The Ira A. and Mary Lou Fulton Library Advancement board addresses three specific objectives:
Library Advancement Board Leadership
Thom Carter is the vice president of government affairs for Rocky Mountain Power, where he oversees government relations in the three-state service territory of Utah’s largest investor-owned utility company.
Prior to his role with Rocky Mountain Power, Thom served as the energy advisor to Governor Spencer J. Cox and as the executive director of the Utah Office of Energy Development. During his time with Governor Cox, Thom developed the Utah State Strategic Energy Plan, laying out the next ten years of energy strategy for Utah.
Preceding his service with the governor, Thom was the executive director of the Utah Clean Air Partnership (UCAIR), a nonprofit focused on bringing communities together to improve Utah’s air. During his time with UCAIR, Thom played an essential role in helping the Wasatch Front areas reach attainment for the first time in more than a decade. He also played a vital role in helping individuals, businesses, and communities to find practical solutions to Utah’s unique air quality challenges.
Born in Salt Lake City, Utah, Thom grew up in New Hampshire and New Jersey. He received his bachelor’s degree from Brigham Young University and has spent his professional career in a variety of industries across the globe.
Along with his energy experience, Thom has worked in Ohio, Tennessee, Washington, D.C., and New Jersey in public policy and politics. He has also spent time in professional sports—Thom helped the MLB grow its operations in Australia.
In his current role, Thom serves on several boards and commissions. He was named a Utah Business Forty Under 40 in 2019.
Thom is married to the former Andrea Mayo; they have two children.
Lesli Baker currently serves as the director of the Ira A. and Mary Lou Fulton Library at Utah Valley University, a position she has held since 2014.
Lesli's educational background includes a BA in English from Brigham Young University, an MLIS from Brigham Young University, and an MEd in Instructional Technology from the University of Missouri-Columbia. Her library career began during her graduate studies as a processing clerk for the Course Reserves Department followed by graduate reference assistant position at the General Reference desk at the Harold B. Lee Library, after which she served as a reference and instruction librarian at Southwest Texas State Library (now Texas State University). She then moved to the private sector, working at Ameritech Library Services (now SirsiDynix) as a proposal writer and project implementation manager where she primarily focused on school libraries.
In 1998, Lesli joined Utah Valley University as a reference and instruction librarian. She served as assistant director of public services from 2008 to 2014, before assuming her current position as library director.
Throughout her career, Lesli has maintained a strong focus on instruction, reference, and project management. Her transition into library administration helped her develop a passion for strategic planning. Under her leadership, Fulton Library has seen significant changes, including the implementation of Roots of Knowledge.
When away from campus, Lesli spends time with her husband, Todd, her two daughters, and her dog, and she looks for travel opportunities as her time and budget allow.
Kim Reich serves as the associate director of public services at Utah Valley University’s Ira A. and Mary Lou Fulton Library, where she leads the library’s frontline services, supporting both students and faculty. She holds a Master of Library & Information Science and a Bachelor of Arts in Communications and Public Relations, both from Brigham Young University. Additionally, she spent five years as the public affairs coordinator for the Utah Academic Library Consortium, advocating for library initiatives across the state.
With over 27 years of experience at UVU, Kim is deeply committed to enhancing student success by improving access to essential library resources and services.
Library Advancement Board Members
Monte C. Bingham is a general contractor who founded and is the current president of Cedar Valley Homes and Construction LLC, which began in 1997. He’s been building commercial and residential structures for the past 27 years.
From 1988 to 1997, he served as vice president of Phone Directories Company Inc., which published phone directories throughout the United States.
Monte is currently serving on the Board of Directors for the Bingham Family Foundation, which helped ignite the beginning of the Roots of Knowledge stained-glass exhibit in the UVU Fulton Library.
In 1989, Monte graduated from UVU with a Business Management degree with dreams of owning his own business. Serving on the library board allows him to give back to the wonderful university that provided him with the education that started his adventures in business.
Jennifer Jenkins is the author of seven published novels and one non-fiction guide to creative writing. Her work has been optioned for film/tv and she is a two-time Whitney Finalist and Teen Readers' Choice Award finalist. She serves as the a Founder/CEO of Operation Literacy, a 501c3 nonprofit dedicated to promoting children's literacy, and has taught in the Silicon Slopes Lecture Series and at universities across the country on the subjects of creative writing, leadership, career readiness, networking, and leveraging story to connect with stakeholders.
