ANNUAL TRAINING

March 14, 2026

This dynamic training is designed to help women who want to become more engaged in politics gather the skills and relationships they need to succeed.

Experts will provide valuable insights on the nuts and bolts of how to run a successful campaign, engage in policy advocacy, or become a more informed voter

2026 Annual Training Schedule

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Women build power through relationships. This is where it starts!
Sui Lang Panoke, Founder/Principal, Rethink International; and Utah Women Run Board member
Tina Cannon, Utah State Auditor
A panel of exemplary women serving in education roles who show how leadership works in those settings and how decisions are actually made.
Sydnee Dickson, fmr Utah Superintendent of Public Instruction
Stacee McIff, President, Snow College
Amanda Bollinger, State School Board member
Personal stories from women whose experiences shaped their leadership journey.
Colleen Bonner, fmr Midway Mayor; Wasatch County Council
Emy Lesofski, Utah Governor's Energy Advisor
Jamie Shaw, Economy/IR Expert, SUU; Green Dot Director
Emily Bell McCormick, President + Founder The Policy Project
Stories highlighting diverse leadership journeys as women use lived experience, professional skills, and personal narrative to move others to action.
Autumn Durham, fmr United States Air Force
Jalian Hawkes, Utah Highway Patrol
Lizette Villegas, Latino Healthcare Advocate Cache Valley and candidate
Presenting opportunities for women to see places they can get involved and elevating their work on advocacy
Nina Barnes, Owner, K&N Investments; Board of Regent, Utah System of Higher Education
Sui Lang Panoke, Founder/Principal, Rethink International
Becki Wright, Founder/CEO, Proximity
Erin Rider, Attorney and fmr Candidate
Brooke Scheffler, Director of Boards and Commissions, Utah Governor’s Office
Women who illuminate how cities function, from city councils to commissions, and how leadership often starts locally.
Karen McCandless, Orem City Mayor
Marcia White, Ogden City Council Member
Becky Edwards, Fmr Utah Representative and Candidate

Hinckley Institute
Gardner Commons, rm 2018
260 S Central Campus Dr.
Salt Lake City, UT 84112

2026 Speakers and Panelists

Utah State Board of Education
Dr. Amanda Bollinger serves on the Utah State Board of Education and is the Deputy Superintendent for the Lake Mountain School District. With over 25 years of experience in Utah's education system, she has worked as a teacher, principal, and district administrator. She holds a Master’s Degree in Special Education and a Doctorate of Education from the University of Phoenix.

Owner, K&N Investments; Board of Regent, Utah System of Higher Education
Nina recently finished serving as vice-chair of the Utah Board of Higher Education and the Utah Federation of Republican Women. In 2022 Nina ran and was the first woman on the primary ballot for Utah House District #73. She is involved in various community and state affairs, including Envision Utah, Utah Women Run, and The Policy Project. Nina previously served two terms on the Cedar City Council and the Southern Utah University Board of Trustees. She received a bachelor's degree from Brigham Young University and a master's degree in Public Administration from Southern Utah University. Nina currently teaches Political Science as an adjunct professor at SUU.

Utah State Auditor
Tina M. Cannon serves as Utah’s 26th State Auditor, having been sworn into office on January 6, 2025. She holds the historic distinction of being the first woman elected to the position and the first independently elected Republican woman to any statewide office in Utah.

Auditor Cannon is committed to providing independent, objective evaluations of the financial operations, statutory compliance, and performance management of state and local government entities throughout Utah. Her mission centers on transparency and accountability, ensuring taxpayers have clear, unobstructed access to financial data and a comprehensive understanding of how public funds are managed. This commitment is reflected through the public availability of financial data at transparent.utah.gov.

Before her election, Tina served as Deputy State Auditor in 2024 and initially joined the Office of the State Auditor in 2022. During her early tenure, she worked on Utah’s property tax audit system, which heightened her awareness of the importance of structural equity and fairness in taxation.

A proud fourth-generation Utahn, Tina was born in Box Elder County and now lives in Mountain Green with her husband, David. They have raised four children together. She is a graduate of Utah State University’s School of Accountancy at the John M. Huntsman School of Business and is a proud Utah State Aggie.

