About the Conference

Join the Salt Lake Chamber and Women’s Business Center of Utah this fall for the annual Women & Business Conference and ATHENA Awards Luncheon.

The past year has shown us that we can survive almost anything with a little grit and grace. That through trials and tribulations we can grow into the people we were meant to be. Come join us and hear from inspirational speakers who know this firsthand, learn valuable business insights to further your professional growth, foster relationships with other businesswomen in the community, and more.

During the luncheon, the Salt Lake Chamber will present the ATHENA International Award to an active member who demonstrates creativity and initiative in business, provides valuable service by devoting time and energy to improve the quality of life for others in the community, and assists women in reaching their full leadership potential.

In addition to the ATHENA Award, the Chamber will also recognize business and community leaders with the Pathfinder Award for their work to “create new paths,” and promote the development and recognition of women in business.

2021 Women & Business Conference and ATHENA Awards Luncheon
Friday, November 19, 2021 | 8:00 a.m. – 3:30 p.m.
Grand America Hotel
555 S. Main Street, Salt Lake City, UT 84111

Conference & Luncheon: Member $85 | Non-Member $100
Luncheon Only: Members $65 | Non-Members $75

Register to Attend

ATHENA Leadership Award

Natalie Gochnour
David Eccles School of Business and Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute at the University of Utah

Natalie Gochnour serves as an associate dean in the David Eccles School of Business and director of the Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute at the University of Utah. She also serves as the chief economist for the Salt Lake Chamber. In these roles, she provides policy leadership that helps Utah prosper.

Gochnour’s experience includes a diverse mix of public service and business experience. During her public service, she advised Utah governors Norm Bangerter, Mike Leavitt, and Olene Walker. She also served as a political appointee in the George W. Bush administration, serving as an associate administrator at the EPA and counselor to the secretary at Health and Human Services. For seven years she led the public policy business priorities of the Salt Lake Chamber.

Gochnour has authored over 250 published columns in Utah Business magazine and the Deseret News and co-hosts the weekly public radio program Both Sides of the Aisle on KCPW.

She has been recognized by the Downtown Alliance, YWCA of Salt Lake City, South Valley Chamber, Friends for Sight, Girl Scouts of Utah, and other community-focused organizations for her service and example in the community. Gochnour also serves the community by serving on the Utah Olympic Legacy Foundation, Utah Transportation Commission, O.C. Tanner, Altabank, and Primary Children’s Hospital boards. She is also vice-chair of Envision Utah and World Trade Center Utah.

Gochnour has both an undergraduate and master’s degree in economics from the University of Utah and specializes in and teaches public finance.

Pathfinder Awards

Beth Colosimo

Beth Colosimo
Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses

Beth Colosimo is the Executive Director of The Mill and Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses (GS10KSB). The Mill is an entrepreneurship center at Salt Lake Community College (SLCC) that offers numerous programs and assistance for entrepreneurs and small business owners. The Mill includes the Small Business Development Center, the co-working and incubator space, the Everyday Entrepreneur Program, Veteran Business Resource Center, Global Business Center and many other services and programs. The Mill and GS10KSB serve thousands of small business owners with the mission to educate, provide resources and access to capital.

Prior to joining SLCC, Beth owned and operated her own small business, Wasatch Home Furnishings. Her professional career also includes working for EDCUtah and various multinational corporations. Beth is a graduate of the University of Utah and received her MBA from Westminster College. Beth works with numerous non-profit boards and community partners in the spirit of collaboration and promoting Utah’s small businesses.

Beth is passionate about working with entrepreneurs and small business owners and those looking to make a difference in their businesses and communities. She is equally passionate about family, travel, golf and India.

Ibi Guevara

Ibi Guevara
Hunt Electric

Ibi Guevara is a shareholder and the Vice President of Business Development and Marketing at Hunt Electric, where she has played a significant role in driving the company’s consistent growth over the past 16 years. Ibi’s passion for cultivating mutually beneficial relationships based on connecting, taking the initiative to give support, and mentoring those who need it has played a prominent part in her contributions to Hunt Electric’s growth. She is a member of the ULI Utah, Salt Lake Chamber, EDCUtah, UMA, Truss, Downtown Alliance, and IFMA. She currently serves as chair of the ULI Utah District.

