Leadership Utah 2022

Rachel Anderson is an attorney practicing at the law firm Fabian VanCott. Her practice focuses on Utah local government law. She serves as general counsel to local districts and special service districts across the state of Utah. These districts provide services such as fire and emergency medical services, waste and recycling, water and sewer, parks and recreation, mosquito abatement, and more. In this role, she is able to provide legal services related to areas such as government operation, real estate, contracts, legislation, and water law. Rachel also serves private clients in areas of real estate and water law. 

Jeremy Blair is the Vice President of Finance for Mountain America Credit Union, where he oversees the credit union’s investment portfolio, liquidity management, and interest rate risk modeling. Jeremy began his career 2002 as a financial analyst in the European Hedge Funds division of Hunt Financial Ventures, working primarily in unregistered, private placement equities, and credit default swaps. In 2009 Jeremy moved out of securities and into a role as an institutional advisor for Catalyst Corporate, where he provided strategic investment and balance sheet management solutions to small and medium size credit unions across the US. In 2014, one of his clients told Jeremy he should have a conversation with the CFO at Mountain America, and shortly after, he move his Family to the Salt Lake Valley (Jeremy refuses to confirm whether the move was motivated by the job or skiing). Jeremy holds a BA in Finance and an MBA from the University of North Texas.

JD (he/him) works in the Wells Fargo Private Bank as an Investment Management Specialist. He supports 10 Private Bank Portfolio Managers across four states with over $6.5b in AUM by providing investment research and recommendations, managing and building processes, and problem solving for complex client requests.
He graduated from Utah State University in the spring of 2015, and he is currently a Level III Candidate for the CFA Program. He also founded a micro-finance program in the island country of Kiribati, which has taught free business classes to over 750 people, provided 50+ small business loans to women entrepreneurs, and provided 6 international internships to college students since beginning operations in 2019.
In his spare time, JD enjoys traveling to unique places in the world, watching the Utah Jazz, listening to and playing music, and spending time with friends. He is currently engaged to his fiancé Chad, and they have a dog named Apollo.

Jordan Carroll manages communications for Salt Lake County Housing and Community Development, Economic Development, Planning and Transportation, and Environmental Sustainability. Prior to joining government shortly before the pandemic, Jordan managed multiple newsrooms across the Wasatch Front as Executive Editor, directing award-winning coverage of critical issues, with a strong belief in the power of storytelling to drive action and connection. When not reading the news, she’s hiking with her dog Stevie Lix.

Brian Epperson is the CEO of Target River, a full service marketing agency.  Brian currently serves on the Board of Directors for Center For Community Solutions and also Support The Enlisted Project.  He is also a member of the Board of Governors for the SL Chamber.  Brian created the Great American Buy Local campaign that has reached over 30 million people as an effort to promote the concept of buying and shopping local.  Further, he serves on numerous education advisory councils to help strengthen programs offered by public educational institutions.  During his free time, he is an avid hiker, jogger, and loves time with his four children.

As Senior Business Development Manager for the Economic Development Corporation of Utah, Erin manages corporate recruitment projects and industry initiatives primarily in the financial services and technology industries. With the rise of manufacturing projects due to COVID, she has managed many manufacturing projects as well. Erin has been instrumental in helping several fintech, tech, and financial services companies establish operations in Utah, adding more than 18,000 jobs to the economy. Prior to EDCUtah, she worked for a local investment advisory firm and before that, in Washington, D.C. as a management consultant to the U.S. Departments of Homeland Security and Transportation, and for the U.S. Senate. Erin holds a master’s degree in Public Administration (MPA) from The George Washington University and a BS from Brigham Young University.
 

Cameron currently serves as the Director of Ancillary and Support Services at LDS Hospital, Intermountain Healthcare. He has worked at a variety of hospitals within the Intermountain System and a handful across the country such as the Mayo Clinic, Rochester MN, and Kaiser Permanente, OR. 

Cameron was born and raised in Foxborough, MA then moved to Utah for most of his adolescence. He is a proud husband of Katelin, and two little boys. He loves everything basketball and a BYU Cougar for life.

As Deputy Director for Military Affairs, Mr. Garrett serves as a liaison to the leadership of Utah’s
military installations, defense industry, economic development organizations, and military
organizations. He serves as and advisor to the Executive Director, Governor, and legislature on
matters pertaining to the military throughout Utah.

