The Future of Energy

Senator Blouin represents District 13 in the Utah State Senate, covering Sugar House, South Salt Lake, Millcreek, Murray, and West Valley City. He completed undergraduate degrees at Salt Lake Community College and the University of Utah and a Master of Public Affairs from Brown University. As a strong advocate for environmental and sustainability initiatives, he focuses on clean energy, the Great Salt Lake, affordable housing, and air quality as well as good governance and democracy issues. He serves on the Senate Natural Resources, Agriculture, and Environment Committee and the Senate Government Operations and Political Subdivisions Committee during session, and the Public Utilities, Energy, and Technology Interim Committee. He has sponsored legislation to restore the Great Salt Lake, incentivize energy storage, and implement fair taxation in Utah. Outside of the legislature, you can often find him in the Wasatch on foot, skis, or bike.

The Future of Water

Laura Briefer is the Director of Salt Lake City Department of Public Utilities (SLCDPU). She has served as Director of SLCDPU since 2016. Laura has worked at SLCDPU for 17 years in various areas of the organization and has devoted a 30-year career to natural resource, environmental, and public policy professions in the public, private, and non-profit sectors. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Environmental Studies from the University of California at Santa Barbara, and a Master of Public Administration from the University of Utah. Laura additionally serves as an Adjunct Instructor in the Division of Public Affairs at the University of Utah. Laura was recognized with the Distinguished Service Award for an Appointed Official by the Utah Chapter of the American Society for Public Administration in 2024.

Laura is a co-author of several peer-reviewed published papers alongside Utah’s academic institutions, focused on water resources, climate change, and watershed management. She serves on local and national boards, including the Jordan River and Utah Watershed Councils, the Utah Water Task Force, the Provo River Water Users Association, the National Association of Clean Water Agencies, and the national Water Research Foundation.

The Future of Aging

Mr. Brown is an award-winning broadcast TV journalist, host, and producer. James has worked across multiple independent and major network outlets. He also played a key role in the development and management of Salt & Pepper Marketing, a full services advertising and marketing agency and Salt Lake City Studios located in Salt Lake City, UT where he served as founder and President. As a host, writer, and producer, James has been the driving force behind several innovative and engaging national and international programs as well as being a featured voice on TV and Radio. His distinctive ability to create innovative properties has carried forward through the national launch of Living and Aging with Pride. Living and Aging with Pride is bolstered by his proven ability to create and manage multimedia-platform content for a diverse and inclusive global audience. Mr. Brown has long been a community advocate and championed equality and diversity.

The Future of Genetics

Dr. Capecchi is known for his pioneering work on the development of gene targeting in mice. This technology allows creation of mutations in any desired gene, providing virtually complete freedom to manipulate the genome of living mice. His work has revolutionized the study of mammalian biology and is used to understand countless diseases by scientists worldwide. In 2007, he was recognized for this achievement with the Nobel Prize in physiology or medicine.

His current research is directed at determining the molecular mechanism responsible for chronic anxiety and obsessive-compulsive disorders.

The Future of Community Organizing

Erika Carlsen is a bridge-builder and advocate for community-driven change. A Utah native with a background in activism and leadership, she has collaborated with national fellowships, earned a Master of Divinity from Harvard, and dedicated her career to service and civic engagement. As a grassroots, local leader in Salt Lake City, Erika co-founded the Ballpark Action Team, serves on nonprofit boards, and leads community-driven initiatives. She is now running to represent District 5 on the Salt Lake City Council, bringing her grassroots leadership and community-driven approach to local government.

The Future of Journalism

Elaine Clark became KUER's news director in 2020 following a short turn as managing editor. Before that, she spent 15 years as a producer for the station's flagship interview program RadioWest. She has a BA in folklore and Germanic studies from Indiana University and earned a master's degree in Middle East studies from the University of Utah. The latter included a year of academic research and work for an education NGO in the West Bank. Elaine wanders the desert and mountains with her husband, dreams about her former days as a rugby fullback and, as a self-confessed history nerd, reads 19th century newspapers and census records for sport.

The Future of Homelessness

Preston L. Cochrane serves as the CEO of The Other Side Village, a master-planned therapeutic community of healing and purposeful living for individuals overcoming chronic homelessness. The Village emphasizes personal growth, peer accountability, social connection, self-reliance, and employment through its social enterprises.

With extensive executive-level leadership experience, Preston has held pivotal roles including Vice President of Housing & Support Services at Valley Behavioral Health, Executive Director at Shelter the Homeless, CEO of American Research Bureau, and CEO/Co-founder of AAA Fair Credit Foundation.

An advocate for of financial empowerment and economic inclusion, Preston has spearheaded impactful initiatives and currently serves as Board Chair of Family Financial Education Foundation. He was honored as the 2025 recipient of the R. Duncan Wallace M.D. Foundation Social Servant of the Year and winner of the 2010 EY Entrepreneur Of The YearTM in the Mountain West region. He has also contributed as a regional judge for the EY Entrepreneur Of The YearTM program. Preston is a member of the One Utah Health Collaborative Innovation Advisory Board and the founder of the Utah Social Innovation Alliance.