Rep Sandra Hollins

Rep. Sandra Hollins
Zions Bank

Representative Sandra Hollins was born in New Orleans, Louisiana, and has been a Salt Lake City resident for the past 30 years. She and her husband David currently reside in Fair Park and have two daughters, Jaynell and Canice.

Rep. Hollins is a licensed clinical social worker, and the primary focus of her career has been on substance abuse treatment and advocacy services for Salt Lake City’s homeless population. Sandra received her bachelor’s degree in business management from the University of Phoenix and her master’s degree in social work from the University of Utah.

As the first Black American woman elected to the Utah House of Representatives Sandra proudly serves District 23. She serves as a member of the Social Services Appropriations Committee, the Health and Human Services Standing Committee, the Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice Standing Committee, and the Child Welfare Legislative Oversight Panel. Notably, she sponsored H.J.R 8/Amendment C on the 2020 ballot to remove the exception for slavery from Utah’s constitution, and in 2016 sponsored HB460, a School to Prison Pipeline bill which requires cultural training for student resource officers.

Sandra is a member of the graduate chapter of Delta Sigma Theta, Inc., is a graduate of the Westside Leadership Institute, and has served on numerous boards and councils.

Aubriana Martindale

Aubriana Martindale
Smith’s Food & Drug

Aubriana Martindale is the Division Corporate Affairs Manager for Smith’s Food & Drug Stores, a division for the Kroger Co. She oversees 141 Smith’s Food & Drug Stores throughout seven states of operation in media, external communications, philanthropy and community relations. Utah Business Magazine recently named Martindale a 40 under 40 influential business leader and Progressive Grocer awarded her as one of the Top Women in Grocery for her continued achievements as an influential female in the North American retail food industry.

Brittany Westover

Brittany Westover
JP Morgan Chase

Brittany Westover leads the Utah/Idaho Middle Market Commercial Banking team for JP Morgan Chase. Brittany has held numerous roles at National, Regional and Local levels over a 22 year career with Chase and predecessors. Born and raised in Salt Lake, she graduated with her Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration from Westminster College.

Brittany is an active member in the Utah community. She served on the Board for the Women’s Business Center of Utah for over 10 years and was Chair from 2017-2019. She Chaired the UBA’s Women in Banking Conference in 2020 and served 6 years on the Board of Directors for the South Valley Chamber. She is currently an Executive Committee Board Member for the Utah Bankers Association and active on the Salt Lake Chamber Board of Governors.

When she isn’t working or serving the community, she enjoys spending time with her large blended family, running, exercising, and traveling.

Lori Bonham Williams

Lori B. Williams
University of Utah Health

Lori B. Williams, MPA, is an associate director of marketing for University of Utah Health. For the past 15 years, she has worked in marketing and communications in the health care and education industries. She has created and lead successful marketing and communications campaigns, which include the rebrand initiative for U of U Health, Breast Assured, Vas Madness and #UtahCares. Lori, a Cali girl, is a transplant to Utah. She began and built her career foundation at Salt Lake Community College. You can find her on the ski slopes in the winter and spending quality time with her husband and lively two sons, which are her pride and joy. She is a fro-yo fanatic, adventure seeker and enjoys helping and learning from others.

Agenda

Registration, Breakfast & Exhibitor Displays.

How to Stay Inspired When You are so Darn Tired!
Christine Cashen, Hall of Fame Speaker

Room Location: Grand Ballroom

It can feel challenging to stay right side up when the world feels upside down. This past year has been stressful, but it is time to take back your power. Take control of what you have the power to change. Shift your perspective, protect your peace, get energized, and lead by example.

Audience takeaways:

  • Tips to run your day, so it doesn’t run you
  • How to create a better day with more energy
  • Ideas to overcome attitude obstacles
  • Discover how to have less stress and more fun

Breakout Session #1

Facing Life Head On — Even When You Can’t Control a Thing!

