Registered and looking for information on accessing regroup: The 2021 UNA Annual Nonprofit Conference? Please check your inbox for an email from info@utahnonprofits.org. Not finding it? Please email Alison Anderson at aanderson@utahnonprofits.org.
UNA Nonprofit Leader Awards recognize the inspiration, healing, and help brought by the people who devote their careers to the nonprofit sector. Congratulations to the 2021 UNA Nonprofit Leader Award recipients.
2021 Emerging Nonprofit Leader: Hope Zitting-Goeckeritz, Executive Director, VOTERISE
With a background in government and public administration, Hope Zitting-Goeckeritz assumed the mantle of leadership early on in her career. She joined VOTERISE as Executive Director in 2019 and has excelled tremendously in her position. She leads the organization with honesty and integrity—advocating for non-partisan voter registration and voter outreach. She possesses a relentless work ethic, and has won the respect of those around her—both in and outside of her organization. Hope launched and completed a successful door-hanger campaign in the 2020 election reaching 17,500 households and also conceived, developed, and executed the VOTERISE Virtual Utah Women's Day + International Women's Day Conference. She is devoted to advocating for extensive voter education, supporting inclusive legislation, and encouraging underrepresented groups to participate in politics.
2021 Outstanding Nonprofit Leader: Kristen Mitchell, Co-founder and Executive Director, Youth Futures
Kristen Mitchell has made it her life passion to being a fierce advocate for youth who are marginalized, experiencing homelessness, or are in need of wraparound services. She leads Youth Futures as a dedicated leader, who is deeply compassionate and concerned for her team and works to ensure their well-being both at work and at home. Kristen is the kind of person you can call at 3 am and will always answer. She advocated for and succeeded in altering Utah state law in order to establish a facility that provides safe shelter and resources for homeless, unaccompanied, runaway, and at-risk youth ages 12-17. This mission is personal to Kristen and she is tireless in her advocacy for making things better for youth in Utah. Youth Futures began in Ogden, has expanded to serve the St. George, and continues to grow with additional residential youth shelters and resource programs for other communities across the state.
Past Nonprofit Leader Award Winners
Upper Left: Heather Chase, The Haven; Lower Left: Repertory Dance Theatre; Center: Linda C. Smith, Repertory Dance Theatre; Upper Center: Mountain West Mothers' Milk Bank; Lower Center: Jennie Noren, Mountain West Mothers' Milk Bank; Right: Andrea Himoff, Action Utah
-
2020 Outstanding Nonprofit Leader: Jennifer Nuttall, Neighborhood House
-
2020 Emerging Nonprofit Leader: Krista Useche, The Family Place
-
2019 Outstanding Nonprofit Leader: Linda C. Smith, Repertory Dance Theatre
-
2019 Emerging Nonprofit Leader: Jennie Noren, Mountain West Mother's Milk Bank
-
2018 Outstanding Nonprofit Leader: Heather Chase, The Haven
-
2018 Emerging Nonprofit Leader: Andrea Himoff, Action Utah
-
2017 Outstanding Nonprofit Leader: Eric Bjorklund, Utah Youth Village
-
2017 Emerging Nonprofit Leader: Kim Correa, The Inn Between