The People Behind the Work That Supports Utah Educators

Leadership

President
Board of Directors
Vice President

Executive Director
Reports to UEA President, Board of Directors and Vice President

Program Directors

Program Directors Report to UEA Executive Director

Associate Professional Staff

This group reports to the Governance Support and Administrative Director

UEA Regional UniServ Team

This group reports to the UniServ Coordinator and Bargaining Director

View List of UniServ Regional Directors and Staff

Role Details

In Alphabetical Order - Click on Name to Contact

Board of Directors

The Board of Directors serves as the governing body of the organization and oversees the Executive Director.

View UEA Board of Directors

Campaigns and Elections Director
Bonnie Billings

Oversees UEA’s elections and campaigns efforts, engaging members in electoral strategies and coordinating with the UEA Political Action Committee to support pro-education candidates and policies. Facilitates candidate interviews to assess alignment with UEA priorities, mobilizes members for issue-based campaigns, organizes grassroots efforts to influence legislative outcomes, and builds partnerships with statewide education organizations and advocacy groups.

Communications and Public Relations Associate Professional
Meg Tanner

The UEA Communications and Public Relations Associate Professional provides administrative as well as substantive support to the Communications and Public Relations Department and supports the communication and promotion of various events and initiatives across departments.

Communications and Public Relations Director
Hailey Higgins

Oversees UEA’s internal and external communication strategies, ensures consistent messaging to protect and strengthen the UEA brand, acts as primary contact for media inquiries, and manages crisis communication efforts.

Confidential Associate Professional
Yonathan Workalemahu

The UEA Confidential Associate Professional provides confidential and administrative support to UEA’s Legal Services program and the office of the general counsel and supports confidential processes within the human resources and finance departments.

Equity and Membership Associate Professional
Serena Millet

The UEA Membership and Equity Associate Professional provides administrative and substantive support for program staff over membership, organizing and equity.

Event Coordinator Associate Professional
Anilee Briscoe

The UEA Events Coordinator Associate Professional provides logistical and programmatic support for various conferences, committees and task forces and supports multiple program directors with event-specific work as well as other administrative duties.

Executive Director
Lisa Nentl-Bloom (Interim)

Manages all headquarters and state option UniServ staff and manages the association budget. Advises the UEA President, the UEA Board and other officers, implements organization priorities, programs and activities as determined by the UEA Board and guided by governing documents, and provides vision and direction to staff.

Facilities Coordinator
Nick Lopez

The UEA Facilities Coordinator oversees all aspects of building maintenance, logistics, purchasing and custodial needs for multiple UEA facilities and works closely with leadership on day-to-day operations.

Finance Director
Brenda Pett

Maintains all financial records, processes payroll and payments to governance, vendors and other stakeholders, and advises on budget matters. Provides monthly financial reports, monitors UniServ dues and funding, prepares for and works with auditors, and handles all financial and benefit-related issues associated with human resources.

General Counsel and Legal Services Director
Tracey M. Watson

Advises and represents the UEA President, UEA Board and the association as a whole, and provides legal advice and counsel during the annual House of Delegates meeting. Oversees, manages and ensures compliance with the NEA Unified Legal Services Program, provides legal advice and counsel to UniServ Directors statewide, and manages and provides legal representation for UEA members.

Government Relations Associate Professional
Eunice Lahweka

The UEA Government Relations Associate Professional provides administrative and substantive support to the Government Relations and Campaigns and Elections directors, including meetings, events, socials, political forums, fundraising initiatives and other projects throughout the year.

Government Relations, Policy and Research Director
Dr. Sara Jones

Directs UEA’s legislative advocacy efforts, representing and lobbying members’ interests during the legislative session, and builds and maintains relationships with lawmakers and state agencies to influence education policy. Monitors and evaluates proposed legislation affecting public education, educators and students, prepares and delivers testimony to legislative committees, drafts policy briefs to inform stakeholders, and coordinates the UEA Policy Ambassadors Program.

