Utah League of Cities and Towns

2019-2020 ULCT Board of Directors

Executive Board

• Council Member Mike Mendenhall, President, Spanish Fork

  Councilman Mike Mendenhall was born and raised in Palmyra and Spanish Fork, his parents are John and Lenna Mendenhall. He graduated from Spanish Fork High School in 1998, attended Utah Valley University in 1999 before serving an LDS mission to Minnesota. He has worked as a Community Banker in Spanish Fork since 2006 and currently works for Rock Canyon Bank.  He is married to Amber Geslison of Spanish Fork and they have two children, Nash and Monroe. He enjoys sports, playing golf with his son, riding motorcylces, and the outdoors with his family. In 2011 he served as President of the Spanish Fork Area Chamber of Commerce and along with Amber served as Fiesta Days Chairmen.  Councilman Mendenhall is serving his first four-year term on the City Council and currently serves on the following boards and committees:Chamber of Commerce, Risk Management Committee, Youth Council, Utah Lake Commission

• Mayor Mike Caldwell, 1st Vice President, Ogden

  Ogden Mayor Mike Caldwell continues his commitment to the revitalization of Ogden. Leading the city into the national spotlight, he tirelessly promotes the city’s unique mix of outdoor recreation, burgeoning business and commitment to education and community. His agenda includes international and local economic development, strengthening community partnerships, continued beautification of the Ogden River and the ongoing re-building of Ogden’s energetic and historic downtown. Before being elected mayor in November 2011, Mike served as Weber County’s Public Information Officer, managed the Weber County Ice Sheet and administered the Recreation, Arts, Museum and Parks (RAMP) fund. An avid, accomplished and lifelong outdoor athlete, Mike participates in the high adventure recreation lifestyle with his wife, two daughters and a Weimaraner. Ogden’s citizens have come to know Mike as a transparent city leader with an unsurpassed willingness to listen to their concerns.

• Mayor Dawn Ramsey, 2nd Vice President, South Jordan

  Dawn Ramsey’s passion for the City of South Jordan stems from her years of service in the community. During her service on the Utah PTA Board of Directors and as Region Director over all schools in the Jordan School District, she has spent thousands of hours with parents, teachers, administrators, legislators and state organizations advocating for the health, safety, and educational opportunities of every child across the state. As mayor, she now serves on a number of local and State-appointed boards and commissions. Additionally, Dawn continues to serve on the Executive Committee of the Jordan Education Foundation Board of Directors, working to engage the community and local business leaders to help bridge the gap in education funding, providing resources that enhance educational experiences, strengthen students, and fuel success in Jordan School District. Dawn grew up in the Salt Lake Valley, attending Cyprus High School, Salt Lake Community College, the University of Utah, and Brigham Young University. She and her husband Dan have been married for over 26 years, their greatest joy being their six children. They have three daughters & three sons, and recently added a couple of wonderful sons-in-law. The Ramsey family have lived in South Jordan for over 15 years and are a community service-minded family, with each member spending countless hours volunteering time and talents to various civic, non-profit, school, and church organizations and events.

• Mayor Jon Pike, Immediate Past President, St. George

  In 2007 Jon was elected to the St. George City Council and in 2013 he was elected as Mayor of St. George. He serves on the boards of Dixie State University, the Children’s Justice Center, Dixie Applied Technology College, and as chair of the Fifth District Judicial Nominating Commission. Jon loves singing, playing the piano, organ, and guitar, as well as water and snow skiing, motorcycling, and walking or biking on St. George’s many trails. Jon and his wife Kristy have five children.

• City Manager Gary Hill, Utah City Managers Association Representative, Bountiful

  

Board of Directors

• Council Member Jewel Allen, Grantsville

  Jewel Allen is an award-winning journalist, author and ghostwriter who grew up in the Philippines and now lives in Grantsville, Utah. She has a bachelor’s degree in English from Utah State University and runs a memoir publishing company, Treasured Stories. She is the author of historical and contemporary romance novels, as well as a political memoir, Soapbox: How I landed & lost a columnist gig, fought a prison, & got elected. In November 2015, she made Utah state history by being the first Filipino-American to be elected to a City Council (Grantsville). She started a four-year term in January 2016. In her spare time, Jewel loves to travel with her family, take photos, and cook elaborate Sunday dinners.

• Mayor Andy Beerman, Park City

  Andy grew up in Columbus, Ohio and left the Midwest for the mountains of Alaska to instruct for the National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS)–where his next education was learning to stay warm and dry. After several years of guiding, he landed in Utah and discovered a knack for small business management. He and his wife own the controlling interest in the Treasure Mountain Inn. He still participates in nearly all aspects of the hotel, ranging from sometimes Bell Hop to CFO. Andy looks forward to his spare time spent outdoors with Thea and Rufus (dog) skiing, biking, climbing and exploring the surrounding mountains.

