BWF Spoke Updates - June 2025

In the Bolder Way Forward Framework, there are 18 specific areas of focus (spokes). Each spoke, a key topic area where change needs to occur, is also a movement with a strategy that functions to make the whole greater than the sum of its parts. Effective work within the spokes is needed to create more expansive and cohesive change overall. To learn more about each spoke’s leadership, bold vision and goals, thriving statements, partners, and ways to get involved, please click on the individual spoke webpages (linked below). The following are monthly updates on what is happening within each of the Spokes:  

Childcare/Pre-K: The spoke started the month by highlighting National Child Care Provider Appreciation Day on May 9th, along with national and local advocates. The Childcare/Pre-K Programs Spoke also identified and shared a profusion of local and national press coverage this month, including four op-eds in the Salt Lake Tribune and Deseret News about the childcare crisis. In addition, the Spoke shared coverage about New Mexico’s groundbreaking universal childcare program lifting 120,000 people from poverty. Vermont’s action on childcare was also covered this month with press detailing how business leaders lobbied for a minute payroll tax to increase child-care opportunities for Vermont employees. The Spoke also brought awareness to stories from early childhood advocates decrying the potential elimination of HeadStart. Read all the aforementioned childcare press on the Spoke’s LinkedIn page, Instagram account, or by signing up for the monthly statewide newsletter. 

Child Sexual Abuse: This month the Child Sexual Abuse Spoke welcomed Jen Dyer, COO of PHASE Alliance as a new Spoke Co-Lead. She will be a great addition to the group and the Spoke is excited for her expertise and passion as well as the partnership with PHASE. The Spoke met with Dr. Madsen for the bi-yearly Spoke Strategy Discussion and had a meaningful conversation about foundational topics including Spoke goals, working group structure, and engaging with people at the county level. The Spoke Coordinator created a resource hub to support the Spoke County Representative community with key BWF and Spoke information, action items, and resources. The resource section on the Spoke webpage as well as the “What Utahns Need to Know” 2-page document were revamped and the Spoke encourages all to utilize these materials to learn more and make a difference. The Grassroots Awareness and Organizational Outreach Working Groups are steadily gaining new volunteers dedicated to spreading awareness and advocating for child sexual abuse prevention education. If you would like to get involved in a working group (there are 6 with different areas of focus), please reach out to Alexa (Spoke Coordinator) at alexabsimon@gmail.com.    

Domestic Violence:  The Domestic Violence Spoke made significant progress on the Religion & Domestic Violence Subspoke in May, including gathering several volunteers who will be leading working groups, and identifying a Subspoke co-leader. The first meeting of the Subspoke will be happening soon. The Spoke had added a goal focused on the Dear Utah campaign to increase the number of stories that are shared by women and men in Utah who have been victims of violence. Please submit your stories here and share Dear Utah with your friends and family and encourage others to share their stories. The Utah Domestic Violence Coalition is working with fellow BWF Partner, the the Utah Commission on Criminal and Juvenile Justice (CCJJ), on funding priorities for 2025/2026. You can view the most recent update to the CCJJ 2024-2026 strategic plan here. If you are not yet on the Domestic Violence Spoke email list, please subscribe to updates here. The Spoke is looking for a volunteer to help gather events related to Domestic Violence across the state. If you are interested, please email Carey (Spoke Coordinator) at carey@careyvanwagoner.com.   

Entrepreneurship: Exciting things are happening in the Entrepreneurship Spoke! Working Groups have been formed to focus on the following areas: Communication & Public Outreach, Utah Women’s Entrepreneur Network, Utah Capital Connect, University & Community Entrepreneurship Support, and Utah Women Entrepreneurship Proclamation. If you are interested in getting involved, please complete this form or contact the Spoke Coordinator (Crystal) at crystal.bwf@gmail.com. Congratulations to the Utah Women’s Business Center (BWF Key Partner) as they have been named the 2025 Women’s Business Center of Excellence by the U.S. Small Business Administration. The award was presented to Ann Marie Wallace (WBC State Director and Spoke Leader) in Washington D.C on May 4. The Governor's Office of Economic Opportunity recently announced that the Utah Small Business Credit Initiative has been approved, which will offer $1.2 Million in support of small businesses in the state of Utah! Applications will be open for enrollment in the next month; click here for more information.   

Finance:  The Finance Spoke worked this month to prepare to gather as a spoke at the 3rd Annual BWF Summit on June 6. The Intervention Resources Working Group made efforts to reach out to our county partners to find additional financial resources and created a rubric to evaluate these resources. Spoke Partner USU Extension held Empowering Finance Wellness courses that were offered free-of-charge every Tuesday and Thursday throughout May. The Spoke also welcomed Utah Money Matters and the Financial Planning Association of Utah-Idaho as new partners this month. To learn more about initiatives and opportunities to engage, please contact Angela (Spoke Coordinator) at atrawlings1@gmail.com.  

