Leadership Utah 2016

Chad Ambrose is a regional business manger for Rocky Mountain Power. He works to manage all key customer relationships in Summit County including large accounts and municipalities. He also works with renewable energy initiatives for the company. Chad earned a bachelor's of science in Economics from the University of Utah and his Master of Business Administration from Utah State University. In his free time Chad is with his wife and 4 children. He also can be found climbing and skiing the high Wasatch and Teton ranges. For years he has volunteered serving youth groups.

George Arnold is a Partner at Hamilton Partners Real Estate. George has recently relocated to Utah after 25 years in the Chicago-land area. George will be focused on increasing Hamilton Partners commercial real estate footprint along the Wasatch Front. George earned an A.B from Harvard College and a Master of Management from Kellogg School of Business at Northwestern University. George was an undergraduate Government major and a Real Estate, Finance and Marketing major at Kellogg. George is an active and competitive athlete. George is a national level senior hockey player and has been a regular on the summer competitive golf scene in Chicago. George is a Level 4 USA Hockey coach and has been involved in youth hockey for the last 15 years. George also loves to ski, flyfish, hike and bike.

Devin Baer has led Google Fiber's business operations in Utah for the past two years. This includes overseeing business strategy, sales, marketing, PR and the philanthropic work Google does in the community. Prior to joining the Fiber team in Utah, Devin oversaw sales strategy for other Google products at the company headquarters in Mountain View, CA. Before Google, Devin led various teams at technology startups in Utah, including running the revenue teams for OrangeSoda.com, until it was acquired by Deluxe Corp. Devin studied Philosophy and Political Science at BYU-I. Devin serves on various boards throughout the state including the Utah Valley Chamber of Commerce, United Way of Utah County, Communities that Care- Provo and Utah BusinessQ magazine. Devin and his sweetheart Brittni have two children: Bridger (4) and Emeri (1). As a family, they are active in volunteerism, politics and the local music scene.

Daniel Barnett is a shareholder with the law firm of Parr Brown Gee & Loveless. His practice is focused on construction, resource, and general commercial litigation. Daniel earned his bachelor's degree in geology from Miami University. He then received his masters and Ph.D. degrees in geology from Dartmouth College. Following six years as a post-doctoral fellow and research assistant professor the Department of Geology and Geophysics at the University of Utah, he obtained a law degree from the University of Utah. When not working, Dan is a runner, principally on trails, and has finished more than 50 trail ultramarathons. He has served on the Board of Trustees of Legal Aid Society of Salt Lake for ten years, including a year as President of the Board. Dan is also an enthusiastic, if inexpert, landscape and wildlife photographer.

David Bauman leads the firm's Global Corporate Services business in the Southwest region. His team manages global account relationships with non-profit, private sector, and healthcare organizations. Account activities include the management of acquisition, disposition, and leasing transactions throughout the world, and strategic planning and execution of organizations' facilities needs to maximize portfolio efficiency. David earned his Masters of Business Administration degree from the University of Utah. He also received a Bachelor's of Finance from University of Utah. David currently teaches a course as adjunct faculty for the University's Masters of Real Estate Development program. David enjoys playing the piano and composing music. He likes sports, including tennis and football. More than anything, he enjoys spending time with his wife and three daughters.

Will Becker is the Program Manager for Salt Lake City's bike share program, GREENbike. His work focuses on program planning, operational development, and staff management. Will earned his bachelor's degree in Environmental Studies and a Master of City and Metropolitan Planning degree, both from the University of Utah. Will and his wife Ashley live in downtown Salt Lake City and enjoy the growing number of local dining, shopping and cultural activities. Will spends as much spare time as possible outdoors, mountain biking, whitewater kayaking, hiking and backpacking, exploring the slot canyons of southern Utah, and backcountry snowboarding throughout the Central Wasatch Mountains. He is also a life long Utah Jazz fan (good and bad years).

