Dr. Angela Belnap

Chair/State Representative & Chair-Elect

Dr. Belnap started in her career as a medical assistant, and while working in this capacity completed degrees in Business Management, Healthcare Administration and Education. She is a tenured faculty member at SLCC within the School of Health Sciences, where she currently works as Associate Dean. Dr. Belnap has a love for education which stems from her love of learning. This is reflected in her regular participation in conferences, classes and training opportunities. She also finds particular joy in working with others to assist them in their own education and learning.

Trina Polta

Past Chair/State Representative

Trina Polta is Salt Lake Community College (SLCC) Institutional Events Marketing Manager. Trina received her BFA degree from San Francisco State University and 3 SLCC A.A.S. degrees in film, photography and multimedia. Prior to joining SLCC in 2014, she worked as a producer in the television news industry. Trina is a member of American Association for Women in Community Colleges (AAWCC), Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE) and the Salt Lake Chamber of Commerce. While serving as the 2021-22 UWHEN SLCC President and she graduated from the 2022 Women’s Leadership Institute Career Development Series.

Alison Arndt-Wild

State Representative

Alison Arndt-Wild is an Assistant Professor in the Journalism & Digital Media program in the Communication Department, as well as the Director of the Student Media Center at Salt Lake Community College (SLCC). Alison has been a member of the SLCC chapter of the Utah Women in Higher Education Network (UWHEN) since 2018. She began her employment with SLCC in December of 2005 as a staff member in the now defunct Center for Media Innovation as a video producer. Through the years Alison has moved through the positions of production coordinator, Student Media Director and to faculty in 2016. Alison most enjoys helping students achieve their goals and feel pride in seeing the media projects they make around campus. She also enjoys being involved on campus and has served on a number of committees and boards over the years. She is passionate about helping the SLCC UWHEN chapter achieve their mission to help women at SLCC network and find the leaders within themselves.

Natalie Spendlove

Marketing Manager Co-Chair

Natalie Spendlove began working as an Administrative Assistant for SLCC in 2019 - first within the Division of Allied Health and more recently in the Office for the VP of Student Affairs and Enrollment Management. Prior to SLCC, Natalie worked in student housing and residence life overseeing a team of resident assistants at Utah State University.

During her time in residence life, she discovered a passion for learning about, teaching about, and building community. Natalie brings this passion for community engagement to SLCC and hopes to bring this same energy to UWHEN. As a Marketing Co-Chair, her goals are to provide consistent communication and to promote UWHEN and its opportunities to the larger campus community. When not on campus, Natalie can be found reading on her patio or hiking with her dog."

Jodie Jones

Marketing Manager Co-Chair

Jodie Jones is an Associate Professor in the Communication Department where she currently enjoys teaching courses in Conflict Management, Interpersonal Communication, and Public Speaking. She especially enjoys seeing students reach “aha” moments about how they can communicate more effectively to improve their relationships. Jodie is the 2019 recipient of the SLCC Teaching Excellent Award.

Jodie has earned two BA degrees in Psychology and Communication, a MA degree in Conflict Management & Negotiation, a certificate in Conflict Resolution from the University of Utah, an Organizational Conflict Audit certificate from Pepperdine University, and she is a certified Crucial Conversations Trainer. Jodie is a Utah Court approved mediator, and facilitates mediations involving domestic, real estate, workplace, and victim-offender disputes. She serves as a member of the Board of Directors for the Utah Council on Conflict Resolution (UCCR).

Riley Bassett

Secretary

Riley Bassett is an Admissions Advisor at Salt Lake Community College (SLCC). She is an accomplished instructor, advisor, and project manager with a proven history in writing, editing, and administrative/organizational abilities. She has been with SLCC over 2 years after moving from Las Vegas where she taught at the College of Southern Nevada and worked with a homeschool program. Riley has a BA is English Literature with a French minor and an MFA is Creative Writing. When working with students, she tries to use her positive attitude to encourage others. In her free Time, Riley likes to travel, spend time outdoors, and play just about any sport.

Sonia Siguenza

Treasurer

Currently work for the office of Admissions and have been an Admissions Advisor on the adult recruitment team for one year. I am originally from Guatemala and grew up in Cache Valley Utah. I have a background working in Government and non-profit programs and came to the college from the Davis County Health Department where I worked for 12 years. I have a Bachelor and a Master degree in Communication, and am passionate about serving my Latinx and underrepresented communities. On my free time I enjoy traveling, spending time outdoors in the mountains and on my kayak, or just relaxing at home with my cats, Hei Hei (like the rooster in Moana) and Penelope.

Maura Hahnenberger

Event Subcommittee Chair

Maura Hahnenberger, PhD is an Associate Professor in the Geosciences Department at Salt Lake Community College. At SLCC she teaches and advises in the Atmospheric Sciences and Geography programs in both face to face and online settings. She is a co-founder of the UWHEN SLCC Chapter and is passionate about helping women become leaders. Maura is the founder of the WaterGirls and DustKids outreach programs which teach students about water quality and the science of dust. Her research focuses on dust storms in the western U.S. including where the dust comes from, what weather systems make it move, and its impact on air quality. She received her B.S. and M.S. in Meteorology and Ph.D. in Atmospheric Sciences from the University of Utah. At home Maura has a husband, 5-year-old son, two dogs, one cat, nine chickens, an unknown number of fish, and a big garden.

Alisa Garcia

Event Coordinator

Alisa Garcia is an Internal Auditor, a former IT Project Lead, an SLCC alumna, and recent graduate of the President’s Leadership Institute. She is also the scholarship recipient for the 2022 UVU Women’s Leadership Certificate program, a professional development opportunity extended exclusively to members of the UWHEN SLCC Board of Directors.

