Accomplished Women Named to Key Positions in the Utah Women & Leadership Project at the Huntsman School

The Associate Director and Statewide Community Outreach Manager will further expand opportunities for women across Utah

Marin Christensen and Angie Kleven have accepted leadership roles with the Utah Women & Leadership Project (UWLP) to strengthen the impact of Utah girls and women by producing relevant research and resources for working women, and by organizing events that inform, inspire, and ignite growth and change for all Utahns.

Marin Christensen has been named Associate Director and will help develop the overall strategic direction of the UWLP through research and writing, project planning, team management, resource development and outreach.

Christensen cofounded the Utah Child Care Cooperative (UC3), which views childcare as an economic and workforce development issue and focuses on employer and state policy innovation to increase support for working parents. She is pursuing a Ph.D. in Human Development and Social Policy at the University of Utah, where she has also been a researcher in the Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute, examining barriers facing working women. 

Speaking of the need for working women to have more options in deciding the best path forward for themselves and their families, Christensen notes, “I have every confidence Utahns can work together to clear this hurdle.  We are creative, industrious, and resilient.  What better place to tackle hard problems than in the Jon M. Huntsman School of Business, where they foster leadership that takes risks and makes the world a better place.  Ensuring women have every opportunity to thrive may require risks, but will ultimately lift us all.”

Angie Kleven will serve as Statewide Community Outreach Manager to develop local and statewide partnerships, organize events, and develop new resources for underserved populations.

Kleven co-founded RISE Education Resource Center in 2009 to provide space, support, mentoring, and advocacy for a variety of educational options.  In 2012, she co-founded and managed Leadership Academy of Nevada, an online public charter school designed to help students grades 6-12 become principled leaders.  She received a master’s degree in Management and Leadership from Western Governors University and was previously employed as adjunct faculty in Instructional Design at Ensign College.

As a single mother of three, Ms. Kleven was sustained in her education and professional efforts by women who provided her with mentoring and support, resources, opportunities, and connections. Because of her experiences, Ms. Kleven is passionate about empowering and educating women and youth so they can become the best versions of themselves.   

“As the Statewide Community Outreach Manger for the UWLP, I anticipate reaching out to women and girls throughout the state and partnering and collaborating with the organizations that serve and support them to do all I can to help them move forward in their lives and contribute to their communities.  I cannot wait to get started!” says Kleven.

Dr. Susan Madsen, founder and director of the UWLP, is enthusiastic about the contributions these two women have already made in understanding and improving women’s issues in Utah, and is confident their knowledge and experiences will enhance the efforts of the UWLP.

“I’m absolutely thrilled to have Marin and Angie join the UWLP team.  Their backgrounds and experience are an ideal fit for the expanded efforts of the UWLP, made possible by our new partnership with the Huntsman School of Business,” says Madsen.  “Both women are deeply engaged in understanding the issues facing Utah women and this will be critical to the efforts of the UWLP moving forward.  Their particular interest and work in research, community outreach, working with partners and collaborators for social change efforts and more will propel us forward in the work we have been doing for well over a decade.  Utah is ready for positive change, and Marin and Angie will be key in leading pieces of this important work.”

The UWLP is advancing the interests of women and girls to move toward more positive economic outcomes for Utah women and a more equitable society.  This timely and important work has been accelerated by the commitment and support of Utah government leadership, the Jon M. Huntsman School of Business, which houses the UWLP, and USU Extension, which facilitates outreach into all corners of the state.