• Council Member Don Christensen, West Valley City

  Don Christensen was elected to serve the citizens of West Valley City in November 2015 and took office January 5, 2016, continuing a lifetime of community service. This is his second time serving on the West Valley City Council. Dr. Christensen was raised in Kearns and graduated in 1963 from Granger High School where he was active in service and Scouting organizations. He graduated from Brigham Young University in 1968 where he served as a member and president of Alpha Phi Omega, a national service organization. Dr. Christensen worked for the Boy Scouts of America in California for 13 years where he served in Kiwanis Club, Rotary International, on several School Community Councils, and on the California Attorney General’s Task Force on Child Abuse. He also served as an adjunct professor at College of the Desert in Palm Desert, California.Returning to Utah, Don began a career in education and returned to college earning a Masters Degree in Education from the University of Utah, and a Doctorate in Education from Brigham Young University. He was also elected to the Utah State Board of Education where he served for 12 years, representing West Valley and Utah on several national committees and boards. He received the Distinguished Service Award in 1994 from the National Association of State Boards of Education. Don has also coached Little League and Bonnet Ball teams in the community. He has also served West Valley City as a member and chair of the Civic Committee, and member and chair of the Sister City Committee for the past 15 years.

• Mayor John Christensen, Mayfield

  

• Mayor Julie Fullmer, Vineyard

  

• Council Member Brett Graham, Holladay

  

• Mayor Michelle Kaufusi, Provo

  

• Council Member Tasha Lowery, Draper

  Tasha Lowery began her term on the Draper City Council on January 8, 2018. She is currently serving as the Mayor Pro Tempore. Councilwoman Lowery pledged to work strategically, intelligently, and collaboratively for the residents of Draper City. Lowery believes that the future of Draper depends on preserving and protecting Draper’s high quality of life while simultaneously making critically important decisions to ensure future economic success. Tasha has lived in Draper since 2008. She has served on multiple volunteer boards and service organizations. Her deep investment in the local community led her to want to become more involved. Lowery is a strong advocate for the parks and trails, the open space, and the great natural beauty available in Draper. She believes in strong infrastructure and smart growth. Tasha Lowery is a graduate of Colgate University and the University of California at Berkeley. She has a Masters of the Arts in Education and holds degrees as an educator, a literacy specialist, and in school administration. She is licensed in NY, CA, MT, and UT. She has served as a master teacher, run professional development for school districts, and directed Title I intervention programming for at risk students. In addition, Lowery has worked as a consultant to Leap Frog Technologies, and as a private reading specialist and educational consultant. Tasha and her husband, Jason, enjoy hiking on the trails with their three children and two collies. They are often seen offering constructive criticism from the sidelines at soccer, basketball, and baseball games. Tasha also frequently enjoys doing laundry and spending quality time arguing about iPad minutes, finishing homework, and emptying dishwasher shelves. You can find her breathing deeply at Pilates class or relaxing at City Council meetings.

• Council Member Erin Mendenhall, Salt Lake City

  Erin Mendenhall was re-elected to her second term on the Salt Lake City Council in 2017, and served as the Council Chair in 2018. She represents District 5. Erin has advocated for environmental initiatives from renewable energy expansion and electric vehicle infrastructure, to watershed protections and carbon fee dividends. Improving local solutions to homelessness and human trafficking, geographic equity in affordable housing, neighborhood quality of life and State Street improvements are all passions of Erin’s. Erin has a decade of experience working in advocacy, education policy and legislation. She previously worked at Breathe Utah, a local air-quality non-profit, where she collaborated with policymakers, city and state agencies, schools, and community members to improve air quality along the Wasatch Front. Erin received a certificate in Non-Profit Leadership and Management from the University of Utah Non-Profit Academy for Excellence in 2012 and is a graduate of the University of Utah with a Bachelor’s in Gender Studies. Currently, Erin is working toward completing a Professional Master of Science and Technology at the University of Utah. Erin, her husband Kyle, sons Cash and Everett and daughter Milå enjoy riding bikes around Liberty Park and to the 9th & 9th business district, baking cakes, and hiking in Southern Utah.

• Mayor Emily Niehaus, Moab

  

  Emily S. Niehaus is Moab City’s new Mayor. She is also the Founder and Executive Director of Community Rebuilds, a Moab-based nonprofit building affordable energy-efficient housing through a workforce training program. Emily holds a Master’s Degree in Applied Sociology from Clemson University and has worked in Moab as a social worker, a loan officer, and a bookkeeper. She enjoys life and getting outside to enjoy Moab with her husband and son.

• Mayor Jeff Silvestrini, Millcreek

  

• Mayor Jim Talbot, Farmington

  Jim Talbot and his family have been residents of Farmington for 27 years.  Jim is currently in his second term as mayor of Farmington. Previously he served four years on the Farmington City Council and five years on the Planning Commission.  In his 14 years of service with the city, Jim and his colleagues have taken Farmington to new heights.  Some of these accomplishments include the addition of Station Park, a multi-million dollar regional shopping center, as well as carefully planned housing developments, the trail system, the new City Offices complex, gymnasium, and softball complex. In addition his mayor responsibilities, Jim serves on several Boards in the county and enjoys trying to make a difference in and out of his community.  He has been a real estate developer for the past 35 years where he has developed small shopping centers in several western states, but primarily in Utah. He graduated from BYU with a Public Relations and Business Degree. While attending BYU he played baseball where he was captain of the team and named an all-conference player and was drafted to play professional baseball. He and his wife, Karen, are the parents of four children and ten grandchildren. They love living and serving Farmington and enjoy being actively involved in their community and church.

