Carin Crowe is the CEO of Habitat for Humanity Greater Salt Lake Area. She has spent more than a decade expanding Habitat'\;s impact across Salt Lake\, Davis\, and Tooele counties\, helping families build strength\, stability\, and self-reliance through homeownership. She holds a Master of Social Work from University of Houston and is a Certified International Human Rights Consultant\, bringing both heart and strategy to her leadership.\n
\nBeyond her role as CEO\, Carin serves on multiple boards and community initiatives supporting housing and human rights efforts across Utah. Recognized as one of Utah'\;s Most Influential Women in 2025\, she is known for leading with purpose. Under her leadership\, Habitat has been named among the Best Nonprofits to Work For by Utah Business Magazine and recognized as one of the Most Admired Workplaces in the U.S. by DRiWaterstone Human Capital. \;
\n
\nAnd when she'\;s not building homes or strengthening communities\, you'\;ll likely find her spending time with her four grown kiddos\, chasing after two aging goldendoodles\, or saying yes to her next high-adventure challenge&ndash\;because apparently running a nonprofit just isn'\;t quite enough excitement on its own. \;
\n
\n
\nCeleste Edmunds\, Executive Director\, The Christmas Box International\n\n
As Executive Director of The Christmas Box International\, Celeste Edmunds understands what the children she serves are going through. She went through it herself. Her biological parents were addicts\, and her childhood was an ongoing cycle of police calls\, fighting\, and physical\, sexual\, and mental abuse. At age 7\, Celeste was taken from her home and placed into a child welfare system\, where moving every few months to a new environment became normal. By age sixteen\, she had lived in more than 30 cities. \;\n
\nCeleste views her childhood as a difficult but essential growing experience. There were terrible things\, but there were also caring people along the way who did what they could to protect and nurture her. She was author Richard Paul Evans'\; assistant when he founded The Christmas Box International. She quickly became an integral part of its creation\, helping to build and refine the original shelters for a decade before taking a new position in Corporate America. Working in the corporate world gave her valuable knowledge of a different kind\, with experience in marketing\, public relations\, community giving\, and team management. Combining her nonprofit and corporate experience\, Celeste is uniquely fit to guide The Christmas Box International. Celeste is passionate about making a difference in the lives of youth and the child welfare system so that others may not have to go through the same experiences she had. \;
\n
\nThe Christmas Box International celebrates 30 years of defending more than 185\,000 children. That is enough to fill Madison Square Garden more than nine and a half times. \;
\n
\nCeleste believes that The Christmas Box International is more than a place&ndash\;it is a concept where community\, government\, and nonprofits come together to bring the resources to children that they need. As a child who grew up in the system\, Celeste understands the importance of providing these youth the opportunity for a better life by providing them with safety\, dignity\, and hope. Her goal is to give these beautiful children everything she wished for as a child\, including hope for a better future. \;
\n
\nAn award-winning leader\, Celeste has been recognized as the Utah Nonprofits Association Nonprofit Executive of the Year\, Utah Business Magazine Marketer of the Year\, and has received the Outstanding Service to Children and Families award from the Utah Association of School Psychologists. Her expertise in overcoming significant trauma and thriving is reflected in her memoir\, Garbage Bag Girl\, which explores themes of resilience and hope. Additionally\, Celeste is a seasoned speaker\, having conducted hundreds of media interviews and spoken to audiences across various platforms. \;
\n
\n
\nMichelle Flynn\, Executive Director\, The Road Home\n\n
Michelle Flynn has served as Executive Director of The Road Home since February 2020\, having been with the agency for 25 years in various roles. The Road Home is a private non-profit that provides homeless services\, including emergency shelter and housing programs in Salt Lake County. Michelle has a B.A. in Political Science from Drew University and a Masters of Public Administration from the University of Utah. Michelle serves on the Steering Committee of Salt Lake Valley Coalition to End Homelessness\, as well as numerous planning committees. \;\n