Room Location: Imperial B

Life has a way of throwing curve balls at us — sometimes right in our faces! Learning to be positive and proactive in the face of these challenges helps us not only find personal happiness and success, but also helps us be better positioned to contribute to the happiness and success of those around us.

Presenter:

  • Jennie Taylor, Civilian Aide, Secretary of the Army and Founder, Major Brent Taylor Foundation

Identifying and Overcoming Obstacles to Leadership

Room Location: Imperial A

In an interactive, tag-team approach, this panel will draw from the experience and expertise of two women leaders to explore the ways that leadership is defined and practiced through a gendered lens. Participants will be guided to recognize and encourage strengths in themselves and others, develop productive strategies to recognize and overcome hidden barriers, and take leadership roles that help create organizational success.

Panel:

  • President Beth Dobkin, Westminster College
  • Dr. Tamara Stevenson, Vice President of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion and Chief Diversity Officer, Westminster College

Female Founders: Lessons Learned on Leadership

Room Location: Imperial C

Panel:

  • Rilee Butters, CEO and Co-Founder, Donde
  • McKenzie Rockwood, Founder, Citrus Pear and Registered Dietitian
  • Sunny Washington, CEO, Tech Leads
  • Moderator: Amanda Covington, Chief Corporate Affairs Officer, Larry H. Miller Group of Companies

Using Your Values and Leadership Philosophy to Cultivate Authenticity

Room Location: Imperial D

Leadership values are talked about extensively in leadership literature. This presentation is designed to be interactive and reflective. The presenter as a practitioner and student of leadership has put together a session that includes exercises around leadership values and philosophy and how to use those values every day to prepare for tough challenges.

Presenter:

  • Dr. Sara Reed, Associate Vice President, People and Workplace Culture, Salt Lake Community College

Breakout Session #2

Sports, Military and Miss America: Grit and Grace Making the Difference

Room Location: Imperial A

From Utah’s Miss America to one of the first women signed with ESPN, Sharlene Wells was an award-winning sports broadcaster for nearly 20 years. Later, her career shifted to behind-the-scenes production and publication work in partnership with the Department of Defense, and ultimately working inside the Pentagon as the Director of Communications for the largest HR department in the country’s DOD Office of Personnel. Today, Sharlene is back in Utah as Mountain America Credit Union’s new Senior Vice President over PR and Organizational Communications.

In this presentation, Sharlene brings real world, high profile experiences into the spotlight as examples of where grit and grace come from, how these traits can be learned, why they are both beautiful and powerful, and why they are a driver in the world of business, especially for women. Sharlene’s diverse careers in male-dominated worlds from ESPN to the Pentagon provide a unique perspective and backdrop on the nature of both grit and grace, and applying both in our professional and personal lives.

Presenter:

  • Sharlene Wells, SVP, Public Relations & Organizational Communications, Mountain America Credit Union

Moving DEI from Awareness To Action, Growing a Diverse and Inclusive Culture Through an Actionable DEI Strategy

Room Location: Imperial C

In this session attendees will learn how to build diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) strategies based on best practices from the experts in business strategy from Harvard University. Starting with assessments, data gathering to identify key goals, tactics, and processes to ensure impact is measured along with incredible experiences that drive change.

Presenter:

  • Trina Limpert, CEO & Founder, RizeNext Corporation

Using Your Values and Leadership Philosophy to Cultivate Authenticity

Room Location: Imperial B

Leadership values are talked about extensively in leadership literature. This presentation is designed to be interactive and reflective. The presenter as a practitioner and student of leadership has put together a session that includes exercises around leadership values and philosophy and how to use those values every day to prepare for tough challenges.

Presenter:

  • Dr. Sara Reed, Associate Vice President, People and Workplace Culture, Salt Lake Community College

Facing Life Head On — Even When You Can’t Control a Thing!

Room Location: Imperial D

Life has a way of throwing curve balls at us — sometimes right in our faces! Learning to be positive and proactive in the face of these challenges helps us not only find personal happiness and success, but also helps us be better positioned to contribute to the happiness and success of those around us.

