Leadership Day at One Utah Summit Provides Transformative Learning Experience
Published: October 31, 2022 | Author: Susie Knudsen | Read Time: 2 minutes
Cedar City, UT – Each October, Southern Utah University hosts the One Utah Summit on its campus, welcoming attendees from rural counties to come together, discuss important issues and recognize area leaders. This year marked the 35th anniversary of the summit in Cedar City, along with the second year of the newly-added Leadership Day, presented by SUU’s Community and Professional Development (CPD) office and SUU Leadership Institute. Leadership Day is dedicated to providing active and transformative learning experiences in the area of leadership development.
For those looking to enhance their summit experience, CPD grounded Leadership Day with the theme of “Where Greatness Begins.” For a sold-out crowd of more than 300 attendees, the day included powerful keynote presentations from Jennifer Colosimo of FranklinCovey, Lt. Gov. Deidre Henderson, Aaron Starks of World Trade Center Utah, and a conversation with two familiar Utah couples, Gov. Spencer Cox and First Lady Abby Cox and former-Olympian Noelle Pikus-Pace and Janson Pace.
Additionally, a new “Transformational Leader” award was created; recipients of the award included Aimee Charlton, Brandy Grace, Stephen Lisonbee, Shane Parashonts and Natalie Randall. “We were thrilled to honor these five individuals who are leading workforce education initiatives in Utah,” said Melynda Thorpe, executive director of CPD. “Their significant contributions envision career development programs that meet emergent needs of the workforce and also pave pathways where education and industry join together in building leaders for our state’s future.”
Charlton is senior manager at Best Friends Animal Society and has been instrumental in developing a national workforce education program for elevating those interested in pursuing a career in animal services. Grace is CEO of Utah Association of Counties and a strong advocate of collaboration and a key player in launching the Utah Rural Leadership Academy (URLA). Lisonbee, assistant vice president of SUU Regional Services and Governor Cox’s senior advisor for rural affairs, is a champion of economic, workforce and leadership development. Parashonts is tribal administrator at the Paiute Indian Tribe of Utah and is engaged in developing a language preservation project between the Tribe and educators in southern Utah. Randall is known statewide for her significant work as executive director of Utah Tourism Industry Association.
During Leadership Day, the SUU Leadership Institute held exclusive breakout sessions for two of their academy’s, Iron Leaders Academy (ILA) and URLA. URLA also graduated its first cohort at the summit and launched cohort two with 44 members representing all Utah counties. URLA facilitates powerful exercises and active learning opportunities designed to assist emerging and established leaders in Utah’s rural communities.
SUU’s Community and Professional Development department offers opportunities for adults to elevate their careers, stay competitive in the workforce and further develop as leaders. Located in the world’s best backyard, Southern Utah University is known as University of the Parks thanks to its close proximity to several national monuments, outdoor recreational areas and educational partnerships with the National Park Service. Reach your next career peak with SUU by visiting suu.edu/prodev
Tags: Community and Professional Development