicated Legislative & Policy Counsel for the ACLU of Utah.  In this capacity, Ms. Lowe represents Equality Utah at the State Capitol from January through March and throughout the rest of the year. She cultivates relationships with elected officials—from U.S. Congressmen and Senators to local city council members—across the state to further the protection of civil liberties in Utah.  Over the years, Ms. Lowe successfully drafted and passed numerous bills in the Utah State Legislature on topics such as bail and policing reform, prison and jail conditions, strengthening 4th Amendment protections in the face of new and emerging technologies, First Amendment issues, and ensuring equal rights for all Utahns.  Ms. Lowe also worked with the Salt Lake Legal Defenders Association, the Appellate Division, and at the international law firm of Morgan, Lewis & Bockius, LLP in San Francisco, concentrating on commercial litigation, as well as intellectual property counseling and litigation.  Ms. Lowe grew up in Northern California. Before graduating from the University of California Hastings College of the Law, spent two years working in marketing at Hewlett-Packard in Grenoble, France.

Mary Catherine Perry is the Director of Policy and Government Affairs at The Policy Project where she has worked on the team’s most recent effort, the Period Project. Mary Catherine helped draft, advocate for, and implement legislation that requires all of Utah’s public and charter schools to offer free period products to K-12 students. Mary Catherine received a B.A. in English and a Master of Public Administration from Brigham Young University where she developed a love of advocacy and sound policy. Mary Catherine began her career with the Utah Legislature at the Office of Legislative Research and General Counsel where she worked analyzing policy, conducting research, and drafting legislation.

Michelle Quist is an opinion columnist for The Salt Lake Tribune, as well as a frequent panelist for PBS Utah’s The Hinckley Report and ABC4 Utah Inside Utah Politics. Michelle has won, and lost, campaigns for various elected positions in Utah. She recently finished as a board member for the Salt Lake Tribune Editorial Board and is a current board member of the Federal Bar Association’s magazine The Federal Lawyer. For her day job, she is a commercial litigator and appellate lawyer at Holland & Hart in Salt Lake City; she began her legal career practicing in New York City at Milbank. At night, she attempts to mother 6 children at home, takes the dog out, and occasionally answers the phone for one child at college who calls home asking for money.

Millie Segura Bahr is currently serving as a member of Bountiful's City Council. She grew up in Southern California, with four brothers, before attending BYU Provo, where she majored in American Studies. She is the former Executive Director of the American Cancer Society (Utah Chapter) and later joined the staff of Primary Children's Medical Center Foundation, where she focused on fundraising. Millie moved back to Utah after living in Washington, DC, for five years—where she was Director of Compliance for the Republican Governors Association, Deputy Director to First Lady Laura Bush, White House (West Wing) staffer, and former U.S. Senate Republican staffer. She lives in Bountiful with her husband, Dr. Christian Bahr, their four children, and two dogs. Millie loves to ski, dreams of being an architect, and has a bowl of ice cream almost every day.

Mayor Monica Zoltanski is a long-time Sandy resident, community advocate, entrepreneur, and former Sandy City prosecutor. She was raised in Ohio in a large family of ten children by parents who instilled in her core values of faith, hard work, education, and service to others. She put herself through college at Marquette University in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where she studied journalism and spent a year abroad studying at the University of Salzburg in Austria. After college, she worked as a congressional aide on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, and then studied law at the University of Toledo. After graduating law school, she moved to Utah from the Midwest once she had a taste of the incredible Utah ski powder and the majesty of our canyons and national parks. After moving to Utah, Mayor Zoltanski developed her law practice as a litigator and later owned a series of successful antique shops in Sandy and Salt Lake, which fueled her love of history, art, and entrepreneurship. In 2019 she was elected to the Sandy City Council, where she served for two years before becoming mayor. In 2021, she was the first woman to be elected mayor of Sandy City in its 128-year history. Today she is often recognized around town in her red cowboy hat, which she wears as a mark of her advocacy and cowgirl grit.

Nina Raynor Barnes recently finished serving as vice-chair of the Utah Board of Higher Education and the Utah Federation of Republican Women. In 2022 Nina ran and was the first woman on the primary ballot for Utah House District #73. She is involved in various community and state affairs, including Envision Utah, Utah Women Run, and The Policy Project. Nina previously served two terms on the Cedar City Council and the Southern Utah University Board of Trustees. She received a bachelor's degree from Brigham Young University and a master's degree in Public Administration from Southern Utah University. Nina currently teaches Political Science as an adjunct professor at SUU. Nina and her husband, Keith, have five children and their first "perfect" granddaughter!