Presenter:

  • Jennie Taylor, Civilian Aide, Secretary of the Army and Founder, Major Brent Taylor Foundation
11:30 AM – 12:15 PM
Lunch Served

Room Location: Grand Ballroom

12:00 – 1:15 PM
ATHENA Awards Luncheon Program

Room Location: Grand Ballroom

ATHENA Leadership Award:
  • Natalie Gochnour, Director, Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute
Pathfinders:
  • Beth Colosimo, Executive Director, The Mill & Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses at Salt Lake Community College
  • Ibi Guevara, Vice President of Business Development and Marketing, Hunt Electric
  • Representative Sandra Hollins, State of Utah and Program Administrator, Community Engagement and Responsibility, Zions Bank
  • Aubriana Martindale, Division Corporate Affairs Manager, Smith’s Food & Drug
  • Brittany Westover, Market Executive, JP Morgan Chase
  • Lori B. Williams, Associate Director of Marketing, University of Utah Health

Breakout Session #3

Sports, Military and Miss America: Grit and Grace Making the Difference

Room Location: Imperial A

From Utah’s Miss America to one of the first women signed with ESPN, Sharlene Wells was an award-winning sports broadcaster for nearly 20 years. Later, her career shifted to behind-the-scenes production and publication work in partnership with the Department of Defense, and ultimately working inside the Pentagon as the Director of Communications for the largest HR department in the country’s DOD Office of Personnel. Today, Sharlene is back in Utah as Mountain America Credit Union’s new Senior Vice President over PR and Organizational Communications.

In this presentation, Sharlene brings real world, high profile experiences into the spotlight as examples of where grit and grace come from, how these traits can be learned, why they are both beautiful and powerful, and why they are a driver in the world of business, especially for women. Sharlene’s diverse careers in male-dominated worlds from ESPN to the Pentagon provide a unique perspective and backdrop on the nature of both grit and grace, and applying both in our professional and personal lives.

Presenter:

  • Sharlene Wells, SVP, Public Relations & Organizational Communications, Mountain America Credit Union

Moving DEI from Awareness To Action, Growing a Diverse and Inclusive Culture Through an Actionable DEI Strategy

Room Location: Imperial C

In this session attendees will learn how to build diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) strategies based on best practices from the experts in business strategy from Harvard University. Starting with assessments, data gathering to identify key goals, tactics, and processes to ensure impact is measured along with incredible experiences that drive change.

Presenter:

  • Trina Limpert, CEO & Founder, RizeNext Corporation

You’d Be Prettier if You Smiled and Other Lies Women Learn about Positivity

Room Location: Imperial D

In response to the extraordinary challenges of the past two years, well-intentioned individuals and organizations have responded with unyielding commitment to the power of positivity — sometimes to the point of toxicity. This session teaches some basics of positive psychology. What is it? What it isn’t. And does it apply on the days when we just don’t feel like smiling?

Presenter:

  • Elizabeth McMillan, Director of Communications, Utah Department of Transportation

Women in the Workplace: Why Women Make Great Leaders and How to Retain Them

Room Location: Imperial B

This session will focus on five areas that pertain to the value women provide in the workplace and how to retain and attract top talented women at your business:

  1. Disruption in the Workplace
  2. Critical Crossroads
  3. The Path Forward
  4. Female Leadership
  5. Attract, Retain, and Elevate

Presenter:

  • Carly Hazen, Managing Director, Prince Perelson & Associates

Closing Session

Fireside Chat: An Olympian’s Approach to Work-Life Blend

Room Location: Grand Ballroom

2020 ATHENA Molly Mazzolini gets up close and personal with Four-Time Olympian Catherine Raney-Norman. They will discuss the athlete mentality in everyday life, Olympic movement in Salt Lake City, impact organized sports have on our lives and more.

Presenters:

  • Catherine Raney-Norman, Four-Time Olympic Speed Skater
  • Molly Mazzolini, Partner, Executive Director of Brand Integration, Infinite Scale

*Breaks: 9:15-9:30 a.m., 10:15-10:30 a.m., 11:15-11:30 a.m., 1:15-1:30 p.m. and 2:15-2:30 p.m.

