Dr. Nichole Wangsgard has been a faculty member at Southern Utah University since 2006, earning the rank of Full Professor in 2021. They completed their doctorate in Special Education and Statistics at the University of Northern Colorado after five years as a public school special educator in West Valley City, Utah, where they served as the Department Chair of Special Education and coached athletic teams. At SUU, Dr. Wangsgard has held key leadership roles, including Department Chair and Associate Dean. After years of administrative service, they have shifted their focus to teaching, research, and pursuing significant grant opportunities to support student scholarships. Dr. Wangsgard designed SUU’s undergraduate and master’s degree programs in Special Education, writing the curricula from the ground up and teaching each course in both face-to-face and online formats. Their research focuses on Social Justice Policy and Practice, Autism Spectrum Disorders, Emotional and Behavioral Disorders, Special Education Law, Literacy Development, Classroom and Behavior Management, and Supports for Mild/Moderate Disabilities. Outside of their professional work, Dr. Wangsgard enjoys fishing, biking, running, CrossFit, aerial arts, and performing as a drag artist. They also cherish time with their family, including their spouse, twin eleven-year-olds, three dogs, one cat, and 15 chickens.

My professional journey began with my bachelor’s degree in visual communication. I developed a deep understanding and passion for all types of communication in its diverse forms. This passion has become a mission in my personal and professional life, driving my commitment to enhance effective communication. As the Director of Admissions for the UVU Physician Assistant Program, I have been instrumental in developing and growing many facets of the PA program. Part of my current UVU adventure involves guiding future UVU PA Program students through a competitive admissions process. Working with each applicant is an honor and a privilege, and I approach their stories with a keen interest and attention to detail. Completing my Master of Education in Higher Education Leadership at UVU was a pivotal step driven by my unwavering commitment to personal and professional growth. The invaluable knowledge and contemporary insights I acquired have transformed me into a more empathetic, astute, and confident leader and employee at UVU. Continuously advancing my education and being an integral part of this esteemed institution has endowed me with a dual perspective, amplifying my capacity to understand and connect with faculty, staff, and students. I deeply appreciate the opportunities and teaching culture that are prevalent at UVU.

Tasha C. Toy, Ph.D. is the founding Assistant Vice President and Chief Compliance Officer at Utah Tech University since July 2024. In this role, she provides oversight of Utah Tech’s compliance governance structure, and works collaboratively with Utah Tech stakeholders, both internal and external to campus, to maintain a portfolio of projects aligned with Utah Tech’s mission and goals along with monitoring implementation of university-wide projects. Tasha works with campus members to grow and enrich the campus community. Dr. Toy has served higher education institutions with various missions and student populations in various leadership roles for over 25 years. As an accomplished presenter and theorist, she has presented at international professional higher education conferences and published journal articles and other written artifacts, both individually and as part of a team, surrounding the governance and organization of postsecondary education. Some conference participations include NASPA, AERA, Continuous Improvement Summit, and many more. Dr. Toy earned a Doctor of Philosophy in Higher Education Administration-Research and Policy from Seton Hall University (NJ), a Master of Arts in Education, and a Bachelor of Arts from North Carolina Central University, a historically black institution. Most recently, she completed a Certificate in Entrepreneurship from Cornell University.

Thomas (Tom) Schnaubelt is the Assistant Director of the Center for Revitalizing American Institutions at the Hoover Institution at Stanford University.  Tom focuses on the connections between democracy and education and on the formation of healthy civic identity through civic education, democratic deliberation, and experiential learning. He serves as senior advisor to the Deliberative Democracy Lab and Stanford’s Democracy Hub and is an affiliate with the Jasper Ridge Biological Preserve. His past Stanford roles include Associate Vice Provost for Education, Executive Director of the Haas Center for Public Service, and Resident Fellow in the public service theme dorm. Prior to Stanford, he was the Dean for Community Engagement & Civic Learning at the University of Wisconsin-Parkside and launched and led several AmeriCorps and service-learning programs in Mississippi.  He earned a PhD from the University of Mississippi, MA from the University of Michigan, and a BS from the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point.

Hadley is the Executive Director of Family Promise Salt Lake, a non-profit charity that works with housing insecure and unhoused families in Salt Lake County. He works to build relationships throughout Utah, focusing on partnerships that will help to better the lives of families in need in Salt Lake County and beyond.

Previously, Hadley worked in higher education, managing the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion efforts at 2 major universities in Utah and Texas. His efforts helped both students and employees to better understand how the myriad backgrounds, identities, and cultures already present on campus can help create a space where to engage with the world.

Hadley also teaches as a visiting instructor and consults with companies, helping to establish strategic plans and embed culturally relevant and equitable policies and procedures.

Hadley believes that it is through education, both formal and informal, that change can be perpetuated – and it is through education that we can change the world for the better.

Hadley holds a Master of Education in Higher Education Leadership and a Bachelor of Science in Behavioral Science, emphasizing Sociology and a Gender Studies minor from Utah Valley University, focusing on social justice and equity.