Mr. Garrett also serves as the State Command Chief Master Sergeant for the Utah Air National
Guard (UTANG). In this capacity he serves as the principal advisor to the Assistant Adjutant
General for Air and Commander of the UTANG on all issues pertaining to the enlisted force.
 

    Trisha is the Business Development Rep for America First Credit Union over the Salt Lake area. With 9 years of experience, she manages businesses needs ranging from new startups to well established companies. With her previous Underwriting and Management experience, she is able to successfully pair products and services to individuals to fit their needs. “Members come first” and she will execute that in every aspect of her job. Relationship management is her specialty.

    She has a daughter who is 2 (going on 12..) as well as 2 fur babies and 2 "non" fur babies. On the weekends you can find her cheering on Real Salt Lake or at a local farmers market. 


 

Amber Gracanin is a commercial banking relationship manager for U.S. Bank.  She and her team provide wholistic banking solutions to commercial customers within the middle market space.  Amber is a strong sales professional skilled in portfolio management, risk management, customer service, commercial lending and complex banking. She is actively involved in the community supporting numerous initiatives focused on overall health & wellbeing, cradle to career education and financial stability. In her free time, she enjoys playing and watching sports, and spending time with her family camping.

For the past 15 years, Deedra has worked with several Utah non-profits, each with a unique mission. She’s helped educate Utahns about the importance of organ donation, fundraise for eye care in the developing world, and accelerate Utah’s transition to clean energy. She’s currently the Assistant Director of Planned Giving at the Salt Lake Community College Foundation, where she advises SLCC supporters about the diverse ways they can use non-cash and complex gifts to help SLCC students achieve their education goals.  Deedra has extensive experience in non-profit fundraising, communications, and writing. She’s known as a successful relationship-builder and leader. Deedra is a graduate of the University of Utah with a BS degree in political science and a certificate in international relations. She has lived in the Salt Lake Valley for most of her life and spends her spare time with her family and two Doodle dogs.

Neal serves as one of the audit partners in the SLC office of BKD, LLP,  a national CPA firm with 40 offices throughout the U.S. Neal holds a CPA license in the State of Utah and has worked as a CPA for 20 years with multiple firms in SLC. Neal graduated from the University of Utah with both a Bachelors and Masters degree in Accounting. Neal helps run the audit practice of BKD's Salt Lake City office and serves clients throughout Utah and the intermountain region. Neal works in several industries but mainly commercial, mortgage banking, hospitality and not-for-profits. Neal is also part of the recruiting team and serves on several committees at BKD. Neal has a desire to be more involved in the community, including aspirations to serve on non-profit boards. Neal is married with 2 kids (one in college and one working and planning on esthetician school), and a golden doodle named Zona. Neal loves to golf, hike, the Jazz, Dutch Bros, British crime shows, and enjoys the outdoors.

Garrett Harding is Associate Director of Community Outreach at Huntsman Cancer Institute at the University of Utah. In this role he plans, implements, evaluates, and directs HCI's community outreach and engagement activities, working in collaboration with community partners to build capacity for projects that reduce and address the cancer burden in Utah. Since 2010, he has won numerous awards for his contribution to the health and campus communities, including the University of Utah Staff Excellence Award and the Utah Public Health Hero Award. In addition to his full-time job, he serves as Vice Chair of the Utah Tobacco Free Alliance and on the Boards of Directors for Camp Hobé and the Utah Radon Coalition. Outside of work he cooks for friends and family, reads, plays tennis and golf, hikes, and advocates for social justice and equality. 

Rachel serves as the Advocacy and Investigations Director for the Humane Society of Utah. She started the Advocacy and Investigations department in 2019 and has spent two years building the department as a community resource for animal legal issues and legislative advocacy. She is a lawyer, having received her Juris Doctor from Lewis & Clark Law School in Portland, Oregon with a specialization certificate in animal welfare law and has worked with several national animal welfare organizations. In her free time, Rachel loves to box, target shoot, and of course, spend quality time with her two rescue cats, Jane and Louise, and her rescue dog, Dechino.

