January 2026 Newsletter

Colleagues,

Good morning! I have several Utah Women & Leadership Project (UWLP) announcements for January:

First, I am pleased to announce the release of a new research white paper titled “Women in the Workplace 2025: Part 1: Utahns’ Awareness, Understanding, and Attitudes.” This is the first of 5 white papers being released that share the results of our UWLP 2025 statewide fall study. This one focuses on what Utahns think about organizational strategies and workplace culture, childcare and pre-K programs, the gender pay gap, and sexual harassment and gender-based discrimination. Additionally, a few weeks ago we released a research snapshot titled “Homelessness Among Utah Women: A 2025 Update.”

Second, RSVP for our 2026 Women in Leadership Executive Speaker Series:

• Jan 14: Rising Together: Women Empowering Women (Melanie Jones, Bettina Smith Edmondson, & Connie Sokol)
• Jan 21: Strategic Voices: Women Leading Public Policy Change (Congresswoman Celeste Maloy & Natalie Gochnour)
• Jan 22: Leading with Compassion: A Conversation with Utah’s First Lady Abby Cox (Abby Cox)
• Jan 28: Leadership Levers: Driving Women’s Career Progress (Nancy Sylvester, Lindsey Lewis, & Emily Rushton)
• Feb 4: Trailblazing Justice: Christine Durham on Women, Leadership & the Law (Christine M. Durham)
• Feb 9: Women Leading Behind Walls: Leadership in Utah’s Correctional Facilities (Sharon D’Amico & Kristin Keisel)
• Feb. 11: Leadership in Times of Grief & Crisis: Insights from Astrid S. Tuminez (Dr. Astrid S. Tuminez)

Third, we have a few resources to highlight this month:

• UWLP Podcast Episodes (with Utah Public Radio): Utah Gender Pay Gap: A 2025 Update and What Utah College Students Think about Teaching as a Career: An Analysis by Gender
• Upcoming Events: A Bolder Way Forward hosts, offers, partners, and collaborates on events across the state.
• Community Calendar: View our community calendar for all events in Utah for girls and women.

Finally, check out some key articles and media published this past month:

• A Call to Women (Park Record, Dec. 31, 2025)
• Utah Leaders Unite to Sign Proclamation Supporting Women Entrepreneurs (Salt Lake Business Journal, Dec. 20, 2025)
• Opinion: What do Utahns Think About Higher Education? (Deseret News, Dec. 17, 2025)
• Utah Women and Mental Health (LinkedIn, Dec. 16, 2025)
• The Utah Gender Pay Gap - Latest Research (LinkedIn, Dec. 3, 2025)
• Making Parental Leave Policies Work For All (Forbes, Dec. 2, 2025)

Join us on the UWLP social media platforms: LinkedIn, Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), Instagram, and YouTube. Email uwlp@usu.edu to let us know you want to receive these updates to your own inbox if you received a forwarded email.

Happy New Year!

Susan