Darwin Bingham is an attorney with the law firm of Scalley Reading Bates Hansen & Rasmussen, P.C. He has been with the firm for 16 years, and is a shareholder/partner. Darwin’s practice focuses on creditor's rights, banking law, bankruptcy, construction law, landlord/tenant law and general commercial litigation. He earned a bachelor's degree in Political Science from Utah State University (cum laude), and a law degree from University of Idaho. After law school he clerked for the Honorable Roger S. Burdick in Twin Falls, Idaho. He is a member of the Utah State Bar, Idaho State Bar, General Bar, Associated Builders & Contractors, Utah Chapter, American Bankruptcy Institute and Sigma Nu Fraternity and currently sit as the Chairman of the Bankruptcy Section of the Utah State Bar. In his free time he enjoys playing golf, snow skiing, traveling, hiking, going to sporting events or musical concerts, movies and reading. He also enjoy spending time with his three kids, two of which are twins

Jayme Blakesley is the General Counsel for the Utah Transit Authority. As such, he is the principal legal advisor to UTA's Board of Trustees and executive team. Prior to joining UTA, Mr. Blakesley was Deputy General Counsel and Director of Real Property at TriMet in Portland, Oregon, and Acting Assistant Chief Counsel for General Law at the Federal Transit Administration in Washington, DC. Mr. Blakesley graduated from law school at the University of Utah, S.J. Quinney College of Law. He completed an undergraduate degree in Philosophy from Brigham Young University. Outside work, Mr. Blakesley enjoys sports and the outdoors.

Tyler Brinkerhoff is a Vice President for the Utah College of Applied Technology (UCAT). He is part of the executive team for Utah's system of technical colleges. Tyler is responsible for coordinating legislative budget requests, campus capital development requests, providing state-wide financial and budget reports, etc. Tyler earned an Associate's Degree form Dixie State College. He then went on to Southern Utah University to complete a Bachelor's Degree in accounting and a Master of Business Administration Degree. Tyler enjoys spending time with his wife and five children. He and three of his children are students of the Korean martial art Hapkido. Tyler is active in his church and community and loves participating in his children's musical and sporting events.

Dixon Downs is currently the Assistant Regional Business Manager for Ames Construction, Inc. in Salt Lake City, Utah. He grew up working in the construction industry with his family. Dixon earned a Bachelor?s degree in Business Administration from Dixie State University. There he served on Student Government as the VP of Athletics, as well as various student committees. Dixon also served a two year mission for his church in Chile, where he became fluent in Spanish. Dixon loves spending time with his growing family. For exercise he enjoys playing all types of sports, especially Basketball and Volleyball. He also enjoys helping others wherever he can, and volunteers his time to local youth programs.

Eric Evans is a Tax Director in PwC’s Federal income tax practice in Salt Lake City. He provides tax consulting, compliance, and financial reporting services to both private equity—backed and public, multi-national companies in the technology, renewable energy and financial services industries. Eric has significant experience with tax-efficient structuring in IPOs, M&A and divestiture transactions, along with tax planning around income tax accounting methods, Sec. 199 deductions, research & development tax credits, and stock-based compensation. Eric received his B.S. in Accounting and Masters of Accountancy in Tax from Brigham Young University and is a Certified Public Accountant in Utah and the District of Columbia. He is a member of the American Institute for Certified Public Accountants and the Utah Association of Certified Public Accountants. He enjoys playing basketball, hiking and vacationing with his family in tropical areas of the U.S.

David Gill is the Executive Vice President of Corporate Services for Zions First National Bank. Corporate Services is responsible for the sales and servicing various products through a series of departments, including Treasury Management, Foreign Exchange, 1031 Exchange and Correspondent Banking. David earned his bachelor’s degree in Finance and Business Management from Brigham Young University and his MBA from the University of Phoenix. In his professional career, he has earned various professional designations and licenses. In his free time, David enjoys playing with his children, including Nerf wars, Lego building and various sports. David and his wife are involved in various local non-profit organizations and have been involved with music and the arts in the community over the last 15 years.

Mark Janssen works for SelectHealth as the financial services controller. His responsibilities include accounting, budgeting, board support, financial reporting, and operational support. Mark earned his MBA from Brigham Young University and is licensed as a Certified Public Accountant in the state of Utah. Mark also received degrees from LDS Business College and the University of Phoenix. Mark and his wife are the parents of six talented children. They enjoy spending time with their children and grandchildren as well as traveling.