Danielle Higley has been in the safety and health profession for 26 years.  She received her Bachelor’s degree in Occupational Safety and Environmental Health from Brigham Young University and her Masters of Public Health degree (Industrial Hygiene emphasis) from the University of Utah.  She currently is a Director, Safety & Risk with WCF Insurance. She leads and mentors six of the 26 members of the safety & risk team on a regular basis and plans the day to day assignments for the entire team. She also works with clients including construction trades, health care, local government and industrial settings in injury prevention. She also performs industrial hygiene work for customers. Danielle loves the profession and helping people stay safe on and off the job.

Jeff has served his career within American Express in Global Security. His primary role in Building Security is providing support for the safety of all business colleagues, protection of the facility, assets, and surrounding property.  He has served in Executive Protection roles for the company CEO and Senior Executives.  Jeff has assisted in the design and installation of building Security and CCTV systems.  He has served as the Crisis Response Team Leader for 5 years and now assists his Director in leading the team through the Covid-19 pandemic.  Jeff was also a team member providing support for the business Senior Leadership and departments Leaders in evacuating the facility and assisted Facility Maintenance in inspecting the facility after the March 18, 2020 earthquake.   Jeff is married to a wonderful wife, with four incredible kids and four amazing grandchildren.  

Paul R. Jibson is manager of joint operations and regulatory affairs for Dominion Energy Wexpro. He is responsible for coordinating the proposals and elections for projects with working interest owners for Wexpro Company’s operated, and outside operated, gas wells. He and his team obtain all Bureau of Land Management and State Oil and Gas Conservation Commission permits necessary for Wexpro’s operations. His team also ensures that Wexpro is compliant with all Federal and State oil and gas agency regulations. Jibson joined Questar in 2008 (Questar was acquired by Dominion in 2016). He currently serves as the oil and gas representative for the Governor directed Southwest Wyoming Sage Grouse Working Group. Jibson attended the University of Utah, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in biology. In 2018 he completed the Utah based Navigators Academy.

Seraphine Kapsandoy-Jones, PhD, RN is the Chief Clinical Information Officer at Intermountain Healthcare. In this role, Dr. Kapsandoy, partners with business and clinical caregivers to help them leverage industry leading technology to achieve patient care strategic goals and initiatives. She leverages her clinical care background and advanced healthcare education to deliver projects. She received a PhD in informatics and a Bachelor of Nursing degree from the U of U.

Evan oversees the Claims Department's strategic projects and initiatives. As an internal consultant, he is appropriately positioned to help other leaders and teams succeed. His experience in lean manufacturing offers a unique way to empower people to challenge the status quo through continuous process improvement. In Spring of 2018, he earned an MBA degree form Utah State University, specializing in strategic value creation. Beyond the office, you will find him on a pickleball court or enjoying adventures with his wife, Nicole, and their four children.

Dave serves as the Director of Brand and Product Marketing for Deseret Book Company. He works to develop and implement multi-channel marketing plans for physical and digital product releases, content creator growth strategies, and Deseret Book brand awareness. He has an MBA from the University of Utah and a BA in communications from Brigham Young University. He is the proud father of four and spends his free time exercising, listening to audio books, and working on his personal podcast.

As a part of the Urban Food Connections of Utah team, Nichole provides Market Management for the Summer and Winter farmers markets.  She is dedicated to providing access to sustainable, local, healthy produce. As a non-profit specialist, she has spent the last 7 years working with local non-profits such as the Sugar House Farmers Market, managing successful markets, all while creating an inviting vibe for the community. 

Matthew P. Mitchell, PharmD, MBA, MHP, FAMCP is Executive Director of Pharmacy Services for SelectHealth, in Salt Lake City, Utah. Dr Mitchell oversees clinical programs, initiatives, pharmaceutical rebates and specialty network contracting in the management of over $1 Billion in pharmacy and medical injectable/infusible drug claims annually. He chairs the Pharmacy and Therapeutics committee, as well as several other high-level management strategy and operational committees. A few of his areas of expertise include specialty drug management, pharmacy benefit management, health-system pharmacy integration, outcomes research and operational effectiveness. He is actively involved in several professional societies and was recognized as a Fellow of AMCP in 2014. He has published numerous papers and sits on the editorial board for several peer-reviewed journals.

