FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Thursday, November 7, 2013
Two new board members to make Better UTAH even better
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Salt Lake City — Good government group Alliance for a Better UTAH announced the addition of two new board members today. Kelly H. Nelson and Troy Williams will join the Alliance for a Better UTAH Board after years of dedicated service across the state of Utah and beyond.
“Both Kelly and Troy bring unique, but complementary, experiences to the board,” said Maryann Martindale, Better UTAH executive director. “We’re excited to have them join Better UTAH as we continue to grow as an organization that Utahns can count on to bring balance, transparency and accountability to Utah government.”
About Troy Williams:
Troy is sometimes referred to as the gay mayor of Salt Lake City. He is a graduate of the University of Utah, and a producer, writer and radio host at 90.9 FM KRCL. His work has been featured in a variety of national outlets, including Salon, Interview Magazine, The Nation, Out Magazine and Showtime. A long-time activist on the Utah political scene, Troy has also been deeply involved in the Utah cultural scene, as co-writer of the one-woman show, ‘The Passion of Sister Dottie S. Dixon.’ In 2011 Troy also appeared in the Errol Morris film Tabloid. He is currently a producer on the new television series Breaking the Faith which premiers Nov 24th on TLC.
“My heroes have always been social agitators,” said Troy. “Rebellious people who believed that the world could and should be better, like Harvey Milk, Mother Jones, Sojourner Truth and all the others who dared to accomplish the seemingly impossible–build a more just community for all people. I see Alliance for a Better UTAH continuing that proud tradition of American agitation in the Beehive State. I’m excited to get to work.”
About Kelly H. Nelson:
A native Utahn, Kelly has been actively involved in all levels of business development and management for the last 30 years. Most recently, he was a managing partner of a closely held merchant bank, with offices in Los Angeles, New York and Europe. After selling his partnership interest in the company in 2009, Kelly turned his focus to social enterprises and social media projects. Kelly has actively supported both local and national issues, ranging from economic development, education and the environment.
“I believe that the greatest threats to the State of Utah’s prospect of becoming a national and global destination for business, education and as a place to live, are insular State and National representation, a dwindling middle class and framing the Federal Government as adversarial to Utah’s interests,” said Kelly. “In my view, Utah must take steps to close the precarious gap between exclusive representative government and partner with all Utahns toward constructive solutions to make Utah a desired destination to live and work. I am delighted to join the Better UTAH board to help make that happen.”
Current board members include:
- Joshua Kanter, Chair
- David R. Irvine
- Crystal Young-Otterstrom
- Sheryl Allen
- John Netto
- Max Farbman
- Diane Stewart
- Jonathan Klein
- Rochelle Kaplan
- James Roberts
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Alliance for a Better UTAH | 801.557.1532 | www.betterutah.org
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The Alliance for a Better UTAH is a year-round, multi-issue education and advocacy organization providing resources, commentary, and action on important public policy matters.