Professional Experience

 

Chief Deputy County Executive, Cache County

Logan, UT - March 2022-Present

 

Advising Cache County’s Executive Branch; Supporting Cache County’s Legislative Branch; Leading & Guiding almost 400 county team members.

• Departmental Leadership - Serve as the executive leader over several county departments, including Finance, Development Services, Public Works, Finance, Human Resources, and IT.

• Serving the Citizens - Meet regularly with citizens and community groups, listening to ideas and concerns and offering guidance to citizens and citizen groups. 

• Dedicated Public Servant - Always ready to serve, continually meeting the unique,  often-not-conveniently-timed needs of leaders and citizens.

• Experienced Government Leader - Adeptly understand, apply, and write ordinances to meet policy needs; extensive grants experience; skilled at building relationships with individuals at all levels of government to achieve our needed objectives.

• Training Leadership Excellence - Arbinger Institute trained facilitator; 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, Dignity Index emissary; John Maxwell student. 

• Navigating Challenging Times - Serve as a vital mediator between councilmembers, the executive, and department heads during politically tumultuous times.

 

Fifth-grade Teacher and School Team Leader, Thomas Edison Charter Schools

North Logan, UT - 2012-2022

 

Ten years of building Cache Valley excellence, one student at a time.

• Always an Analyst - Continuously examined and improved teaching methods, content, and curricula to transform learning and maximize the educational opportunities. 

• Principles Rule; Data Guide - Skillfully employed data in planning, designing, implementing, and evaluating academic performance, methods, and programs. 

• Leadership - Expertly led a number of leadership groups throughout the school, including the fifth-grade department and the professional learning community. 

• Building a Love of America and our United States Constitution - Inspired and mentored over 100 fifth-grade students in earning the Great American Award. Instituted the lifelong Constitution Challenge.   

 

Budget Office Director, 

Alaska Department of Health and Social Services

Juneau, AK - 2010-2012

 

• Served as the Budget Director over the largest departmental budget in Alaska. The DHSS budget included a broad spectrum of health programs, including those associated with complicated federal programs, such as Medicaid.  

• Assisted all DHSS divisions in developing, publishing, justifying, and tracking budgets.  

• Developed and maintained numerous relationships at various organizational levels, including those in the Governor's office, division directors, legislative staff, the Department's Director’s office.

• Guided an extensive project to review and adjust the departmental and divisional Missions, Core Services, and Measures. This was a critical project that helped the department and all its programs focus resources on providing the right services to the right beneficiaries at the right time and at the right price.  This was an exciting opportunity allowing the entire department to enhance its effectiveness and efficiency.  

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Budget Fiscal and Policy Advisor, Provo City Municipal Council

Provo, UT - 2009

• Helped the Municipal Council realize the full extent of its appropriation and oversight responsibilities and powers by instituting legislative intent statements, studying state and local statutes in order to fully understand the Council's legislative powers, and analyzing executive budgets and programs.  

• Budget analysis recommendations resulted in over $500,000 in Council-adopted reductions over the Mayor's budget.  

• Maintained a number of important working relationships with high-level department directors and members of the Mayor's staff. 

• Tracked and provided feedback to Council members regarding ongoing program, policy, and budget developments for all City programs.

 

Budget and Policy Analyst,

Utah Governor’s Office of Planning and Budget

Salt Lake City, UT - 2006-2008

• Served as the Governor's primary budget and policy analyst on the state's Higher Education programs, an over $2 billion budget.  

• Worked closely with numerous university, college, and technical school directors and high-level staff, as well as with many legislative staff members, to guide the Governor's higher education budget proposals through the entire budget cycle and through two legislative sessions.  

• Helped develop $2.5 million legislation to significantly expand the state's rural distance higher education system, expanding higher education opportunities to thousands.

 

IT Project Consultant, Synergy Consulting, Inc.

Sacramento, CA - 2001-2002

• Worked as an Executive Consultant in several IT systems development and integration projects for major State of California Departments, including: the California Department of Transportation (CDOT), the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR), and the California Department of Mental Health.  

• Analyzed existing systems and business processes, engineered improved processes, and developed improved IT processes, systems, and requirements, all while employing professional project management methodologies.   

 

Budget and Policy Analyst, State of California, Governor’s Department of Finance Sacramento, CA - 2000-2001, 2002-2006

• From 2000-2001, served as Governor Davis’s primary budget and policy analyst over the Aging Services assignment. Budget areas included the Department of Aging and the In-Home Supportive Services assignment (in-home care) and SSI/SSP, including major federal funding.  

• From 2002-2006, served as Governor Schwarzenegger’s primary budget and policy analyst over various assignments of increasing responsibility. Budget areas: Boards and Commissions, Fair Political Practices Commission, Commission on State Mandates, Secretary of State, and the Department of Veterans Affairs. 

• Extensively analyzed and monitored budgets and programs for many state programs. 

• Skillfully developed professional and productive relationships with department leaders and staff members.

• Provided legislative testimony during budget hearings, defending and describing details of the Governor’s Budget proposals.

 

Education

 

PhD in Leadership

December 2021

University of the Cumberlands

• Graduate MPA program professor in Public Administration (University of Utah)

• Arbinger Institute certified leadership training facilitator

 

BA and MA in  Public Policy             

Brigham Young University, Provo, UT, April 1999

• Worked as a Research Director for a Goals 2000 project in the Department of Education. 

• Undergraduate Political Science Teaching Assistant for Dr. Kelly Patterson.

• Executive Director in BYUSA, the student government & service organization. 

 

Community Involvement

• President, Cache Community Foundation, 2025

• Smithfield City Planning Commission, 2009

• Scoutmaster and Adult Leader, Boy Scouts of America, 2000-2020

• Republican Party Precinct Vice-chair and Delegate, 2013-Present

• Little League and Competitive Baseball Coach & Umpire, 1995-Present