Anna is a Commercial Relationship Manager at Wells Fargo Bank, manages large portfolio of commercial clients. She is an experienced Commercial Real Estate Banker with focus on Industrial, Retail, Office, and Multi-Family Investor Real Estate financing, and assists clients with purchase, refinance, construction projects.

Kristina is the Urban Affairs Manager for Downtown Alliance. She has spent several years working with local non-profits and has a passion for fostering growth within vibrant communities. Prior to her current role, Kristina assisted in the development of 3 Homeless Resource Centers in Salt Lake County, which expanded solutions to prevent and end homelessness in Utah. 

In her free time, Kristina enjoys traveling and being outdoors, cooking and spending time with her family. 

Lisa Paletta is the Hospital Administrator for Primary Children?s Miller Campus. Lisa joined Intermountain Healthcare in 1994 and has served in various caregiver and progressive leadership positions throughout the organization.  Her roles have included Department Manager, Service Line Director, Operations Officer/Nurse Administrator, Regional Chief Nursing Officer, AVP Enterprise Care Management, and CEO/Administrator at Intermountain Healthcare?s Alta View Hospital.  Lisa holds a Bachelor of Science in Nutrition from University of Utah, MPA from Brigham Young University, and DNP from Rush University. She is a Fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives and has received Nurse Executive Advanced Certification. She is a past-president of the UONL and the current Regent for Utah Healthcare Executives. Lisa and her husband have 4 children, a son-in-law, two daughters-in-law, and a grandson whom they adore. 

Ryan Perry is the Communities and Social Performance Manager for Rio Tinto Kennecott Copper (RTKC).  Ryan started at RTKC in May of 2021.  Ryan’s main focus at RTKC is to be community focused and build relationships with organizations, businesses, and neighborhoods.  RTKC is proud of our strong community partnerships.
 
Prior to working at RTKC, Ryan worked for Salt Lake County for 18 years. During Ryan’s tenure at Salt Lake County, he served as the Director of Regional Planning and Transportation, Intergovernmental Liaison for COVID-19, Senior Advisor to the Mayor, Chief Deputy Recorder, and Senior Policy Advisor, 

Jose Ramirez is a chief engineer at Alsco Uniforms. His overall responsibilities include daily repair and preventative maintenance of industrial textile processing equipment and facility maintenance. Jose loves summertime and taking a ride on his boat with his wife. 

Taelor Rimer is a marketing specialist at University of Utah Health. Taelor has the opportunity to work with specific service lines and developing their marketing strategies and request for the year. She graduated college in 2015 from Colorado State University - Pueblo. From there, she worked as a Communications Specialist at a small electric company where she received a lot of experience in different marketing areas. She and her husband decided to move to Florida, where she began work as a Marketing Specialist at Florida Gulf Coast University in the Housing Department. She was promoted to a Marketing Coordinator and received Employee of the Year in 2018 for the Student Affairs division. Taelor then decided to move her family of three closer to loved ones in Utah, which has brought her to my current role! She has two boys, Luke and Levi, and they are her whole world. They love to be outside hiking, fishing and camping (or simply going on walks). 

Alicia is the Sales Manager of a newly created Community Banking Team at Zions Bank.  She is responsible for onboarding, training, and coaching the team to successfully support small business owners in their community.  She has been in finance and banking for over 20 years, a career she started right after obtaining her Bachelor of Science in Geology from University of Utah.  She joined Zions Bank a little over 2 years ago and loves the company's focus on employee development and community involvement, specifically in the realm of diversity and supporting diverse markets.  She will be celebrating her 20th anniversary with her husband Jeff this year, and enjoys spending time with him and their three boys; skiing, rock climbing, or traveling to their favorite place Hawaii.

Tamara N. Stevenson, Ed.D. is Vice President of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion and Chief Diversity Officer at Westminster College. She explores the rhetorical infrastructure of educational institutions as organizational sites of power through a critical race lens. Dr. Stevenson is Westminster’s first African American full-time faculty hire. Her postsecondary educational credentials include a bachelor’s degree in journalism, a master’s degree in organizational communication/public relations, and specialist’s and doctoral degrees in educational leadership. She also worked in corporate communication for more than a decade. Since relocating to Utah from Michigan nine years ago, Dr. Stevenson's appreciation of nature and spending time in outdoor activities has increased. She enjoys visiting Red Butte Gardens and taking leisurely walks at local parks.