In her current role, Alisa provides independent and objective assessments of college activities to promote a proactive internal controls and risk management environment. More broadly, she aims to strengthen community partnerships by learning about, connecting with, and highlighting the diversity of thought that embodies SLCC.

Alisa received her Bachelor of Science in Philosophy and Master of Science in Information Systems from the University of Utah. Prior to academic pursuits and a career in higher education, Alisa was an online retailer, interior space-planner, and mixed-media producer. During this period, she served as a board member for the Utah Pride Center and the Utah Asian Chamber of Commerce. "

Kristin Morley

Event Coordinator

Kristin Morley is a manager in the office of Faculty Development and Transformational Educational Initiatives. She currently facilitates the ACUE Effective Teaching Practices courses for faculty as well as the Equitable & Inclusive Teaching Practices program offered to all faculty at SLCC. Kristin began her career in education as a public school educator in middle school, junior high, and high school settings. She then decided to transfer to adjunct faculty in higher education. She started her career at SLCC in 2009 teaching developmental reading and writing courses. Her favorite part of working in professional development is the opportunity to work with faculty. Meeting and learning from faculty is invigorating! Kristin also enjoys spending time outside with her three sons and husband.

Gina C. Alfred

Event Coordinator

Gina is the Student Affairs Manager for Campus and Site Services, North Region, at the Westpointe and Airport Campuses. In addition, Gina currently serves as President of Staff Association, and serves on numerous SLCC committees to break down systemic barriers for BIPOC, other underrepresented groups, and all employees in general. Gina has a Bachelor of Religion in Biblical and Theological Studies from Liberty University, and is certified in Leading with Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion, from the University of Utah. As an avid champion and cheerleader for individuals from underrepresented societies, Gina makes it her priority to ensure that equal and equitable practices are harvested in their favor. As President of Staff Association, Gina is pleased to have the privilege of serving all her SLCC co-laborers.

Daysi Hernandez

Board Member

I am a first-generation college student. I was raised in Echo Park, about ten minutes away from, Downtown Los Angeles. The affluent town is not the same as it was when I grew up there. It was gang and drug infested. I was lucky to find a role model within my community with the patience to help me with all that was necessary to attend Cal State University, Northridge. It was viewed as non-traditional for a first-generation college student to go straight from high school to a university. It wasn't easy to complete, but I did it with the help of my single mom and other people in my life. My first professional job was elementary teaching for Los Angeles Unified School District. I fell in love with how gratifying the career was to me. After teaching for five years, I moved to Utah. I worked in the corporate world and started an MBA program. I completed my MBA and got into Human Resources work for a college. I quickly found my way back to the classroom only this time teaching adults. I left that college and found the best college in Utah--Salt Lake Community College! I started in staff positions, first as the University Partnerships Coordinator in the Curriculum and Articulation Office, then as a Grant Manager in the Office of Sponsored Projects, and after a few years I was invited back to the classroom as an Assistant Professor in the School of Business. I love teaching! I find my background helps stir the passion in me to help students complete my courses successfully and equip them with the ability to go on to other courses and do the same.

Darcie Wheeler

Board Member

Darcie Wheeler is an Assistant Professor at Salt Lake Technical College (SLTC) at Salt Lake Community College. She attended Weber State University where she received her Bachelor of Science degree in Communication with an emphasis on Office Technologies. In 2001, she started her journey in higher education by working as an adjunct instructor in the Office Information Systems department at SLTC. She began by teaching office skills for the Medical Coding and Billing, Health Information Specialist, and Accounting Clerk programs. Later she prepared to take AAPC's CPC (Certified Professional Coder) national exam and was awarded the CPC credential in 2010. Darcie went on to receive her CPC-Instructor (CPC-I/Approved Instructor) and Certified Outpatient Coder (COC) certifications.

She became an Assistant Professor in 2016 and is currently working toward the Associate Professor rank and becoming a tenured faculty member. Darcie is currently Vice President of the local Salt Lake AAPC Chapter and the Chair of the USHE Medical Coding and Billing Alignment Committee. Darcie is passionate about competency-based education (CBE) and helping students get the skills needed to begin their careers in the medical coding and billing field. She is grateful for the opportunities that being a faculty member of SLTC at SLCC has given her and for all the wonderful mentors she has worked with over the years. Darcie is excited about the opportunity to serve on the UWHEN Board.

Cecile Delozier

Event Coordinator

Cecile is the Associate Dean for the Institute of Public Safety and Criminal Justice located on Miller Campus. She worked in corrections for 18 years before accepting her position in January. Cecile completed a Master of Science Criminal Justice Public Administration at Southern New Hampshire University and just completed a Master of Philosophy as part of her PhD program at Walden University.

For the last four years Cecile has been a consultant and master instructor for Desert Waters Correctional Outreach which focuses on improving wellness for corrections employee across the country. Education has been a lifelong passion and continues to be a focus as she acclimates to her new role and completes her doctorate. New to Utah, she enjoys exploring the state with her husband and learning the area history.

MJ Thompson

Event Coordinator

MJ is the Facilities Manager for the North Region campuses. She has been with the college for over 20 years. MJ has worked in various departments throughout her career at SLCC, including Business Services, Student Services, Athletics, and is currently with Facilities. She enjoys higher education and helping students find their passion in life. She cares about creating a work environment where people love their job and can utilizing their talents in areas where they can shine. MJ has a extensive educational experience in psychology, a Bachelor’s degree Accounting and a Master’s Degree in Business Administration. She serves on several boards, including National Facilities Leadership, People and Workplace Culture, and Community Colleges Engagement Group. In her spare time MJ enjoys spending time with her family, learning new things, and travelling.