Welcome Keynote

Gary R. Herbert was Utah’s 17th governor from 2009 to 2021. During his tenure, his relentless focus on economic development resultedin Utah being recognized as the number one economy in America.  Herbert currently dedicates his time establishingthe Gary R. Herbert Institute for Public Policy at Utah Valley University. The Institute works to develop future policy leaders.Herbert and his wife, Jeanette, are the proud parents of six children and seventeen grandchildren.

Morning Keynote Speaker 

Mr. Baum is a veteran entertainment executive and film producer whose creative, financial and film production career spans thirty years and encompasses the development, production, financing, distribution and sale of dozens of movies, some of which include: The Wedding Planner (Jennifer Lopez and Matthew McConaughey); Eye of the Beholder (Ashley Judd and Ewan McGregor); Drowning Mona (Danny DeVito, Bette Midler, Neve Campbell); Thomas and the Magic Railroad (Alec Baldwin); Beautiful (Sally Field, Minnie Driver); and Buying the Cow (Jerry O’Connell, Alyssa Milano). He also directed and produced the award-winning feature documentary film Finding Noah. Mr. Baum has helped to raise over $2 billion dollars of financing for entertainment production and distribution over his career.

 

Mr. Baum is currently the CEO of The Salt Refinery, a Utah-based film production and distribution entity.  He started his entertainment career at DreamWorks as Vice President, corporate strategic planning. He was a member of the five-person initial start-up team responsible for creating and implementing DreamWorks’ ten-year strategic plan to build a competitive movie studio. In addition, Mr. Baum was President and co-founder of indie distributor Destination Films and a co-founder and COO of Resurgent Film Group, a leading film finance company. In 2008, he established Brent Baum Productions as a consulting and production vehicle through which he continues to produce films as well as advise companies on their investment and creative activities in the entertainment sector. He was a Senior Advisor to Torridon Films in their slate financing with Warner Bros. which included the films Blade Runner 2049 and 12 Strong. He is actively producing a number of high-profile film and television properties some of which include: the action thriller Valet written by Academy Award nominee Jason Hall; the action-comedy Hard Drive written and directed by Walt Becker; November Man 2 staring Pierce Brosnan and the sci-fi TV show Holoscape in conjunction with Roddenberry Entertainment.

 

Mr. Baum earned his MBA from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania; a Master of Arts, International Studies, from the University of Pennsylvania; and a Bachelor of Arts, Cum Laude, from Brigham Young University with dual majors in Political Science and Asian Studies.

Lunch Keynote Speaker

Tammy’s path to serve as the Associate Provost of Academic Innovation at Utah Valley University was driven by her love of creating things of value and desire to impact the lives of students. Upon earning her Ph.D., Tammy started her career as a medicinal chemist at GlaxoSmithKilne Pharmaceuticals where she contributed to the development of Promacta, a drug that increases platelet levels in chemotherapy patients.  She also designed a molecule that was originally slated for clinical trials but was ultimately commercialized as a tool compound for cancer biologists instead. As a professor she enjoyed the opportunity to collaborate with a rich variety of disciplines to create new courses, programming and experiences that helped students realize their potential and pursue their dreams.