 

Gender Pay Gap: A recording of the Equal Pay Day event hosted by the Corporations Working Group is now available for viewing online. The Communication/Education Working Group's educational modules focused on compensation strategies and plans will be released this month. Working Group Leaders are scheduling appointments with women's groups statewide to share these modules. If you would like them to present to your organization or group, please let us know. Additionally, the Data/Research Working Group is in the final approval process with groups at the University of Utah to support future Utah-specific data research projects. The Legislative Working Group will be collaborating with policy/legislative working groups from other workplace spokes on future legislation. 

Health Across the Lifespan: The Older Adult/End of Life Subspoke welcomed Raven Albertson from the Alzheimer's Association Utah Chapter as a co-lead, joining Dr. Elizabeth Fauth and KoShell Miller-Burnham as they address the impacts of aging unique to women. Education and awareness are foundational parts of health. As they strive to increase knowledge around perimenopause, a guide to symptoms entitled "It’s More Than Hot Flashes: Common Symptoms of Perimenopause" was created by the Perimenopause/Midlife Subspoke, which was disseminated at the 3rd Annual BWF Summit and will be shared widely through the County Coalitions. Similarly, the Disordered Eating Working Group is developing conversation guides for providers, families, and friends to help them recognize and support those with signs and symptoms of disordered eating. Expanding partnerships, efforts around increasing the rate of women screened for colon cancer through provider education with One Utah Health Collaborative is underway. Addressing access issues for women throughout the state, the Access Subspoke will benefit from an additional co-leader.  If you are interested in this opportunity, please contact Amy Anderson (Spoke Coordinator) at amy.z.anderson@usu.edu.  

Higher Education Attainment: The Higher Education Attainment Spoke is happy to announce new working groups focused on Awareness and Communication, Barriers and Resources, and Policy. These working groups will help focus our resources and volunteers on initiatives that help move the needle. The Spoke is looking for co-leads to help guide these groups. Please contact Courtney (Spoke Coordinator) at courtney.bwf@gmail.com if you would like to get involved. The Spoke is making great progress on its goals, but recent data show that the number of high school seniors that completed FAFSA in 2024 has decreased to 37.3%. The Spoke is strategizing how to improve these rates in Utah.     

Home & Family: The Spoke welcomed two new co-leaders, Alyssa DeHart and Jeff Combe, who are passionate about home and family work and are motivated to see progress in the Spoke’s key areas. Additionally, the Home & Family County Rep Committee met and discussed county-specific needs, focusing on collecting resources from across the state for our resource page. This month, the spoke also added a new working group focused on Digital & Media Wellness. The Moms with Littles Working Group encourages all parents with younger children to take this survey, which will gather input across the state on how to make businesses and public spaces more child-friendly. The Single Mothers Subspoke reminds followers to share the Utah Single Mothers Coalition Facebook group with single mothers within their networks. 

K-12 Initiatives:  The Spoke’s Math Matters Campaign continues to spread awareness about Early Numeracy. Many are interacting with the Spoke’s Instagram posts and sharing suggestions on how to count with younger children. The Spoke is looking forward to a discussion on absenteeism with the Education Committee during the upcoming Utah Legislative Interim Session. The Spoke Leaders will be monitoring this topic and will provide updates on any developments that may arise. These will be posted in the monthly newsletter. If you would like to be added to the newsletter, please contact Laney Benedict (Spoke Coordinator) at laneysconnection@gmail.com.  

Leadership Development: Spoke Leaders are still feeling inspired after the recent leadership development event for girls (“Cultivate Your Leadership Potential”) organized by the Girls & Young Women Subspoke. The Spoke would like to give a huge thank you to Rowland Hall for hosting this meaningful event, and to the amazing organizations who joined us and shared their passion for empowering girls and building strong communities: Girls Riding Together, 4-H (Utah State University Extension), Girl Scouts of Utah, The American Red Cross, and SheJumps. Each group brought energy, insight, and hands-on activities that sparked curiosity and confidence within participants. From interactive booths to thoughtful conversations, these organizations demonstrated what leadership in action looks like. During focus groups, each organization shared needs, dreams, and ideas for collaboration. Together, we’re building a future where Utah girls lead with confidence, courage, and community. To everyone who attended, volunteered, and supported – thank you. Let’s keep leading the way! 

