Sarah Rasmussen Bateman, Sustainability Outreach Program Manager, Utah Valley University
Sarah Rasmussen Bateman received her B.A. in Humanities from BYU and spent many years volunteering in the community and advocating for environmental sustainability. She received her M.S. from the University of Utah in International Affairs and Global Enterprise, primarily focusing on environmental diplomacy. In 2022, Sarah joined the Utah Valley University family, serving as the Sustainability Outreach Program Manager. She values human connection and social resilience and is grateful for opportunities to collaborate on shared missions. She lives in Orem and loves making memories with her children - two in college and one in 9th grade.
Michelle Carroll, panelist
Michelle Carroll serves as the Executive Director of Mountainland Association of Governments (MAG), assuming leadership in February 2023. In her pivotal role, Michelle collaborates closely with elected officials across Utah, Summit, and Wasatch Counties, addressing critical issues ranging from transportation and economic development to regional planning and vital aging and family services. Michelle's academic foundation includes a Master of Public Administration degree University of Illinois, complemented by her undergraduate studies at Utah State University. Her multifaceted experience, coupled with her academic achievements, underscores her dedication to fostering sustainable development and enhancing the quality of life for communities within the MAG region.
Kim Frost, panelist
Kim Frost is the former Executive Director of the Utah Clean Air Partnership (UCAIR). Kim is passionate about improving Utah’s air and led UCAIR’s efforts statewide in their mission to clear the air through public education, community partnership, and grants. Kim has a diverse background in the marketing and communications in both the public and private sectors. Prior to UCAIR, Kim served as the President of SQN Escapes, an international sales and marketing firm and the Executive Director of marketing and communications for the Economic Development Corporation of Utah (EDCUtah). Kim lives near the cottonwood canyons with her husband and two dogs and loves Utah's easy access to the outdoors.
Carolyn Lundberg, moderator
Carolyn Lundberg has served the city of Lindon for over 12 years - first as a Planning Commissioner, then a Councilmember for two terms, and now as Mayor. She has been a proponent of citywide recycling, converting city street lamps to LED lighting along with dark sky initiatives, completing regionally significant trails, and planting 1000 trees by the end of 2024 in Lindon. She also currently serves as Vice-Chair of the Utah Lake Authority and is passionate about its restoration, having led out a proposal to create a wildlife science community center and conservation park to hopefully bring to the shores of Lindon and Utah Lake. She and her husband Dean have raised a family of 5 children and have enjoyed becoming recent grandparents.
Tom Westmoreland, panelist
Mayor Tom Westmoreland is in his eleventh year with Eagle Mountain City and seventh year as mayor. He and his wife Rebekah have nine children and seven grandchildren. Mayor Westmoreland and the entire Eagle Mountain team have established a clear vision for a high quality of life for the families and youth of Eagle Mountain. This vision combines a strong local economy with significant technology investments and the preservation of open space for an outdoor recreation themed community and wildlife habitats including a deer migration route. To help with planning and management of these valued resources the city has a biologist on staff. Guided by conservative principles, Eagle Mountain is working to achieve a balance between the conveniences of modern living and the great outdoors of Utah for a quality of life that is unique and lasting.
Ben Abbott, panelist
Ben is a professor of environmental science and sustainability at Brigham Young University and the executive director of the water conservation group Grow the Flow. He has a B.S. in watershed and Earth systems science from Utah State University and a Ph.D. in ecology from University of Alaska Fairbanks. He works on renewable energy, global hydrology, climate change, and Earth stewardship. He is particularly interested in science communication and improving our commitment to environmental stewardship. He has four children who take after him in their love of animals, biking, and TV.
Tim Davis, panelist
Tim Davis is the Deputy Great Salt Lake Commissioner. Tim previously led three different state water agencies in two states including, most recently, serving as the Director of the Utah Division of Drinking Water. Prior to coming to Utah, Tim oversaw the water rights, water resources, drinking water, and water quality programs for over ten years for the State of Montana. Tim also served as the Chair of the Western States Water Council. Tim grew up in Lander, Wyoming. Tim spends most of his free time outdoors with his family and their two dogs.
Lynn de Freitas, panelist
Lynn began volunteering with FRIENDS of Great Salt Lake shortly after it was founded in 1994, became board President in 1997, and Executive Director in 2002. She also served as a Library Media Coordinator for 18 years in public and private schools in Salt Lake City. She holds a B.S. in Biology from Montclair State College and an M. Ed in Educational Systems and Learning Resources from the University of Utah. Lynn served on the Steering Committee that developed recommendations in response to HCR–10, Concurrent Resolution to Address Declining Water Levels of the Great Salt Lake and served as a member of Governor Herbert’s Water Strategy Advisory Team. She has received awards from the Girl Scouts of Utah, the Utah Water Quality Board, and the Utah Society for Environmental Education. In her free time, she is an avid birder, enjoys travel and is learning dressage.