Speakers

Christine Cashen
CPAE Hall of Fame Speaker

One of the world’s most sought-after business humorists, Christine delivers a fast-paced, uproarious program brimming with memorable quips and relevant content that helps audiences spark new and innovative ideas, manage conflict, reduce stress, energize employees, and create a happier more productive workplace.

Christine is one of the few individuals to meet the rigorous induction criteria of the National Speakers Association, CPAE Speaker Hall of Fame, and there’s no question that she deserves that honor; her effortless ability to pull in any audience with her remarkable insights on commonplace situations make her and her messages unforgettable. And, yes, she is also a Certified Virtual Presenter.

Author of the award-winning books, THE GOOD STUFF: Quips & Tips on Life, Love, Work and Happiness and It’s YOUR Business: Good Stuff for Your Personal, Professional, and Funny Business, Christine holds a bachelor’s degree in Communication and a master’s degree in Adult Education. In 2016, she was the recipient of an honorary doctorate from Central Michigan University. 

Before embarking on her journey as a speaker, she worked as a university admissions officer, corporate trainer, and broadcaster. She is a mother of two, wife of a “hottie engineer,” and an average golfer.

Catherine Raney-Norman
Four-Time Olympian

Catherine Raney-Norman is a four-time Olympian who has served as an active voice for athletes with roles across all facets of Olympic and Paralympic sport. Born in Nashville, Tenn., she grew up in the Milwaukee, Wis. suburb of Elm Grove, finding her passion as a long track speed skater. She competed for Team USA at the 1998, 2002, 2006 and 2010 Olympics with her best finish a fourth in the team pursuit in 2010 at Vancouver. She holds six U.S. all round titles and 3 American records, of which all still stand today. She was inducted into the U.S. Speed Skating Hall of Fame in 2018.

Raney-Norman’s career as a speed skater was built around the opportunity she had at training facilities, including the Pettit National Ice Center in West Allis, Wis. and the Olympic Oval in Kearns, Utah. After attending speed skating camps for many years in Utah and discovering the state’s great crossover training assets, she moved full time to Salt Lake City in 2006.

Since her retirement as an athlete after the 2010 Olympics, Raney-Norman has dedicated her career to furthering opportunities for athletes in sport. She was selected by her athlete peers across both summer and winter sports to serve as a member of the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee’s Athletes’ Advisory Council, rising to vice chair. Her leadership was focused on direct athlete support, elite athlete health insurance, athlete career and education, World Anti Doping Agency Code review and SafeSport.

She was a key athlete member of the Salt Lake City Olympic Exploratory Committee and has co-chaired the Athletes’ Advisory Committee for the Salt Lake City-Utah Committee for the Games since its inception with Paralympian Chris Waddell. She has also served on the board of the Utah Olympic Legacy Foundation (formerly known as the Utah Athletic Foundation), and currently serves as vice-chair. 

Her career has touched on a host of national governing bodies including U.S. Speed Skating, U.S. Ski & Snowboard, U.S. Biathlon, United States Association for Blind Athletes, and USA Climbing, supporting them to achieve their philanthropic goals through formulation of fundraising plans, board relations and donor activation. She has also worked in international games preparation for the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee. She has stayed connected at a grassroots level,  coaching kids in the Park City Speed Skating Club program.

Raney-Norman graduated from the University of Utah with a bachelor of arts in communications. She also earned an executive certificate in Olympic sport leadership from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University. She also holds a certified fundraising executive (CFRE) certificate from CFRE International.

She is presently the principal at Sixth Ring Consulting, advising clients on philanthropy, special events and sport programming. She is married to Marc Norman, who serves as the CEO of USA Climbing. They are parents of a young boy and live in Salt Lake City.

Athlete – Long Track Speed Skating

  • 1998 Olympic Winter Games – Nagano
  • 2002 Olympic Winter Games – Salt Lake City
  • 2006 Olympic Winter Games – Torino
  • 2010 Olympic Winter Games – Vancouver

Service to Sport

  • 2010-2020 – USOPC Athletes’ Advisory Council, member rising to vice-chair
  • 2012-2018 – Olympic and Paralympic Exploratory Committee, athlete member
  • 2010-present – Utah Olympic Legacy Foundation, athlete board member, rising to vice-chair 
  • 2020-2021 – Salt Lake City-Utah Committee for the Games, governing board member; co-chair Athletes’ Advisory Committee

Rilee Buttars
Donde

Rilee Buttars has an advertising and tech background with an MS in Sociology. She’s currently the CEO and Co-founder of Donde, which helps companies optimize PTO through travel. Building this startup incorporates her experience in product management and design thinking as well as the sociologist in her that desires to create change through effective problem solving.