Organizational Strategies & Workplace Culture: In May, the Spoke bid a fond farewell to co-leader Chris Hayes. The Spoke is pleased to announce that Melanie Jones, CEO of Women’s Leadership Institute, has leaned in as a new co-leader. After meaningful discussions with Spoke and UWLP leadership, the structure of the Organizational Strategies Spoke has been refined to focus on gathering and sharing updates, events, resources and best practices collaboratively with other workplace spokes, including Childcare/Pre-K, Gender Pay Gap, Leadership Development, Sexual Harassment & Gender-Based Discrimination, STEM Fields, and Workforce Development. If you are interested in organizational strategies and would like to be involved, please contact Kristen Lee (Spoke Coordinator) at klee.abwf@gmail.com.  

Political & Civic Representation: The Spoke was busy in May preparing for the 3rd Annual BWF Summit. During this important event on June 6, the Spoke showcased a new partner toolkit that provides a one-stop guide for topics including a quick start checklist for civic engagement, voter registration and turnout details, a running for local office roadmap, political advocacy information, inclusive/DEI outreach considerations, funding/compliance basics, and a partner/resource directory. Additionally, the Spoke is happy to welcome new BWF Key Partner, Braver Angels.  

Poverty & Homelessness: The Poverty and Homelessness Spoke was honored to participate in the 3rd Annual BWF Summit on June 6, 2025. At this important gathering, the Spoke engaged with fellow organizations and stakeholders committed to advancing equity and economic stability for women. The Spoke is grateful to all who shared insights, exchanged best practices, and helped foster innovative partnerships. The Spoke looks forward to learning more about the impactful work being led across sectors and is particularly interested in exploring collaborative strategies that address the complex and interconnected challenges of homelessness and poverty. By building stronger alliances, we aim to enhance the support systems available to women experiencing housing insecurity and financial hardship. The Spoke is seeking an additional co-leader to provide perspective on housing challenges faced by women. If you are interested, please contact Brie Sparks (UWLP Statewide Impact Manager) at brie.sparks@usu.edu.  

Sexual Assault: This month the spoke welcomed Chyleen Richey, Director of the Utah Office for Victims of Crime as a new Spoke Co-Leader. The Spoke is excited for her to join in this important work as she has long since worked in the criminal justice system to improve the lives of those who are harmed and vulnerable. She will be a great addition to the leadership. The Spoke continues to promote the Start by Believing Campaign and is encouraging all Utahns to sign the Pledge to Start by Believing as well as follow the campaign on the Start by Believing Instagram account, and use the #sbbutah hashtag. The Spoke is also sending out monthly newsletters to share the many ways to get involved and make a difference. It highlights upcoming events, volunteer opportunities, donation needs, latest news, and current Spoke information. Sign up here if you would like to start receiving the newsletter. 

Sexual Harassment & Gender-Based Discrimination: The Spoke had a successful awareness month in May, culminated with their first in-person event. The event, Beyond Reporting: Prevention in Action, involved several different organizations and BWF Key Partners focused on Sexual Harassment and Assault, including The Wolf and the Bee, SAPREA, and The Dignity Index. The video recording of this event is now available online, and we invite everyone to learn about the importance of prevention, patterns of grooming behavior in perpetrators, how to create safer workplace environments, and resources for victims of sexual harassment and gender-based discrimination. 

STEM Fields: The STEM Fields Spoke were busy in May planning and preparing for the 3rd Annual BWF Summit. The Spoke is currently looking for individuals interested in the following opportunities: co-leading the Engineering Working Group, organizing and co-leading of a Mathematics Working Group, an individual to serve as STEM Fields liaison in the Policy Working Group within Organizational Strategies, Spoke members (or potential Spoke members) to focus on research pertaining to the STEM Fields, and individuals to help with communication and collaboration of persons and events within the Spoke. The newly organized Higher Ed STEM Ed Working Group leadership is also seeking interested individuals to help build and grow their efforts. To find out more on how to get involved, collaborate on events, learn about opportunities to lead or engage in a working group, or serve as a County Spoke Rep, reach out to Ashley (Spoke Coordinator) at ashleyp.bwf@gmail.com. The Spoke is always looking to find and share STEM events for women and girls in Utah. To connect and collaborate, please follow the STEM Fields Spoke LinkedIn page.  

Workforce Development: Spoke Leaders met this month to determine a new strategy for the Spoke. For the past two years, the Workforce Development Spoke has focused on increasing confidence and competence of Utah women in the workforce. This month, “connection” was added to the spoke vision and the Spoke will focus on supporting organizations that provide networking, mentoring and workshops for women looking to enter the workforce. Spoke goals will be updated next month to reflect this exciting new focus. In addition, Spoke Partner Tech-Moms received a national award from Code for America for their innovation in community partnerships. We celebrate the great work that BWF partners are doing to support Utah women! To discuss opportunities to collaborate, contact Angela (Spoke Coordinator) at atrawlings1@gmail.com.