Nathan Moses, panelist
As a representative of the Utah State Engineer, Nathan was recently tasked with managing exceptional people who manage programs dedicated to the distribution of water, well drilling, enforcement proceedings, and automation throughout Utah. He graduated in 2004 with a Master's Degree of Civil Engineering from Utah State University, and has been employed by the Division of Water Rights for 18 years. Prior to employment with the Division he worked for a private engineering firm as a staff engineer. Born in Idaho, but raised in Blanding Utah, he currently calls Cedar City home and enjoys life there with his family and friends.
Daren Nelson, moderator
Dr. Daren Nelson is currently an Associate Professor of Earth Science at UVU. Daren received his B.S. in Geology from Utah State University, M.S. in Hydrology from the University of Idaho, and his Ph.D. in Geology from the University of Utah. Dr. Nelson teaches classes related to both the Environmental Science and Management and Geology degrees here at UVU. His research expertise over his years teaching has focused on four basic areas: hydrology/hydrogeology, process geomorphology, the application of GIS technologies in the geosciences, and environmental geology. Projects that he is currently working on include studying groundwater and surface water interactions in the Utah Lake Watershed, utilizing UAV's in hydrologic studies, investigating paleolakes, such as Lake Bonneville, and the sustainable management of water resources in Utah.
Thomas Bretz, moderator
Thomas H. Bretz is an Associate Professor of Philosophy at Utah Valley University, where he is also the Environmental Ethics Fellow at the Center for the Study of Ethics and the coordinator for the Environmental Studies Minor. He is involved with various sustainability efforts on campus such as the sustainability committee and the planning of UVU's yearly Sustainability Week. After study at the Dresden University of Technology, The New School for Social Research, and Paris-Sorbonne University, his PhD in philosophy is from Loyola University Chicago. His research agenda is overall characterized by a concern with inclusive, just and sustainable communities. Specifically, he investigates the possibility of norms and practices that allow for reciprocal relationships between and among humans and non-humans (including so-called inanimate beings).
Tayler Fearn, panelist
Tayler Fearn (she/her) hails from the beautiful city of Vancouver, Canada. She is currently attending Utah Valley University, working towards her bachelor’s degree in bioinformatics with honors and a minor in computer science. In addition to school, she does research in Zahn labs that explores the use of neural networks in modeling microbial communities. This research will be used in improving the success rate of endangered plant species. Her passion for sustainability comes from her experience growing up in Vancouver. She was often surrounded by nature and learned a lot about the effects of climate change on her environment. As such, she advocates for sustainable practices in everyday life and in her coding research. She is thrilled at the opportunity to be a panelist at the 3rd annual UVU Sustainability Conference.
Ruhul Kuddus, panelist
Ruhul Kuddus was born in Faridpur, Bangladesh, and attended the University of Dhaka, George Mason University, and the University of Pittsburgh. He served as a staff scientist at the Thomas E. Starzl Transplantation Institute, before joining Utah Valley University, where he is currently a tenured full professor, teaching molecular, microbial, and cellular biology and immunology. He has authored ten books, over 100 research/feature articles, and is an academic editor of the journal Prostate Cancer. Dr. Kuddus has received various awards: US Fulbright Scholar Award, UVU International Center Outstanding Service Award, UVU Faculty Scholar of the Year Award, and UVU Center for the Study of Ethics Fellowship. He is the Acting President of the Utah Valley Islamic Center and has been active in the Utah Valley Interfaith activities for the past two decades. Dr. Kuddus has been married to Alhaj Nahid Akhtar Khanum (Ahmed) for about 40 years; they have four children and two grandchildren. In his spare time, he enjoys Nazrul Songs, classical poetry, traveling, bird and insect watching, and star gazing.
Darren Parry, panelist
Darren Parry is the former Chairman of the Northwestern Band of the Shoshone Nation. Darren serves on the Board of Directors for Utah Humanities and the PBS Utah. He attended the University of Utah and Weber State University and received his Bachelor’s Degree in Education. Darren is the author of “The Bear River Massacre, A Shoshone History” and teaches in the Environmental Humanities department at the University of Utah. He lectures around the country on Native American issues surrounding history and Indigenous views related to sustainability. He recently gave a lecture at the University of Copenhagen and spoke about Indigenous views to Climate and Environment. His passions in life are his wife Melody, 7 children and 17 grandchildren. His other passion is his Tribal family. He wants to make sure that those who have gone before him are not forgotten.