Amanda Covington
Larry H. Miller Group of Companies

Amanda Covington is Chief Corporate Affairs Officer for the Larry H. Miller Group of Companies. She recently served as Senior Vice President, Communications and Government Relations for Vista Outdoor Inc. Covington has more than 20 years of experience leading corporate communications and government relations strategies impacting financial communications, crisis communications, domestic and international media/public relations, corporate branding and advertising, digital media, employee relations, public policy and legislation, industry associations, and community relations.

Prior to Vista Outdoor, Covington served as Vice President, Corporate Communications, for ATK, an aerospace, defense, and commercial products company. Before joining ATK, she was the Assistant Commissioner for Public Affairs at the Utah System of Higher Education. While there, she led communications and legislative relations strategies for the State Board of Regents. She also served as the Deputy for Communications and spokesperson for Utah Governor Olene S. Walker and the Director of Communications for the Utah Department of Transportation. She has a background in broadcast journalism, working for Utah’s NBC and ABC affiliates.

Covington serves as both a trustee and a board member for the Walker Institute of Politics and Public Service for Weber State University, is an advisory board member for the Utah Women’s Leadership Institute, is a member of the University of Utah College of Social and Behavioral Science Advancement Board, and is a board member of the Utah chapter of National Association of Corporate Directors.

She earned an Honors bachelor’s degree in Mass Communications and a Master of Public Administration from the University of Utah. Covington enjoys spending her free time wake surfing, snow skiing and traveling with her husband and two teenage boys.

Pres. Beth Dobkin
Westminster College

Dr. Bethami Dobkin was appointed as 19th President of Westminster College effective July 1, 2018. During her first three years, Westminster College achieved national recognition for work on sustainability and support for first-generation students, and as a leader in promoting diversity, equity and inclusion. Dobkin has raised over $10M for capital projects; led successful, rapid institutional responses to the Covid-19 pandemic; and launched an ambitious strategic positioning plan, Westminster at 150. She currently serves on the Board of Directors for the Economic Development Corporation of Utah and the Salt Lake Chamber, the Board of Governors and as Chair of the Nominations and Governance Committee for the SLC-UT Committee for the Games, and as member of the International Women’s Forum. Dobkin’s publications span academic journals, widely used textbooks, and popular editorials on politics, journalism, and communication. Prior to her presidency, Dr. Dobkin served as Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs at Saint Mary’s College of California and as a teacher and administrator at the University of San Diego. She holds a PhD and MA from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, and a BA from Humboldt State University.

Carley Hazen
Prince Perelson & Associates

Carly Hazen is the Managing Director for PrincePerelson specializing in Executive Search, Finance, Accounting, Operations, and Legal recruitment disciplines. She joined PrincePerelson in 2003 and works with both privately-held and public companies in the areas of financial services, banking, venture capital, mining/ drilling, manufacturing, non-profit, healthcare, and medical device. Carly also partners with top law firms and diverse in-house legal groups to identify and deliver high caliber talent. She received an MBA from Utah State University and a BS Degree from the University of Utah in Communication/PR and Marketing.

Trina Limpert
RizeNext

Trina Limpert is the CEO & Founder of RizeNext Corporation, a business strategy and education consulting company assisting organizations to successfully execute equity, diversity and inclusion initiatives. Trina is a passionate leader and her company offers a unique blend of experience in driving engagement and operational execution to meet diversity & inclusion objectives. Her prior corporate technology career spans across multiple industries and businesses at Novell, eBay and lastly at Oracle as the Senior Director of CX Consulting. In her prior role as President of Women in IT at eBay she lead an organization of 1500 members across 17 countries. In 2020 Trina co-founded Tech-Moms.org an organization that educates and assists women re-entering or transitioning their careers into the technology industry.

