Success in Education Board

Kathi Garff Board Chairwoman
Garff Enterprises

Richard L. Folkerson
President, Success in Education Foundation

Jesselie Barlow Anderson
Barlow Corporation, Layton, Utah

James S. Jardine
Shareholder Ray Quinney Nebbeker

Nolan E. Karras
Chairman, The Karras Company, Inc., a Registered Investment Advisor

Richard Kendall
Educational Leadership and Policy

Patricia Jones
CEO, Women's Leadership Institute

Jeff Stephens
Superintendent, Weber School District

David Petersen
President & CEO, O.C. Tanner

Dr. Dave R Woolstenhulme
Commissioner, Utah System of Higher Education

Dr. Trent Kaufman
Senior Partner and CEO of Cicero Group

Ronald W. Jibson
Retired, Chairman, President and CEO Questar Corporation
Success in Education Staff

Rick Folkerson
Presidentrickf@sieutah.org
Rick received his Bachelor of Arts in Economics at the University of Utah and his Automotive Management degree from the General Motors Dealer Academy. Rick Folkerson has led Success in Education since its inception, and leads the organization's vision for the success of Utah students.

Erin Trenbeath-Murray
Vice Presidenterint@sieutah.org
Erin has dedicated her career to educational access and equality through her work as the former CEO of Utah Community Action/Head Start and adjunct professor at the University of Utah. She is an advocate for the underserved and is passionate about promoting the development of students and women.

Rick Clayton
Senior Directorrclayton@sieutah.org
Rick received his Bachelors of Science in Finance at Brigham Young University. His vast experience in start-ups including Hogi Yogi and Teriyaki Sticks has led him to the Success in Education Foundation. Rick provides leadership around raising funds to support the students in our program.

Mallory Santa Cruz
Director of Keys and Road to Successmallorys@sieutah.org
Mallory joins Success in Education and is invested in creating inclusive and equitable educational pathways. With an MBA degree and background in nonprofit program development, she enjoys her work developing programs to support the individual growth of women and students in Utah.

Audra Yocom
Director of Technology Educationaudray@sieutah.org
Audra Yocom graduated from BYU with a B.S. in Technology & Engineering Education. As a computer science and information technology educator by trade, she is always on the lookout for unique and meaningful opportunities to share with students.

Crystal Martinez
Associate Directorcrystalm@sieutah.org
Crystal's belief in the importance of higher education has been the focal point in all her career choices and has led her to an extensive career at Success in Education. Crystal's passion is to assist first generation and BIPOC students achieve success in and out of the classroom.

Kaitlin Dietrich
Senior Grants & Special Events Managerkaitlinm@sieutah.org
Kaitlin Dietrich has been the Grants and Events Manager for Success in Education since 2016. She grew up in Virginia where she also got a bachelor’s degree in Family and Childhood Development. She has always been passionate about helping others and loves helping students discover their educational opportunities.

Kassandra Cruz
Marketing Managerkassandrac@sieutah.org
Kassandra's passion for education and creativity motivated her to pursue a career in the non-profit marketing scene. With her role as the Marketing Manager, she hopes to help spread the foundation's mission throughout the state.

Sydney Leiseth
SME Women Who Succeedsydneyl@sieutah.org
Sydney developed a special interest for serving and supporting others while studying at Utah State University and serving as an executive chair for the service club. Sydney believes that every student should have equal opportunities to build their futures, so she is thrilled to bring Utah students resources that enable them to prepare for college and career paths of their choosing.

Maddie Park
SME Ken Garff Esportsmpark@sieutah.org
Maddie Park graduated from BYU with a B.S. in Technology and Engineering Education. While there she represented BYU in programs like the World Congress on Positive Psychology in Melbourne, Australia and a NASA launch of a Falcon Heavy rocket in Florida. She loves traveling, watching movies, and cheering on the Seattle Kraken.

Evelyn Gomez
SME Events & Trainingsevelyng@sieutah.org
Evelyn Gomez was born and raised in St. George, Utah. Evelyn received her Bachelor's degree in Criminal Justice from Dixie State University and is currently working on her Master's of Public Administration at Southern Utah University. She is passionate about making a difference in her community regarding access to higher education and is thrilled that she now gets to do this across the state of Utah through the Success In Education programs. Outside of work and remote learning, she loves decompressing with a good book, watching Law & Order, or trips to thrift stores.

Hannah Jeffs
SME Road to Successhannahj@sieutah.org
Hannah discovered her passion for equity, advocacy, representation, and accessibility while earning her B.S. in Strategic Communication and B.A. in Gender Studies with a Disability Studies minor at the University of Utah. Hannah believes everyone deserves a post-secondary education, as it was a meaningful part of her professional and personal growth as a first-generation student. Hannah is excited to connect opportunities and resources to students throughout Utah through Success in Education.
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