Rebecca Chavez-Houck holds a BA in Journalism & Mass Communication and an MPA from the University of Utah. She is a Council of State Governments (CSG) 2012 Henry Toll Fellow and 2009 CSG Western Legislative Academy Graduate. She represented Salt Lake City’s District 24 in the Utah House of Representatives (2008-18), where she focused on policy related to health & human services, as well as elections reform. While in office, she served as Utah House Minority Whip (2014-16) and Minority Assistant Whip (2012-14). Rebecca came to the Utah State Legislature with over 20 years of experience as a public affairs staffer and governance volunteer for various Utah and national nonprofits. She continues to serve on myriad nonprofit boards. Rebecca enjoys teaching nonprofit management and government ethics as adjunct faculty in the U of U’s Programs of Public Affairs. She provides leadership and community engagement consulting through her public affairs firm, Aspira Public Affairs, LLC. She and her husband, Martin Houck, live in Salt Lake City’s Avenues neighborhood. In their free time, they love traveling cross-country in their Class-C RV with their border collie, Kihei, and they have two children and one granddaughter.

Robin Ritch is a dynamic executive who has worked primarily in technology with a proven track record of creating and expanding blueprints for new businesses as startups (entrepreneur) or within a larger company (intrapreneur). She has extensive experience architecting and implementing new business plans and leading teams as they reinvent themselves in market disruption. For the past year+, Robin has been using her experience to serve as the president and publisher of the Deseret News Publishing Company based in Salt Lake City as the company works to reinvent itself as a national voice convening for solutions. Robin has previously worked at Microsoft, Intel, Cisco, and a large number of startups. She has a BS in finance from BYU and an MBA from the University of Washington.

Ms. Buck is an accomplished trainer, teacher, consultant, mediator, and public speaker. She is the current leader and one of the original founders of Salt Lake Indivisible.  In 2019 she took her experience as a life-long activist and started working on political campaigns.

From Peace Corps to public office, service is an important throughline for Shireen Ghorbani. She works as a Director of Community Health for Intermountain Healthcare with the focus of expanding access to healthcare. Shireen served in the Peace Corps in the Republic of Moldova from 2003 to 2005. Shireen, a former Salt Lake County Councilmember, is a passionate advocate for an informed public and can be heard weekly on Both Sides of the Aisle on KCPW and she appears occasionally on City Cast Salt Lake. Along with serving on the advisory council for the Gore Giovale Center for Innovative Leadership, Shireen serves on the board of the Utah AIDS Foundation, the Utah Abortion Fund, the Utah Women’s Forum, the YWCA, and the Salt Lake Valley Coalition to End Homelessness.

Suzanne Harrison represented the Sandy and Draper area in the Utah House of Representatives from 2019-2022. She graduated from Stanford University and completed medical school at the University of Utah. She completed her residency at Harvard Medical School and works as a physician anesthesiologist at Riverton Hospital. In her spare time, she tries to keep up with her husband and three kids on the local mountain bike trails and in playing pickle ball.

Ms. Harrison currently serves on the Salt Lake County council as a member At Large.

Tamara is currently serving as Mayor of Kaysville City. She has also served on the Kaysville City Council and has twice served as a Planning Commissioner on the Kaysville City Planning Commission. She serves on the Board of Trustees for Davis Technical College, the Board of Directors for the Utah League of Cities and Towns, the State Cyber Security Commission,  the Executive Board of Directors for the Utah Aerospace and Defense Association, and the Board of Trustees for Lake View Hospital.
 
Tamara also serves on the board of directors for the Cambodia Job Foundation, a non-profit organization.

Sahara Hayes is a lifelong Utah resident and has lived in District 32 for over 20 years. As a former member of the Millcreek Community Council, she is aware of the interests and issues that impact the daily lives of residents. After graduating from Westminster College, Sahara earned her Master’s in Public Administration from the University of Utah. She currently serves the public as a grant specialist for West Valley City’s Division of Arts and Culture, where she advocates for free and accessible arts programming for residents. This, combined with prior work in the non-profit sector, has led to a deep appreciation of the needs of different communities and the opportunities for government to fulfill them. Sahara was recently elected to represent House District 32 in the Utah House of Representatives. Sahara currently serves on the board of directors for the Utah Cultural Celebration Center Foundation and is the Events Subcommittee Chair for the Millcreek Community Council. She is an avid reader, hiker, and knitter, and in non-pandemic times might be found performing at local festivals on a trapeze. She lives in Millcreek with her partner, Lily, and a small pack of beloved pets.