Auditor Cannon’s leadership reflects her unwavering dedication to public trust, responsible stewardship of taxpayer dollars, and the advancement of good governance across Utah.

Former Midway Mayor; Wasatch Council
Colleen Bonner has a long tenure in local government, having served 12 years on the Midway City Council and four years as the Mayor of Midway. She currently serves as an at-large member of the Wasatch County Council. A lifelong resident of the Heber Valley, she has been a vocal advocate for preserving open space and managing rapid population growth while maintaining a "rural flair" for the community.

State Superintendent
Dr. Sydnee Dickson is a Clinical Professor in the Department of Educational Leadership & Policy and the inaugural Special Assistant to the Dean for Strategic Initiatives at the University of Utah’s College of Education. She transitioned to this role in July 2025 following a distinguished nine-year tenure as the Utah State Superintendent of Public Instruction. With over 43 years of experience as a teacher, counselor, and administrator, she is a national leader in competency-based learning and literacy improvement. She holds a doctorate in Educational Leadership & Policy from the University of Utah.

United States Air Force
Autumn Durham is a nuclear missile operator in the U.S. Air Force, previously stationed in Montana before transferring to Utah. She gained public recognition for her resilience after being diagnosed with breast cancer while pregnant, receiving groundbreaking multidisciplinary care at the Huntsman Cancer Institute. She now serves as an advocate for cancer awareness and patient support.

President/Founder The Policy Project
Emily Bell McCormick is founder of The Policy Project— a U.S. non-profit that creates movements in order to forward healthy, long-term policy at a state and national level with a focus on women, girls and other groups that have historically been overlooked or adversely impacted by policy. Through its effort the ‘The Period Project,’ they successfully negotiated a public-private partnership to pass HB 162 in the 2022 Legislative session that mandated that period products be provided in every Utah public and charter school girl and all-gender bathroom, grade K-12—effecting an immediate change for more than 337,000 girls and menstruators.
Prior to her venture into the world of policy, Emily founded and sold a clothing company (Shabby Apple), was an editor and occasional host of Utah’s NBC morning show, KSL Studio 5, and worked as a communication strategy consultant in a myriad of industries including policy, NGOs, REITs, tech and fashion. Emily has a master’s degree in communication from The Ohio State University and a bachelor’s degree in broadcast journalism from Brigham Young University. When she’s not campaigning for a new idea, she is spending time with her five wild kids or attempting to sneak in some brownies and a walk in a beautiful neighborhood.

Director, Utah Office of Energy Development
Emy Lesofski is the Director of the Utah Office of Energy Development and serves as the energy advisor to Governor Spencer Cox. Appointed in 2023, she brings extensive experience in federal appropriations and natural resource policy. She oversees the state’s energy initiatives, including the San Rafael Energy Lab and challenges to federal energy policies.

Latino Healthcare Advocate Cache Valley and candidate
Lizette is a dedicated community leader, advocate, and organizer who has spent over 10 years working to uplift and empower the Latino community. She is focused on addressing the unique challenges faced by Latino families, such as access to quality education, healthcare, economic mobility, and immigrant rights.

Candidate, CD-2 and SLCO Mayor, Attorney
Erin Rider is a local attorney and former political candidate. She was the 2024 Republican nominee for Salt Lake County Mayor, and ran for the US House in 2022, becoming the first Republican woman to get on the primary ballot in the 2nd congressional district. Erin is currently the Vice Chair of Utah Women Run and a co-host on KSL NewsRadio's Inside Sources. She and her adorable dog, Penny, live in Millcreek.

Fmr Ogden city council member
Marcia White is a dedicated public servant and professional planner who served on the Ogden City Council for 12 years, including multiple terms as Council Chair. Professionally, she serves as a Regional Economic Development Planner for the Wasatch Front Regional Council (WFRC), where she leads the Wasatch Front Economic Development District and oversees the Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy (CEDS). Throughout her tenure in local government, she has been a vocal advocate for sustainable urban growth, transit-oriented development, and regional collaboration, serving on boards for the Utah League of Cities and Towns and Envision Utah. A resident of Ogden since 2004, she has focused her career on bridging the gap between municipal policy and long-term economic prosperity for Northern Utah.