Governance Support and Administrative Director
Heather Shephard

Provides confidential administrative support to the UEA President, vice president, executive director, Board of Directors, House of Delegates and Rules and Resolutions Committee in their leadership roles and obligations, including scheduling, meeting planning, logistics and travel. Counsels with the president and executive director and executes matters pertaining to governance structures, serves as a subject matter expert on governing and organizational documents and trains leaders and staff as needed. Oversees all programmatic, logistical and follow-up items related to the House of Delegates, Board meetings, committees and other governance functions. Serves as an intermediary for communications between leadership, the Board, staff and stakeholders. Coordinates appointments to UEA committees, task forces, EMI Health Board of Directors, Utah Retirement Systems Board and Membership Advisory Council, and NEA committees and task forces. Manages the annual master calendar, Board schedule and Council of Local Presidents meetings, oversees the lifecycle of open officer and director positions, candidate declaration processes, orientation for newly elected leaders and NEA-RA delegate status. Coordinates Board initiatives including weighted voting, the Board’s social fund, nominations for the UEA Honor Roll and Service to Association Awards, and NEA nominations, and manages annual holiday communications. Supervises headquarters associate professional staff, supports training and professional development, resolves performance issues, conducts evaluations, analyzes and organizes administrative operations, and supports budget planning, audit coordination and internal policy development.

Human Resources and Equity Director
Bianca Mittendorf

Provides expertise and strategic guidance in all areas of human resources, excluding benefits, and works to advance equity, social and racial justice initiatives within UEA. Develops employment policies and procedures, organizes affinity spaces for underrepresented groups, collaborates with local associations to strengthen diverse member retention and engagement efforts, and conducts equity audits to identify areas for improvement.

Information Technology Director
Paul Chadwick

Oversees IT infrastructure, ensures network security, manages remote access technologies, and provides technical support for association operations. Tests and deploys server and desktop updates, manages network security, and serves as liaison to the Elections Committee.

Membership Associate Professional
Marjean Wayment

The UEA Membership Associate Professional is the subject matter expert on the shared database for which membership records are maintained and dues accounting for each member occurs and provides administrative and substantive support for the membership department.

UniServ Specialist, Membership and Organizing Director
William Spiegal

Leads a statewide membership drive geared toward new educators, including creating training materials and coordinating with local leaders to ensure campaign success. Designs and coordinates membership organizing campaigns, manages the collection and analysis of membership data, and collaborates with local affiliates to increase member engagement and retention.

President
Renée Pinkney

The President provides organizational leadership and works in partnership with the Board of Directors to oversee the Executive Director and guide the strategic direction of the association.

Professional Learning Director
Lillian Tsosie-Jensen

Leads UEA’s professional learning strategy while ensuring alignment of member learning initiatives with statewide educational goals and the Three Pillars framework. Develops micro-credential programs to enhance professional skills, coordinates statewide training sessions for educators, and provides support to local associations with professional development resources.

UniServ Associate Professionals

UniServ Associate Professionals provide administrative and programmatic support for UniServ Directors and governance, including maintaining operations, supporting meetings, managing documentation and assisting local leadership.

UniServ Coordinator and Bargaining Director
Jay Blain

Oversees the UniServ Program and coordinates support for local associations. Develops collective bargaining strategies, provides training on negotiation processes, prepares detailed budget reports for local negotiations, organizes the statewide bargaining conference, and supervises state option UniServ staff.

UniServ Director

Supports membership, organizing, advocacy, political action and other member-driven initiatives within the UniServ Council. Assists elected UniServ and local leaders within the council, provides local teams with consultation, training and support with district bargaining, represents members in advocacy and grievances, and supports building representatives, committees and executive boards.

UniServ Regional Directors

UniServ Regional Directors support local associations across Utah and provide direct organizing, bargaining, advocacy and member support in their assigned regions.

Vice President
Brandon Bacca

The Vice President supports the President and Board of Directors in providing organizational leadership and helps oversee the Executive Director while advancing the association’s strategic priorities.

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