I am an attorney and shareholder at Parsons Behle & Latimer, and a member of the Board of Directors of the firm. My practice is focused on intellectual property and commercial litigation. I earned my Bachelor's Degree in Political Science and U.S. History from Trinity University in San Antonio, Texas. I earned my J.D. from the University of Utah College of Law, where I was a William H. Leary scholar. I enjoy running, skiing, swimming and yoga, and spending time with my children. My husband and I are scuba enthusiasts and are looking forward to introducing our children to the sport. I am currently involved in forming a Salt Lake Intellectual Property Inns of Court, and am a Board member of the Women Technology Council.

Scott Johnson is a financial analyst for Workers Compensation Fund. In addition to Scott's work on retention analytics, predictive modeling, loss-sensitive policy plans, and being part of the Company's data analytics team, he is a strategic analyst and project manager requiring in-depth research and analysis. Scott earned his bachelor's degree in communications from Brigham Young University and a master's of public administration degree from Cornell University. While at Cornell, Scott worked with the Cooperative Extension in Tompkins County to analyze the organizational culture and then develop and implement a new orientation around the desired culture. Outside of work, Scott enjoys being a dad, running, golf, basketball, reading, BYU sports, serving in his local church, and recently began playing guitar. He and his wife have five boys and love traveling and spending time with them.

Hesston Klenk is a project controls manager at Rio Tinto Kennecott. His main area of focus is on underground construction, underground exploration and study projects. Hesston has been with Rio Tinto Kennecott for 11 years and has worked on projects across the globe. Hesston earned his bachelor?s degree in political studies and business management for Westminster College in Salt Lake City. He also earned his Project Management Professional designation in 2012 and is currently working on other project management designations. Hesston is married and the father of three boys. Hesston can often be found at baseball parks or football fields cheering on his children. When time allows Hesston is an avid golfer and enjoys spending time in the outdoors.

Deborah Marzano is the program coordinator for the Women's Business Center and has worked in the non-profit sector for the past 5 years. Before becoming the newest member of the WBC staff she worked in Development for the Arthritis Foundation where she helped organizing and executing fundraising events. Even though her B.A. from Brigham Young University is in Social Cultural Anthropology with a focus on bilingualism and semiotics, she has a background in art, having studied fine arts and architecture for 5 years in Genova (Italy), her loved home town.

Eric Nay is the Manager of Business Development for Layton Construction with a primary focus in corporate construction and development nationwide. Prior to Layton Construction, Eric was the Director of Business Development for the Governor’s Office of Economic Development for 5 years.  Eric was the project manager for 94 individual corporate businesses recruitment and expansion projects accounting for nearly $1.89 billion in new state tax revenue, approximately 36,984 projected new jobs, and $3.69 billion in new capital investment. Eric earned his bachelor's degree in Finance and Political Science from Southern Utah University.  He also obtained a Master’s Degree from the Marriott School of Business at Brigham Young University. Eric is an avid sportsman who has a passion for the outdoors. In his free time, you can find Eric and his wife, a newly married couple, exploring southern Utah canyons or hiking the Wasatch mountains with their two dogs.

Ty Nielson organizes and supervise all office staff and functions such as auditing, daily deposits, customer maintenance, sales and use tax, commission calculations, HR compliance functions, forecasting and financial analysis. He has a degree in Civil and Mechanical Engineering from Salt Lake Community College and Bachelors of Science Degree in Mechanical Engineering University of Utah. Current interests and hobbies are Karate, hiking, bicycling, Hunting, fishing and camping.

Joél-Léhi Organista is a young 23 year old polyglot Latino who co-founded a nonprofit that now has a 501c3 status called, Casa Quetzalcoatl. Quetzalcoatl means precious knowledge and is a titled given to those that have achieved the highest understanding of righteousness and humility. Joél-Léhi received the International Baccalaureate Diploma from West High School. He has created his own bachelors degree at the University of Utah titled, Social Justice Pedagogy with a certificate in Applied Positive Psychology. He plans getting his Masters from the Harvard Graduate School of Education. At age 15 he produced a film documentary titled, Red Flags: Racism & Ethnic Stereotyping in Utah Schools. He has served on a national advisory board for the Education for Liberation Network for 7 years. Joél-Léhi speaks Spanish, English, Japanese, and Portuguese. He enjoys expressing himself through various art forms like dance, drawing, playing music, and writing poems.