Jenica Sedgwick, panelist
Jenica Sedgwick is the Sustainability Manager of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. In her role, she works closely with the Presiding Bishopric of the Church to develop and implement strategic initiatives which support the Church's global environmental sustainability priorities. She is passionate about our responsibility to be wise stewards of our earthly home. Prior to her role, Jenica was a strategy consultant for the Presiding Bishopric and led projects on environmental sustainability and resiliency management. This project work laid the foundation for the operational, governance, and communications solutions she manages today, including the creation of her current position. Jenica earned her bachelor's degree in Business Management with an emphasis in Strategy from Brigham Young University. She spent four years in New York City at EY-Parthenon, Ernst and Young's management consulting arm, conducting growth strategy and commercial due diligence projects for Fortune 500 and private equity clients.
Weihong Wang, panelist
Dr. Weihong Wang is an Associate Professor and Department Chair of Earth Science at Utah Valley University. Holding a Ph.D. in Marine Science from the University of South Carolina, she is also a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy. Her research interests include anthropogenic impact on wetland ecosystems, ethical and responsible research and research mentoring, GIS and remote sensing applications, and energy and sustainability. Her current research projects focus on 1) assessing nutrient loading to Utah Lake and its correlation with algal blooms and classifying land use and land cover within the Utah Lake Watershed using GIS-remote sensing techniques; 2) scaling open access responsible and ethical conduct of research and mentoring trainings across academic institutions; 3) prototyping tiny container homes using sustainability principles.
Glen Garrick, panelist
Glen is a committed sustainability and climate resilience professional with a master’s in business (MBA), certified as an accredited professional in LEED, and is certified in change management. Working for a not-for-profit called Mercy Ships, Glen helped provide free health care in Africa. There he saw firsthand how good intentioned health care professionals and services can inadvertently make, through waste, a negative impact on the environment and human health. Glen next worked in Vancouver as an Energy and Sustainability Manager for Vancouver Coastal Health. There he created GreenCare, which is an initiative designed to integrate planetary health and sustainability considerations into the decision making, culture, and performance of health care organizations across British Columbia. Today, Glen is working as the System Sustainability Director for Intermountain Health where he has helped the organization establish nine fundamentals of planetary health and sustainability. Over the years Glen has been recognized as one of the top 50 sustainability professionals and earned a TechGreen award for his use of digital strategies to engage staff. In his spare time Glen enjoys scuba diving, bike touring, hiking, camping, and his most recent hobby of apiculture (bee keeping).
Shaun Hill, panelist
Shaun Hill leads the Revenue and Sales departments at Hypercraft and is responsible for global streams of revenue including recreational, commercial, private sector, international, public sector, and emerging markets. In his previous role, he was responsible for enterprise sales to public sector clients including state and local governments, higher education, federal agencies, Department of Defense, and members of the intelligence community. He was foundational in standing up the public sector sales division at Nuvolo, yielding millions in new revenue for the organization. Shaun has spent more than 20 years in both the private and public sectors. He has served as a Specialist in the Foreign Service, first at the Embassy in Beijing, China and next at the Consulate in Istanbul, Turkey for the U.S. Department of State.
Rita Reed, panelist
Rita Reed has worked in environmental and sustainability roles for 28 years across the energy sector, including in petrochemical, oil and gas exploration, utility, and mining. Leveraging her background as an environmental geologist, she joined Rio Tinto Kennecott in 2021 as the Principal Advisor in Sustainability & Regulatory and delivers on future-focused sustainability outcomes. Rita works with cross-functional teams across the globe at Rio Tinto to explore new technologies that minimize environmental impact while providing the minerals that are critical to the clean energy transition. She actively showcases the people and projects that are finding responsible and sustainable ways to mine and be good community partners.
Alyssa Sheehan, moderator
Alyssa Sheehan is an ESG and sustainability professional, currently working as the ESG Manager for Planet Labs PBC. She is also a founding board member of the Utah Sustainable Business Coalition, a group dedicated to connecting individuals and businesses with the people and resources needed to help them achieve their sustainability goals. She is passionate about the power of partnerships to further progress and create lasting change. She is a Utah native with a love for the mountains, running, and all things pickleball.
Jonathan Westover, panelist
Dr. Westover is a professor and chair of Organizational Leadership in the Woodbury School of Business at Utah Valley University, Academic Director of the UVU Center for Social Impact and the UVU SIMLab, and Industry Impact Fellow in the Women in Business Impact Lab. Dr. Westover has been published widely in academic journals, books, and practitioner publications. He is a regular visiting faculty member in other international graduate business programs.