Trina is a lifelong learner and higher education advocate. She attended Weber State University receiving an associate degree in Computer Science, bachelor’s degree in Business and Information Systems from the University of Phoenix, an Executive MBA at the University of Utah, and certificate in Driving Corporate Strategy from Harvard University.

Trina currently serves on the Women’s Success Center Board of Advisors at Utah Valley University, Board of Advisors for Weber State University School of Engineering, Applied Science and Technology, and on the National Advisory Committee at Weber State University, and the Salt Lake Chamber Board of Governors.

Molly Mazzolini
Infinite Scale

Molly Mazzolini is creative professional, entrepreneur, Salt Lake City transplant and Central Ninth building owner. She is cofounder of Infinite Scale, a sports design consultancy, that comprehensively integrates brands into venues and events like the College Football Playoff National Championship Game, Chase Center and the Superdome. Named one of Sports Business Journal’s Game Changers, Mazzolini’s career started at the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta then as a sports information director at the University of Kentucky during the 1998 men’s basketball national championship. She went on to work for the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee to help prepare Salt Lake City for the 2002 Olympic Winter Games.

In addition, to her 24+ years in the sports industry, Mazzolini contributes to her local community and can be seen on Saturdays at the Downtown Salt Lake City Farmers’ Market. She is a recipient of the Vasilios Priskos Chair’s Award for her decade of service with the Downtown Alliance. She has been named Salt Lake Chamber’s Pathfinder, Champion and is our 2020 ATHENA.

Mazzolini cofounded the Utah chapter of Women and Sports and Events (WISE) in order to provide more networking opportunities for sports professionals and development resources for those interested in sports business careers; and currently sits on its advisory board. She continues her work to bring back in the Olympic Movement to Utah by serving on the Utah Olympic Legacy Foundation board as well as the Salt Lake City-Utah Committee for the Games. She holds a B.S. from Loyola New Orleans and a Masters of Communication Strategies from Westminster College.

Elizabeth McMillan
Utah Dept. of Transportation

Elizabeth McMillan is the director of communications for the Utah Department of Transportation. She has worked in the transportation industry for 13 years, with experience in positions ranging from public involvement to policy and legislation. Elizabeth earned a Master of Applied Positive Psychology at University of Pennsylvania. She believes that government can be a positive institution with the opportunity to systemically improve well-being in communities.

Dr. Sara Reed
Salt Lake Community College

Dr. Sara Reed has over 20 years of experience in leadership, management, organizational change, and leadership development.  Through her service in higher education and the military, she has led diverse teams throughout the globe.  Currently, she serves as the Associate Vice President for People and Workplace Culture at Salt Lake Community College, where she leads a team to help transform the lives of staff and faculty through their employment at SLCC – from attracting to growing, retaining, engaging, and leaving a legacy.  Previously, Sara served as the Director of Operations at the University of Utah’s Department of Internal Medicine and Executive Director of the Shared Services Center at the University of California, Davis.  Sara is passionate about the role of higher education in America, especially in the areas of leadership, diversity, inclusion, belonging, and helping all who participate in higher education in reaching their potential. 

Sara also serves board member for the Western Association of College and University Business Officers and CUPA-HR.  Prior to her transition to higher education, she served as an active duty military officer, leading teams of various sizes across the globe, and she continues to serve as a Reserve officer. As of December 1, 2021, she will be retired from the United States Air Force, ending her career as a Lieutenant Colonel and as the commander of the 50th Intelligence Squadron at Beale AFB, CA.  She earned her doctorate from Drexel University, MA.Ed. from California State University – Sacramento, M.S. from Troy State, and BA from University of Minnesota. She is married and is mother to three daughters.

McKenzie Rockwood
Citrus Pear

McKenzie Rockwood is a registered dietitian nutritionist (RDN) and co-founder of Citrus Pear™, a healthy meal prep service. Before starting Citrus Pear™ in 2016 with her husband, McKenzie was an inpatient registered dietitian at Logan Regional Hospital for six years—where she worked with patients who required special diets for medical conditions or allergies. This experience drove McKenzie to create Citrus Pear™, where she now oversees menu and recipe development—as well as growth opportunities to bring Citrus Pear™ meals and classes to people and communities in need. In 2021, McKenzie was recognized as a Young Dietitian of the Year by the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. She also has been named as one of Salt Lake Magazine’s Women in Business. McKenzie and her husband have three boys who keep them busy and laughing.

