Company news information may be sent to brice.w@thecityjournals.com.
BANKING
• Bank of Utah, based in Ogden, has hired Carlos Santivanez as a home mortgage loan officer at the bank’s Sandy branch. Santivanez has nearly 25 years of experience in the finance industry.
CONSTRUCTION
• Sundt Construction Inc., an Arizona-based general contractor, has promoted Jasen Bennie to senior vice president within the company’s Transportation Group, overseeing operations in the Intermountain region. He will lead Sundt’s growth and project delivery efforts across Utah, Idaho and Montana. Bennie, who joined Sundt in 2019, has 25 years of experience in heavy civil construction. Throughout his career, he has served in various leadership roles, managing projects ranging from major highway expansions to bridge construction and urban infrastructure improvements. He also led the local Sundt Foundation committee.
GOVERNMENT
• The Utah Department of Health and Human Services has announced that Nathan Checketts will assume the role of interim Medicaid director starting Nov. 1. Checketts currently serves as DHHS deputy director for healthcare administration. Checketts succeeds Dr. Jennifer Strohecker, who has served as Utah’s Medicaid director for the past four years and is stepping down to pursue opportunities in the private sector. In addition to overseeing the Medicaid program, Strohecker also serves as director of the DHHS Division of Integrated Healthcare, which includes the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), Office of Substance Abuse and Mental Health, and the Utah State Hospital.
HEALTH CARE
• Sethera Therapeutics, a Salt Lake City-based biotechnology company advancing polymacrocyclic peptide therapeutics, has appointed two people to its Scientific Advisory Board. Jeffery W. Kelly is the Lita Annenberg Hazen Professor of Chemistry at Scripps Research and a pioneer in the field of protein folding and proteostasis. At Sethera, he will advise on the translation of conformationally constrained macrocyclic peptide designs into clinically meaningful therapeutics targeting complex disease mechanisms. Alexander M. Klibanov is the Novartis Professor of Chemistry (emeritus) at MIT and is internationally recognized for groundbreaking work in enzyme catalysis, protein formulation, and the development of antimicrobial materials. Klibanov is a member of both the U.S. National Academy of Sciences and the National Academy of Engineering. His expertise will support Sethera’s advancement of enzymatically engineered peptide candidates toward clinical
development.
NONPROFITS
• CommonSpirit Health, a nonprofit Catholic health care organization, has named Kyle Braithwaite as director of CommonSpirit’s Holy Cross Health Foundation and chief philanthropy officer for the Utah market. He will oversee fundraising efforts to support CommonSpirit’s five nonprofit hospitals located along the Wasatch Front. Braithwaite most recently served for the past 12 years as a senior development officer at Weber State University.
• Utah Global Diplomacy, a nonprofit that aims to promote respect and understanding between the people of Utah and other nations, has appointed eight directors to its board. Gordon H. Smith, director of church hosting at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, served two terms as a U.S. senator from Oregon (1997-2009) and later served as senior advisor at Covington & Burling LLP, and as president and CEO of the National Association of Broadcasters. Barney Boynton, CEO and founder of Go Pave Utah is an entrepreneur with over 25 years of experience in facilities, construction and asphalt management who has served as CEO and founder of multiple businesses. He has expertise across the full asphalt lifecycle and is skilled in construction management and exterior property education. Beth Colosimo most recently served as executive director of The Mill Entrepreneurship Center at Salt Lake Community College. She previously owned Wasatch Home Furnishings and worked in economic development and multinational sales. She has served on numerous boards, including the Utah World Trade Center, Utah Microloan Fund and International Women’s Forum. Brayden Wardrop, CEO and founder, Kyte Learning/Perch, is an entrepreneur and technology leader with a background in education, business development and global engagement. As senior program manager at Microsoft, he partners with schools, policymakers and business leaders to bridge technology and education. He is also the founder of Perch, an HR and training platform. Previously, he founded Kyte Learning, an ed-tech company providing professional development worldwide, and launched Stride, a business growth platform for entrepreneurs. Community advocate Judianne Peterson dedicates herself to volunteering and lifelong learning through University of Utah Osher Institute courses. Her background includes 21 years in Boston, where she taught piano and embraced diverse cultures. Renzo Andia Mejia, bilingual customer service lead at Navient, is a data analyst with experience in human resources, finance and analytics. Community advocate Laurie Williams Sowby is a lifelong journalist, musician and world traveler to over 80 countries. She served on Utah Valley University’s Global Engagement advisory board, taught college writing for 12 years, and has been active on local symphony and arts boards. Michael Deaver, senior vice president of Strategies 360, and honorary consul of Indonesia to Utah, is a public affairs and event production expert with a background in sports, entertainment and events marketing. He co-founded Live Strategies Group, where he directed the Tooele County tourism brand launch and produced the 2018 Utah Solutions Summit. Previously, he served as vice president of development and events for the Utah Sports Commission, executive director of the Governor’s Special Initiatives Office, and deputy director of tourism. He also held leadership roles at United Concerts and BYU Athletics. He serves on multiple boards, including the Pete Suazo Utah Athletic Commission.