A graduate of the University of Utah in Exercise Physiology and Sport Science and Beta Theta Pi fraternity alumnus, Preston holds certifications as a Certified Personal Finance Counselor, Certified Applied Behavioral Master Coach, and ISO 9001 Internal Quality Management Systems Auditor. He is fluent in Vietnamese, and enjoys coaching youth sports, fly fishing, skiing, wakeboarding, golfing, and playing the drums. He is married and the proud father of four children.

The Future of Flight

The Future of Business in Utah

A seasoned business leader turned media executive, Melanie Jones serves as editor-in-chief of Utah Business. Her unique perspective stems from over 25 years in medical device manufacturing at Ultradent Products, followed by executive leadership as Chief of Staff and VP of Planning at Younique. With a bachelor's degree in digital communication from BYU-Idaho and additional credentials from the University of British Columbia, Harvard Business School Online, NYU, and Rolling Stone, Melanie brings both corporate expertise and modern media savvy to her work. A former speaking coach for TEDxSaltLakeCity, she helped 50+ thought leaders craft compelling narratives during her five seasons with the program. She continues to actively shape Utah's business landscape through her involvement with the Utah Women & Leadership Project and other influential advisory boards.

The Future of Local Politics

Victoria Petro’s journey to public service is rooted in her deep love for Salt Lake City’s Westside and her commitment to creating a brighter future for District 1. First appointed to the Salt Lake City Council in November 2021, she quickly earned the trust of District 1 voters, who elected her to a full four-year term starting Jan. 3, 2022. Her colleagues recognized her leadership abilities, electing her as Council Vice Chair in 2023 and Council Chair in 2024. Victoria also represents the city on the Utah Fairpark Area Investment and Restoration District Board, Utah Inland Port Authority Board and Salt Lake City Airport Board, advocating for equitable, community- centered development.

Victoria earned a bachelor’s degree in music therapy from East Carolina University, a master’s in musicology from Brandeis University, a master’s in international studies from North Carolina State University and a certificate in nonprofit management from Duke University. Her career has spanned nonprofit leadership and consulting, with a focus on creating actionable strategies to improve inclusion, diversity, equity, and accessibility across various settings.

As Executive Director of Salty Cricket, a nonprofit dedicated to building community through music, Victoria encouraged sustainable, strategic development for young and diverse communities. She also served on Salt Lake City’s Historic Landmark Commission and on the boards of Utahns for Culture and the Utah Cultural Alliance. Her contributions to the community were recognized in 2019 when she received the Salt Lake City Deedee Corradini Emerging Leader Award and in 2024 when she received Utah Women Run’s Martha Hughes Cannon Award for Outstanding Impact in Local Government.

The Future of Books

The Future of DEI

Tamara N. Stevenson, Ed.D., is the vice president of diversity, equity, and inclusion and chief diversity officer at Westminster University in Salt Lake City, Utah. She specializes in organizational leadership, strategic communication, and policy equity to drive systemic change. A first-generation college graduate from Detroit, Michigan, Dr. Stevenson holds doctoral and specialist degrees in educational leadership from Eastern Michigan University, as well as a master’s in organizational communication and a bachelor’s in journalism from Wayne State University. Prior to academia, she spent over a decade in corporate communication, working across journalism, automotive, healthcare, and education sectors.

Since joining Westminster in 2012, Dr. Stevenson has made history as the first African American faculty member in its communication program to earn multi-year contracts and advance to associate professor. She has taught primarily in communication programs for more than 25 years, with additional experience in educational leadership, across institutions in Michigan, Ohio, and Utah.

Dr. Stevenson serves as chair of Utah’s Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Human Rights Commission and sits on the advisory board of KUER, Utah’s NPR affiliate. She is a board member of YWCA Utah and the National Association of Diversity Officers in Higher Education (NADOHE), where she chairs the Membership Committee. She is a member of the Utah Women’s Forum and Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. In 2022, she was honored with the Salt Lake Chamber of Commerce’s Trailblazer Award and named Educator of the Year by the Utah Tri-Iota Graduate Chapter of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc.

Dr. Stevenson was recently selected for the 2025-26 American Council on Education Fellows Program, a distinguished fellowship preparing the next generation of higher education leaders.

The Future of Books

Noella graduated from the University of Utah S.J. Quinney College of Law in 2009 and has already had a full and diverse career.

Following a clerkship for the Honorable Ronald Nehring of the Utah Supreme Court, she began her legal practice as a public defender, where she quickly developed a passion for criminal justice reform. In 2016, Noella was appointed by the Salt Lake County Council as the Director of the Criminal Justice Advisory Council for the County, and in that role, led the successful bipartisan legislative campaign to pass Utah’s Clean Slate law--a new law that automates the criminal record expungement process for more than 450,000 Utahns. Noella went on to found Clean Slate Utah, a non-profit to raise awareness of the automatic clearance law, and is the current CEO and Founder of Rasa Public Benefit Corporation, a new legal tech company that provides low-cost legal expungement services to people not eligible for automatic record clearance.

Noella has received several honors and awards for her public service, including being recognized as a Young Alumna of the Year, by the University of Utah S.J. Quinney College of Law, the 2019 Woman of the Year by Utah Business Magazine, and as a Pioneer of the National Clean Slate Movement, from the National Clean Slate Initiative.

In 2022, she was selected to receive the Distinguished Service Award by the Utah State Bar. In 2023, she was named by Inc. Magazine as one of the Top 200 most dynamic female founders in America.