Dr. Tamara Stevenson
Westminster College

Tamara N. Stevenson, EdD, is Vice President of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion and Chief Diversity Officer at Westminster College in Salt Lake City, Utah. In this role, she provides direct oversight of DEI and leadership toward strengthening and sustaining diversity, equity, and inclusion in the College’s operational infrastructure, inclusive of its policies, practices, and procedures. She most recently served as an associate professor in the college’s Communication program. As a practitioner-scholar, Dr. Stevenson’s research and practice explore the rhetorical activities of educational institutions as organizational sites of power through a critical race lens. A first-generation college student from Detroit, Michigan, Dr. Stevenson earned her bachelor’s degree in journalism and her master’s degree in organizational communication from Wayne State University in Detroit, Michigan. She worked in corporate communication in various organizations and industries in the metropolitan Detroit area for more than a decade, including print and broadcast journalism, automotive, health care, and K-12/higher education. Dr. Stevenson later returned to school to earn a specialist of arts degree and a doctorate in educational leadership with a concentration on community college leadership from Eastern Michigan University in Ypsilanti, Michigan. Dr. Stevenson is the first African American hired into the college’s Communication Program, the first to earn multi-year faculty contracts, and the first to advance in academic rank to associate professor. In 2020, Utah Business Magazine selected Dr. Stevenson as an honoree of the publication’s ‘30 Women to Watch” and she was chosen as one of seven candidates to join Cohort 7 of the National Association of Diversity Officers in Higher Education’s (NADOHE) 2020-2021 Chief Diversity Officer Fellows Program.

Jennie Taylor
Major Brent Taylor Foundation

Jennie Taylor is the proud wife and widow of Utah Army National Guard Major Brent Taylor. The two met on a blind date in 2003 and enjoyed 15 years together–including 15 years of his service in the Army, 9 years of his service as an elected official in North Ogden, Utah, 4 overseas deployments, the birth of 7 children, and too many hours to count of Jennie’s volunteer service with the PTA and local School Community Councils.  When Brent was killed in action in November of 2018, life for the Taylor Family turned upside down–and it feels like it’s kind of been upside ever since! Working, serving and raising children in today’s busy world often leaves Jennie feeling underqualified and overwhelmed, and yet she remains determined to live not only “Happily ever after…” but “Happily EVEN after…”. A graduate of BYU and Utah State University, Jennie currently serves as the Civilian Aide to the Secretary of the Army and runs the Major Brent Taylor Foundation in honor of her late husband.

Sunny Washington
Tech Leads

Sunny Washington has spent over 20 years working in the technology industry in Silicon Slopes. In 2001 she worked at Certiport, bringing digital literacy certification programs to over 80 countries primarily working with K-12 institutions. In 2010 she was part of the early team at Instructure, the team that builds the learning management system, Canvas, and is used by a majority of higher education institutions in the US. In 2014 she started her own company, Because Learning, an edtech spin off from Spire Global in San Francisco, to bring space experiments and STEM education to K-20 institutions globally. Today Sunny is also the COO of Blyncsy, a movement intelligence company that helps departments of transportation understand how people move and behave. Sunny is also the public policy chair of Silicon Slopes Commons and also serves as a board member of Equality Utah, and is on the Board of Trustees for Salt Lake Community College.

Sharlene Wells
Mountain America Credit Union

One of the first women on ESPN, Sharlene Wells was an award-winning broadcaster for 16 years, covering World Cup Soccer, College Gameday, Kentucky Derby, America’s Cup, and more. Later, Sharlene led a production and publication company for 15 years focused on Department of Defense military deployments and major commemorations. She served in the Pentagon as the Director of Communications for Defense Personnel, and today, is the SVP of PR & Organizational Communications at Mountain America Credit Union.