Cory Pearson works for the State of Utah Department of Veteran and Military Affairs. He helps direct the programs and activities that the Department of Veterans and Military Affairs is involved with and ensures consistency with the policies established by the Executive Director and the Governor. Cory is a graduate of Washington State University with a Bachelors of Liberal Arts in Political Science with an emphasis in Pre-law. He loves serving others and while attending WSU he also worked as a firefighter/first responder for the City of Pullman, WA. Previously, Cory served for nearly 4 years in the United States Army as an Airborne, Air Assault Fire Support Specialist and various leadership positions as a Non-Commissioned Officer (NCO). He now calls Utah home, where he spends most of his free time outdoors. Cory is an Eagle Scout and an avid Minnesota Vikings, Washington State University-Pac 12-“Go Cougs”-fan.

As Comagine Health's Chief Ooperating Officer, Juliana Farnsworth oversees and ensures successful completion of all contract work including federal and state contracts, and multiple foundation grants. She serves as the liaison to the Utah Board of Directors, and leads business development efforts. Recently, she developed HealthInsight?s first Patient and Family Advisory Council. Juliana graduated from Oregon State University in 1998 with a Bachelor's of Science degree in Health Care Administration. In 2003, she obtained her Master's degree in Public Administration from the University. She also earned membership into the University of Utah chapter of the esteemed Pi Alpha Alpha National Honors Society. Juilana has six children ranging from age 9 to 21. She enjoys camping, boating, and exploring Utah's State and National Parks.

McCall Rowley is the Central Entities Finance Director at Intermountain Healthcare. McCall works with all levels of management to ensure financial information and processes support strategic business and operational needs. She oversees the preparation of the annual operating and capital budgets and serves as a member of the Senior Leadership and CFO Groups. McCall earned undergraduate and Masters degrees in Accounting from the University of Utah. She began her career in public accounting with an internship and fulltime job at KPMG LLP in Utah and worked there for over nine years as an audit senior manager. McCall is a Certified Public Accountant. In her free time, McCall enjoys traveling and spending time with her husband and two step-sons. She also enjoys golf, tennis and reading novels. McCall serves as the President-Elect of the Utah Chapter of Healthcare Financial Management Association and is a past President of the Utah Women’s Association of CPAs.

Jennifer Seltzer Stitt is Director of Community Relations at Salt Lake Community College. She works to strengthen the College's role within our community and facilitates support for a variety of college initiatives. Throughout her career, she has worked with nonprofits, government, and community to create systems change and give people the platform and tools they need to succeed. Jennifer earned her bachelors from Miami University and her masters from the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies.

Eric Stratford is the Director of Business Development for R&O Construction. Eric oversees and participates in the business development for R&O Construction. In addition to business development for the last 6 years, Eric's background includes experience on construction sites, estimating and pre-construction services. Eric earned his bachelor's degree in Construction Management from Weber State University. Eric spends a good portion of his free time with his family in the outdoors camping, hiking, fishing, hunting, skiing, boating, golfing and playing any sport possible. He enjoys coaching his boys' baseball and basketball teams and watching their soccer games. If it has to do with anything fun Eric is all in.

Cody Sweat is the manager in charge of Safety, Human Resources, and Government Regulations at RJ Masonry, and two sister companies, Delta Stone Products and Mountain Valley Stone. RJ Masonry is a large stone and block masonry company, Delta Stone Products is one of the largest stone fabricators in the Western United States, and Mountain Valley Stone is a large Sandstone quarry located East of Park City, UT. Cody oversees the safety and training programs of all three companies, new hires, and is in charge of government regulations and permitting processes. Cody earned his bachelors and master’s degrees in Accounting from Southern Utah University. He enjoys spending time with his wife and two boys. Some of their hobbies include riding ATVs, horses, camping, and hunting.

Greg Templeman is a VP  with Sunroc Building Materials (SBM). SBM produces and distributes lumber, trusses, millwork, insulation, & windows from its 11 locations in the Intermountain West. Greg is based out of the Salt Lake City lumber yard off California Avenue - a familiar place to all commuters to and from the airport. Previous to Sunroc Greg worked for Weyerhaeuser & International Paper. Greg earned his bachelor's degree in International Relations and Russian from the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, BC and his MBA in Finance from the Atkinson School of Management at Willamette University in Salem, OR. In his free time he enjoys playing and coaching tennis. He is currently the head coach of the Springville high school boys and girls tennis teams. Greg and his wife have six children and enjoy traveling back east to ''cottage country'' north of Toronto each summer for his family reunion and to southeastern Idaho for her annual reunion.