\nMichelle'\;s focus areas include best practices\, systems planning\, emergency shelter\, rapid rehousing\, and permanent supportive housing. She is a knowledgeable speaker on homelessness locally and nationally. The Utah Housing Coalition selected Michelle as their 2020 Person of the Year\, which recognizes "\;individuals who have demonstrated leadership\, and innovation\, and have gone beyond their job description or call of service to advocate for\, preserve or increase affordable housing capacity in Utah."\;
\n
\nLaura Klarman\, Community Relations Manager\, Intermountain Health\n\n
Laura Klarman'\;s first job with Intermountain Health was at Cottonwood Hospital in Food Services\, where she was responsible for mopping floors. She graduated from the University of Utah with a communications degree\, then served a church mission to Italy for 18 months. She'\;s worked for the Utah State Department of Health\, where she supported worksite health programs and promoted healthy lifestyles during the 2002 Olympics. In December 2002\, she came back to Intermountain Health to work in HR communications\, then served as an event coordinator at St. George Regional Medical Center. In March 2013\, she accepted a promotion to become the PR Manager at Riverton Hospital. \;\n
\nLaura actively pursues community partnerships\, serves as Chair of the Women in Business Committee of the South Valley Chamber of Commerce\, and is the Past President of the Public Relations Society of America'\;s Utah Chapter. She was selected as "\;Business Woman of the Year"\; in 2015 by the Mountain West Chamber. She earned her accreditation in public relations (APR) from PRSA in 2016 and graduated in 2020 with her Masters at WGU in Business Management and Leadership. She was the recipient of the Women in Leadership scholarship. \;
\n
\nLaura is married to her prince\, Doug\, and has four children. She loves salsa dancing\, reading\, traveling\, and spending time with her family. She'\;s passionate about women'\;s and children'\;s health and volunteers with her church. And she'\;s still drawing on her experience of mopping floors every day &ndash\; which makes her life a true Cinderella story!
\n
\nAmanda Morton\, Vice President of Relationship Development\, Cyprus Credit Union\n\n
Amanda Morton is a seasoned leader with over a decade of experience in the financial industry. As the Vice President of Relationship Development at Cyprus Credit Union\, Amanda is responsible for overseeing all engagement initiatives\, public relations\, and financial education for the credit union. \;\n
\nBefore transitioning into finance\, Amanda spent nine years in the salon industry in Arizona\, where she became the general manager of an international salon brand at just 22. She later founded and launched two salon brands of her own\, gaining invaluable entrepreneurial experience. This unique background fuels her passion for helping business owners navigate their financial options and scale their businesses. \;
\n
\nA strong advocate for women in leadership\, Amanda is proud to be part of a senior leadership team at Cyprus Credit Union that is 56% women\, championing gender equality in a traditionally male-dominated industry. \;
\n
\nLiz Owens\, CEO\, YWCA Utah\n\n
Liz Owens has been serving as the Chief Executive Officer of the YWCA Utah\, since April 2020. She previously served as the Executive Director of the Utah Coalition Against Sexual Assault (UCASA) and has dedicated her career to gender and racial justice. Owens has expertise in domestic violence and the effects of trauma on individuals and families and approaches her work through the lens of understanding the intersecting issues and dimensions of identity. \;\n
\nLiz has taught sociology\, social inequality\, and program planning courses at Utah Valley University\, Salt Lake Community College\, and Westminster University. In addition\, she previously worked at Women in Prison (London\, UK) and the Utah Pride Center\, the Utah Domestic Violence Coalition\, Planned Parenthood Association of Utah\, and the Utah Coalition Against Sexual Assault\, and has served on many boards and in volunteer positions in the community. \;
\n
\nA native of Provo\, Utah\, Owens earned her Bachelor of Science at Utah Valley University and her Master of Arts in the Theory and Practice of Human Rights from the University of Essex in the United Kingdom. She was a visiting research fellow at the London School of Economics and Political Science and is a sought-after presenter and instructor. \;
\n
\n
\nNON-PROFIT SPOTLIGHT: \; \;
\n
Trauma-Informed Utah exists to guide organizations in strengthening from the inside out\, building systems that support employees\, growing the resilience of the workforce\, and fortifying the community as a result. \;\n
\n
\n
\nCALL TO ACTION:
\n
One of the Business Women'\;s Forum'\;s goals is to influence positive change in our community. \;Our Fundraising Partner\, \;Nothing Bundt Cakes\, will be at the event selling bundtlets and will donate 20% of the proceeds to our Non-Profit Spotlight. So be sure to check them out\, get yourself something sweet\, and help support our community!\n
\n \;