• Council Member Dustin White

  Dustin was born and raised in Upalco, Utah on a farm/ranch where he worked with his father and brother. In 2003, he moved his wife Cassie and daughter Emma to Roosevelt. Dustin and Cassie have added four more children to their family – Nathan, Allie, Aaron, and Lola. Along with his duties on the city council, Dustin works as an X-Ray/CT Technologist at the Uintah Basin Medical Center.
  Education is important to Dustin and he holds a Bachelor degree in agriculture from Utah State University, an Associate degree in radiography and a Bachelor degree in advanced radiography from Weber State University.
  Agriculture and the outdoors is in Dustin’s blood. He has a small farm here in Roosevelt as well as some ranch property in Hannah, Utah, and he enjoys spending time hunting, fishing and camping with his family.

• Council Member Marcia White, Ogden

  

• Mayor Maile Wilson Edwards, Cedar City

  Maile Wilson Edwards was born and raised in Cedar City, Utah.  In November of 2013, she was elected as the first female and youngest Mayor in the history of Cedar City. She was reelected to her second term in November of 2017.  In January 2018, she married her sweetheart Dr. Jayson Edwards. In addition to her many duties as Mayor, she is an attorney with Jones Waldo law firm working in their southern Utah offices in Cedar City and St. George. Mayor Wilson Edwards graduated from Southern Utah University with a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science, followed by a Master’s in Public Administration.   Upon graduating from SUU, she continued her educational pursuits by receiving her Juris Doctorate degree in 2013. Mayor Wilson Edwards has deep roots in Cedar City, with her family having lived and worked in the community for over 85 years.  The Festival City has grown up with Mayor Wilson Edwards, and she with them.  She has had the honor of being named one of the top five women Most Influential Women in Southern Utah; receiving the Cedar City Area Chamber of Commerce Woman of the Year award; Utah Business Magazine, 30 Women to Watch; Attorney at Law Magazine, Attorneys to Watch in 2017; the Utah National Guard, Honorary Commander of the 65 Field Artillery Brigade, and representing Utah at the U.S. Army War College National Security Seminar in Pennsylvania, in addition to her service on numerous Boards and committees.  Mayor Wilson Edwards plans to continue her work in reaching-out to make Cedar City the best place to live, work, raise a family, and enjoy our beautiful scenic area.

• Mayor Jeff Young, Richfield City

  Jeff Young was elected Mayor of Richmond in 2017. Prior to that he was interim Mayor and had served on the City Council for 9 years. He is currently serving as the President of the Cache Mayor Association. He has enjoyed being involved in politics from a young age, starting with his government class in High School. Jeff has always been from small rural communities. He grew up on a farm/ranch in Idaho. He met his wife while they were both serving a mission for their church. They enjoy their 4 children and are both active in serving their community. Jeff has always been a strong advocate of working together recognizing it is our differences that allow healthy change. He considers himself an Entrepreneur and has multiple successful businesses. If Jeff is not at a political meeting you can find him hanging out with his family with sports, camping, or driving the family motorhome that they love to travel in.

Ex-Officio Board Members

• Mayor Len Arave, Treasurer, North Salt Lake City

  Mayor Len Arave has been a resident of North Salt Lake City since 1993. He and his wife, Carol, have been married for 37 years. They have three children and ten grandchildren. He has over 30 years of business experience in finance and leadership positions, working for both very small and very large companies, during which time he has developed the skills to evaluate, learn and lead. Aside from serving as the mayor of North Salt Lake for the last four years, he has served two terms on the City’s Planning Commission and one term on the Parks and Trails Board before being elected. Mayor Arave has served numerous times as a county and state delegate in the state political process. opportunities present themselves. He graduated from Brigham Young University in 1982 with a Masters of Business Administration – with emphasis in Finance and Planning. He also graduated from Weber State University in 1980 with a Bachelors of Arts in Accounting.
  

• Anette Spendlove, North Ogden City; President, Utah Municipal Clerks Association

  Annette has worked with North Ogden since 2001 as the Part Time Deputy City Recorder and the Full Time City Recorder and Human Resource Director since 2002. She has over 23 years of experience as a Town Clerk, Deputy City Recorder and City Recorder receiving both her Certified Municipal Clerk and Master Municipal Clerk certifications as well as her Human Resource Management Certificate. She graduated from Weber State University with a degree in Early Childhood Education and has a great love for the community.

For more information regarding the Board of Directors, please e-mail League staff or call

801-328-1601
800-852-8528