Dylan serves as the VP, Organizational Development and Communications Manager for Zions Bancorporation. In this role, he leads the creation, implementation and management of programs that support internal workforce development; workplace culture; employee engagement; leadership initiatives; belonging (DEI); organizational development; and internal communications.  He additionally serves as co-lead of Zions’ regional ERG program and as a member of the DEI council. 

Dylan earned his MBA from Maryville University of St. Louis and his Bachelor of Science in Intercultural Communication and Diversity from Missouri State University. He moved to Utah in 2019 and when not working can be found traveling, gaming, or camping.

Jeremy Wells is the Chancellor of Roseman University of Health Sciences in South Jordan, Utah. Roseman University is a private, non-profit university with graduate degrees in Dentistry, Pharmacy, and Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Sciences and undergraduate and graduate degrees in Nursing.
 
Before Roseman University, Jeremy served as the Chief Academic Officer for South College in Knoxville, Tennessee where he oversaw the academic programs across six campuses and four states. Jeremy’s experience also includes serving as Vice President for Student Administration for the University of St. Augustine for Health Sciences in St. Augustine, Florida and as Area President for Kaplan University in Iowa and Nebraska.
 
Jeremy earned a JD from Ohio State University and he is currently working on a PhD in Leadership Studies from The University of the Cumberlands. He earned a MEd and BS in Business Management from Brigham Young University.

Adam Whitaker joined the American Red Cross in 2018, serving in the Utah Nevada Region as a donor development officer, regional philanthropy officer, and most recently as the executive director of the Central & Southern Utah Chapter. Following hurricane response deployments in 2019 and 2020 to hard-hit areas of the Gulf Coast, Adam served as the interim chief development officer for the Louisiana Region. Prior to joining the Red Cross, Adam experienced many years of success with enterprise-level sales and sales-organization leadership in the private sector. He is also a US Armed Forces veteran and was recognized during his service as the US Army Atlantic Region Soldier of the Year in 1998 while stationed abroad. Adam holds Masters degrees in healthcare emergency management from Boston University and business administration from the University of Phoenix.

Brent is the Business Development Director for Penna Powers, a Salt Lake-based strategic communication agency. He has worked in a variety of roles with Penna Powers over the past 15 years, from leading accounts to starting a new department aimed at social change to heading up pursuits for new business. He has worked with a variety of clients, including UDOT, the Utah Department of Public Safety, the Utah Department of Health and other government agencies. A former public information officer for UDOT and Assistant Director of Communication for Westminster College, he has spent his career improving the lives of Utahns.

Tom Yates is the Vice President of Sales for Deseret Digital Media.  He joined DDM in 2014 to lead the sales efforts for KSL Cars. Tom has 20+ years of experience in the auto industry. He started his career on the retail side of the auto industry selling cars, and later was promoted to Internet Manager, Floor Manager and eventually General Sales Manager. He left the retail side of the auto industry in 2004 to join Autotrader.com where he was an Account Executive and later promoted to District Sales Manager.
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Tom has one daughter, Ellie, who has grown up way too fast. She has now graduated from high school and is making plans for college. Tom loves traveling, shopping, cooking and taking every opportunity to spend time with Ellie. In his free time, he loves chasing any destination with the sun, a pool, the ocean or a lake. He’s also a huge fan of sports and loves the Utah Jazz. 

Katrina (Kat) Kaddas is the Program & Events Coordinator at the Salt Lake Chamber. She has been with the Chamber since 2018. Prior to her time with the Salt Lake Chamber, Kat worked at Walt Disney World in Orlando, FL where she helped make magic happen at the Jedi Training Academy and Test Track. Kat graduated from Westminster College in 2017 with a bachelor’s degree in Documentary Film Production.
 
 

Megan Sanburn manages the Office of Regional and Business Engagement team and is responsible for planning and executing Salt Lake City Branch activities, including communication and recognition programs, along with the logistical planning for executive and community outreach. She also provides support to other branch offices in the district for larger-scale events.

Connie is the Lead Business Advisor for the Women's Business Center. She has over 20 years of business experience, and even began her own construction consulting company in 2001. She's financially savvy, with experience working with both Zions Bank and KeyBank. Best of all, Connie has a passion for helping other women be successful, and she is always happy to lend a helping hand.