Robert Wagner serves as Executive Vice Provost and Dean at Utah State University. His administrative responsibilities include overseeing all eLearning initiatives, faculty development, student marketing & communication, teaching and learning innovations, and special programs for the statewide university system. Robert Wagner earned his PhD in political science from the Rockefeller College of Public Affairs and Policy at the State University of New York at Albany. He also received a Master's of Public Administration from the University of Utah and a B.S. in Psychology from Brigham Young University. In his free time Robert is an avid runner, motorcycle rider, and volunteer for his Church in numerous capacities. He enjoys spending as much time with his wife and five children as possible: boating, mountain biking, supporting his children's athletics, and enjoying many other family activities.

Nicholas B. Wright joined Advantage Workers Compensation Insurance Company in February 2014 and currently serves as Vice President, Treasurer and Chief Financial Officer. Mr. Wright oversees the financial analysis, financial reporting, accounting, budgeting, actuarial analysis, and investments functions for the Company. Mr Wright has more than 10 year of financial and management experience working with both public and private companies. He earned both Masters and Bachelors degrees of Accountancy from Brigham Young University and is licensed as a Certified Public Accountant in the state of Utah. Mr. Wright’s personal time is in large part spent with his wife and his wife and his three energetic children. He enjoys little league softball games, piano recitals and roller coaster rides with his family. Mr. Wright also has a passion for the outdoors and he looks for every opportunity to spend time in Utah’s unique natural beauty.

Drew Yergensen is the team leader for KeyBank's commercial banking group in Utah. He's responsible for leading a group of approximately 10, focused on growing market share with companies greater than $10mm in revenue located in UT. Drew earned his Bachelor's in Business Finance from the University of Utah and his Masters in Business Administration from the University of Notre Dame. He's been adjunct faculty for both Weber State and University of Phoenix. He recently completed his graduate program at the Pacific Coast Banking School through the University of Washington. Drew enjoys seeking out new challenges outside of work. Most recently, Drew picked up snowboarding, marathons, and mountain biking as he moved back to UT. He and his wife enjoy traveling somewhere new each year, with recent trips to South America and Europe. Most of all, Drew enjoys family time most with his two young adopted boys.

Darin Haskell is Secretary and Controller for Ivory Development and Ivory Land, which are the land acquisition and subdivision development entities for Ivory Homes. Darin earned his bachelor's degree in Accounting/Information Management at Brigham Young University. Darin enjoys the Utah outdoors, especially fly fishing and hiking. Vacationing with family in St. George, Heber City, and locations outside of Utah is also a highlight. Darin spends a fair amount of time providing service in his religious organization.

Chamonix Larsen coordinates the operational government efforts of the State of Utah to identify and implement best practices and stewardship measures to improve air quality. The State of Utah is an organization with over 20,000 employees and various agencies that serve Utah citizens. Chamonix Larsen is a licensed architect in the State of Utah, and has a Master of Architecture degree from the University of Utah. She has worked in both public agencies and private architectural firms, and has focused her career developing skills related to improving human and environmental health. Chamonix enjoys teaching her sons to explore the outdoors. As a lifelong Utah skier, she spends many hours in the mountains and can't remember a winter before she learned to ski. She also enjoys painting with acrylics, and cooking without a recipe.

Emily Schilling is an attorney with Holland & Hart. Her practice focuses on environmental compliance issues, particularly in air quality matters, including federal rule development and related litigation, permitting, and compliance. Emily earned her B.A. from Bowdoin College; a Master of Public Policy degree from Duke University, Terry Sanford Institute of Public Policy; and her J.D. from Duke University School of Law. While in law school she was the Editor of the Alaska Law Review. In the fall of 2014, Emily, her husband, and two young sons moved to Utah from Washington, D.C. They love all the outdoor and family activities that Utah offers. Recently, to teach her boys about community service, they participated in a painting project at Salt Lake?s Ronald McDonald House.