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SALT LAKE CITY — Following a yearly tradition, the Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute on Tuesday recognized five "unsung" individuals and organizations that are helping the Beehive State prosper.
The "Informed Decision Maker of the Year" awards are selected based on the institute's core values: responsibility to the community, integrity and relevance, accountability, collaboration and a positive work environment.
"In the social capital literature, we read about the so-called middle layers of society," said Natalie Gochnour, director of the Gardner Institute. "These middle layers are the institutions, the associations, the communities, the people between the individual and the state, that help society function well, and they range from our most fundamental social organizations ... to our most passing local connections (like) local coffee shops, barber shops, places of work."
The aforementioned middle layers are where the five awardees fit into the makeup of Utah. Here's a rundown of who they are and what they do.
Theresa Foxley, rPlus Energies
A Utah native, Theresa Foxley serves as the chief of staff at rPlus Energies, a national leader in utility-scale renewable energy and energy storage development.
In 2022, rPlus Energies developed the Graphite Solar Project in Carbon County. The project delivers solar energy to Meta Platforms' data center in Eagle Mountain, helping the parent company of Facebook power its operations exclusively with renewable energy.
Prior to her role with rPlus Enegies, Foxley championed economic growth in Utah through her role as president and chief revenue officer of the Economic Development Corporation of Utah, bringing numerous corporations to the state and to rural Utah, especially.
Foxley describes herself as an "unabashed promoter of Utah economic assets and quality of life."
Ross Van Vranken
Ross Van Vranken is the former executive director of the Huntsman Mental Health Institute — a multimillion-dollar enterprise supporting a behavioral health care system anchored by a 170-bed acute psychiatric and substance use hospital — with the University of Utah Health.
"We were able to develop, in this state, something that no other state has — a really comprehensive, coordinated crisis system. We were able to push and get a three-digit 988 number," Van Vranken said. "Now we have one crisis number, one warm line (and) we can dispatch mobile crisis teams from across the state."
He added that over the past 18 months, he and his team have worked on a 10-year master plan for the state of Utah when it comes to addressing mental health and substance use issues.
"What a difference that's going to make in the next 10 years as we continue to move forward in terms of trying to improve the quality of life for people in this state," Van Vranken said.
Bicycle Collective
Bicycle Collective is a group of nonprofit bike shops with a simple yet powerful mission: refurbishing donated bikes and getting them to those in need, specifically focusing on children, newly resettled refugees, immigrants, people experiencing homelessness or housing insecurity, people recovering from substance abuse and low-to-moderate income households.
"We are laser-focused on transportation equity. Transportation is a formidable barrier to economic mobility and upward progress," said Donna McAleer, executive director of Bicycle Collective. "To get a job ... to access quality food, to access school, requires a way to get from point A to point B and bicycles are a simple, practical, sustainable and affordable means of transportation."
The collective is truly that, made up of 43 employees from four bicycle shops around the state, operating in Salt Lake City, Ogden, Provo and St. George. In 2023, Bicycle Collective gave 1,349 bicycles to those in need through its Bikes-for-Goodwill and Earn-A-Bike programs.
Circles Salt Lake
Michelle Crawford, executive director of Circles Salt Lake, is on a mission to reduce poverty throughout Salt Lake County through intentional friendships, personal transformation, and systemic change led by the people closest to the challenge.
"Most people who are experiencing poverty have never even heard that term before, and they don't really even know that that is a form of wealth, just like the money that they have in their bank account," Crawford said. "So, community connectedness is huge for us, and that's really how we support the mission that we're after."
A person's average duration in the program is three years before graduating — helping participants usher in a life of hope, dignity and financial stability.
Seager Memorial Clinic
Founded in 1988, Seager Memorial Clinic is a nonprofit whose mission is to provide the underserved with 100% free, easy, nonjudgmental charitable medical, dental, vision and mental health care.
Jerika Mays, executive director of the clinic, told a story about a patient who was referred to the clinic by the Utah Department of Workforce Services. The patient was struggling to get a job despite his experience as a truck driver.
The patient was struggling because he wasn't able to pass his Department of Transportation physical, and, as it turned out, the reasoning for this was because his diabetes wasn't being managed correctly.
"He was able to come to our diabetes clinic and meet with a provider. We did all the lab work and we were able to provide the insulin, the diabetic supplies, the medications he needed, and he was able to manage his diabetes better," Mays said. "A few months later, I got a call from the same woman who referred this gentleman. Come to find out, he had passed that physical, and he now had a job as a truck driver."
Located in Ogden, the Seager Memorial Clinic has completed 84,300 patient visits since 1988.