Director, Boards and Commissions Office of Governor Cox
Brooke Scheffler is the Director of Boards and Commissions and helps oversee the process of recruiting and appointing members to the state’s boards or commissions. Prior to her appointment as director, she worked as the special assistant for Lt. Governor Deidre M. Henderson. Brooke previously served in the Herbert administration working multiple positions on the communications team. Before that, she worked in the Office of the Utah Attorney General. She graduated from the University of Utah with a bachelor’s degree in communications. She was born and raised in Salt Lake City and now resides in Layton with her husband, Tanner, and two kids, Scottlynn and Beckham. She enjoys the moments of being a new mother and cares passionately about her career and helping make a difference.

Founder, Rethink International
Sui Lang is a visionary leader, speaker, trainer, author, poet and social entrepreneur with a passion for empowering today’s leaders to rethink. create. and innovate. She is the founder of Rethink International, a global social enterprise and impact consulting firm. She has advised thousands of leaders around the world leading in politics, business, government, nonprofits, and the media on a wide range of global leadership, culture, and strategic communications topics. She most recently served as Senior Vice President, Culture at Zions Bank 2020-24 where she was responsible for directing the bank’s strategic vision to foster a culture of community, prosperity, and growth across the organization and build economic inclusion in the communities that it serves. She holds a BS in political science from the University of Utah and MPA from American University’s Women & Politics Institute and serves on numerous community and nonprofit boards.

President, Snow College
Stacee McIff is the President of Snow College, having previously served as the Vice President of Technical Education and Workforce Engagement. A longtime faculty member and Business Department Chair, she has been a key advocate for rural economic development and student success in Sanpete and Sevier counties. She holds degrees from Southern Utah University and Utah State University.

Economy/IR Expert, SUU; Green Dot Director
Jamie Shaw is a government relations expert with over 25 years of experience in federal tax and financial policy, currently serving as Sr. Director of Government & Business Relations at Green Dot Corporation. They previously held roles at the IRS for over two decades. Jamie is also an alum and current student at Southern Utah University, focusing on accounting and business relations.

Canyons School District Board President
Amber Shill was first elected to the Canyons Board of Education in 2014 and re-elected in 2018 and 2022. She is currently serving her second term as Board President and was a candidate for State Senate in 2024.

A lifelong Utah resident, Ms. Shill has been deeply involved in civic engagement for 20 years, serving in school leadership roles and on multiple district committees. She has held leadership positions with the Utah School Boards Association, including as President, and represents Canyons on statewide boards such as Salt Lake County Parks & Recreation and the Utah High School Activities Association Board of Trustees.

She holds a Master of Public Administration and a Bachelor of Science in Finance (cum laude) from BYU. Her civic involvement includes volunteering in Cub Scouts and serving as a Salt Lake County Precinct Delegate.

CEO, Proximity
Becki Wright is the Founder and CEO of Proximity, a nonpartisan political campaign management software company. She has worked as a campaign manager and consultant for various local and national races. With an MPA from the University of Utah, she serves on the boards of Utah Women Run and the Utah PTA Legislative Advocacy Committee.

Orem City Mayor
Karen McCandless served on the Orem City Council for 13 years and was the CEO of Community Action Services and Food Bank from 2017 to 2025. She has been recognized as a Utah Business Woman of the Year and has served on various advisory boards, including the Utah County Planning Commission and Congressman John Curtis’s Women’s Advisory Council. She was elected to serve as Orem City Mayor in 2025.

Lieutenant, Utah Highway Patrol
Lieutenant Jalaine Hawkes is a veteran of the Utah Highway Patrol with over a decade of experience. She has served as the section commander for Salt Lake Community College Police Services and has worked extensively as a Public Information Officer. She is also a member of the UHP Honor Guard and has been active in recruiting diverse personnel for law enforcement.