She received the Honors in Education award from Utah First Lady Abby Cox in 2024 and is dedicated to building programs that support young creative writers, inspire reluctant readers, and provide impactful educational opportunities to underserved populations. All her efforts are fueled by the belief that literacy unlocks a successful future for every child.
Alan Keele was born in Provo in 1942. While his father was in the military serving in India, Alan and his mother lived in Cheyenne, Wyoming, with her sister and family. After the war, the G.I. Bill of Rights led them to the nearby University of Wyoming in Laramie, where Alan’s father studied music education. Later, he taught at Wayne High School in Bicknell, Utah. Alan graduated from Wayne in 1960 and attended the University of Utah as a chemistry student until called as missionary for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to Frankfurt, Germany, six months after the Berlin wall went up in 1961.
Alan transferred to Brigham Young University after his mission and changed his major to German Studies. He earned his Ph.D. at Princeton in 1971 and returned to BYU, where he taught until his retirement in 2010. His academic interests include postwar German literature; opera libretti and film books as literature; and the resistance of a group of LDS teens to Hitler and the story of Helmuth Hübener, the youngest person executed by the Nazis for resistance.
At BYU, Alan served as chair for the German & Russian Department (Astrid Tuminez, current president of UVU, was a star student in his department) and as a dean of the Honors and General Education Department. He helped launch the Freshman Academy initiative, and he was the chair of the faculty committee, which began and oversaw the construction of the Joseph F. Smith Building.
Since retiring, Alan has taught regularly in UVU’s ElderQuest program and serves as historical advisor to a school attached to the Berlin Youth Correction Facility named for Helmuth Hübener, which uses his life as an inspiration for juvenile offenders on their path to recovery. Most recently, Alan was in Lithuania for the filming of a major motion picture based on his books about Helmuth Hübener.
Linda Kay Sellers Keele was born in Rexburg, Idaho, in 1941 and is the youngest of nine children. She attended Ricks College, then graduated in 1963 from Brigham Young University in Business Education. She taught type and shorthand for three years, first at Granger High, then at Orem High, where Utah Governor Gary Herbert was one of her students.
She married Alan Keele in 1966. They have 6 children and 16 grandchildren, although their family lost a daughter and a granddaughter over the years. They have lived in Princeton, New Jersey; Salzburg and Vienna, Austria; Berlin, Germany; and Provo, Utah. Since 1974, for a half of a century now, they have lived in the same house in Orem, just a few blocks from UVU.
Jessica Mortimer is the co-owner of Cedar Fort Publishing and Media, and her passion for storytelling additionally includes over twenty-five years of experience as a performing artist and vocalist. She also actively invests in Utah’s local business community with her involvement in commercial real estate and venture capital.
Jessica is a dedicated wife and mother of four and a perpetual student. As an avid world traveler, she draws inspiration from history, the arts, diverse cultures, and the natural world. She is defined by a deep sense of wonder and considers sincere curiosity to be the root of empathy and a true education.
Macie Rasmussen is a senior from Draper, Utah, majoring in Art & Design at UVU. She is also pursuing a double minor in Art History and Marketing. Macie is currently the presidential intern for Deputy Provost Kat Brown. Macie has a passion for higher education and has enjoyed her time working at UVU. Before starting her internship, she worked as the employer relations assistant at UVU’s Career & Internship Center. Following graduation in May of 2025, Macie plans to pursue a career in graphic design and marketing.
As a presidential intern, Macie stands as the student voice in academic policy. She also sits on the Academic Scheduling Committee and serves on the Ira A. and Mary Lou Fulton Library Advancement Board. Some of her internship responsibilities include creating the faculty newsletter, working on faculty issues related to students, and working on other projects as assigned by the Office of Academic Affairs.
Macie is proud to be a Utah Valley University Wolverine and is looking forward to an amazing year at UVU.
Born in southern California, Linda P. Walton has resided in Utah Valley since 1962. A graduate of Edgemont Elementary, Orem Junior High, Orem Senior High, and Utah State University, she has been employed in the field of communications, including media, public relations, and marketing. She is the owner of The Walton Group Inc., a Provo public relations firm, as well as the former director of public relations for UVU. She has also been involved in community activities—she started the Utah Valley Interfaith Association, works with the Food and Care Coalition, and serves as an interfaith chaplain.
