WHITNEY JOHNSON 
ANNOUNCED AS KEYNOTE

We are thrilled to announce that Whitney Johnson, CEO of Disruption Advisors, will keynote the WIN Venture Summit on October 5.
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‍Whitney Johnson is the CEO of Disruption Advisors, a tech-enabled talent development company, and a 2020 Inc 5000 fastest growing company. She is Wall Street Journal and USA Today bestselling author of Smart Growth: How to Grow Your People to Grow Your Company (HBP); Publisher's Weekly described as "cogent... insightful... practical... inspiring." She also is one of the top #10 management thinkers in the world, according to Thinkers50, a 2020 Top Voice on LinkedIn with 1.8 million followers and hosts the popular Disrupt Yourself podcast.
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A former award-winning Wall Street equity analyst, Johnson co-founded the Disruptive Innovation Fund with the late Clayton Christensen and has coached alongside Marshall Goldsmith. She understands how companies work, how investors think, and how the best coaches coach, all of which she brings to her work. We hope you will join us to hear from her during this informative, fun and thoughtfully curated day-long event!

JENNY AHLSTROM
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Jenny is a wife and mom of 6 who founded the HealthTree Foundation (and formerly the Myeloma Crowd) to help accelerate a cure for multiple myeloma. Diagnosed in 2010, she was not content to sit back and wait for a cure. She led the effort to create a series of patient advocacy software tools to help build patient communities and a patient health data platform that simultaneously helps patients navigate their disease while also accelerating research.

MARK BONHAM
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Mark Bonham is a partner in the Salt Lake City office of Mayer Brown and a member of the Emerging Companies & Venture Capital, Capital Markets, and Mergers & Acquisitions practices. Mark is also part of the Life Sciences and Technology industry groups. Mark focuses his practice on providing legal counsel to technology, life sciences, software and internet-based companies and the venture capital funds and strategic investors that finance these companies. Even while living and practicing in Silicon Valley, Mark became well-known in the Salt Lake City region beginning in the 1990s as a result of working with a variety of technology-driven businesses such as Novell, WordPerfect, MyFamily.com (predecessor to Ancestry), Sonic Innovations, and CardioPulmonics. He was involved in venture capital financings, M&A, and public offerings for these and other Utah-based companies. With a depth of knowledge in startups, venture financing, licensing, mergers and acquisitions, business strategy, corporate governance, IPOs, SEC reporting and exit strategy, Mark has deep relationships with tech startups and emerging companies.

Mark lives in Utah and was formerly a partner with two large regional law firms, where he served corporate law clients for over 20 years in California and Utah. He co-managed a group of 16 lawyers, and at various times served on the Compensation and Investment Committees, co-chaired the Recruiting Committee, and co-chaired the Knowledge Management Committee for one of those firms.

Mark has also served as a director of an NYSE-listed software company, where he was chairman of its Nominating and Governance Committee and a member of the Audit Committee, and where he developed an innovative director survey and rating methodology. He and four other executives formed a business consultancy, SageCreek Partners LLC, which advised technology companies in all stages of business from startup to growth and succession.

GINGER CHINN
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Ginger Chinn serves as the vice president of public policy and government affairs at the Salt Lake Chamber in Salt Lake City, Utah.  At the Chamber, she coordinates with critical stakeholders on emerging policy issues and works with local and federal lawmakers on getting bills through the legislative process. She works to build strong relationships with members, the community, and elected officials.   

Prior to her role at the Salt Lake Chamber, she served as the managing director for urban and rural business services for the Governor’s Office of Economic Development and was the vice president of business development at the Inland Port.  As managing director at GOED, Chinn directed a strategic growth plan for Utah’s industry cluster program and managed rural economic development programs. Additionally, Chinn oversaw GOED’s business services including Utah’s Business Resource Centers and the Procurement Technical Assistance Centers (PTAC).

Chinn was previously the vice president of external engagement and economic development at the Davis Technical College (DTC). In this role, she directed several areas including Custom Fit training and operations at the Davis and Morgan County Business Resource Centers.

Chinn has served on many organizational boards including the Utah Advanced Materials Manufacturing Initiative (UAMMI), Davis Education Foundation, and the Lakeview Hospital Board.  She served as an honorary commander under Major General Stacey Hawkins at Hill Air Force Base.  She currently serves on Utah Tech University’s Board of Trustees.  

Chinn graduated from Boise State University earning a degree in social sciences.  She also earned a master’s degree from Colorado State University in organizational leadership. 

GAVIN CHRISTENSEN
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Gavin is the founding visionary at Kickstart. In 2008, he recognized the need for both leadership and seed-stage capital in the region, so he launched Kickstart to fill this gap. Starting a seed-stage firm away from the coasts amidst the Great Recession was not easy, to say the least. But this experience means Gavin understands what it’s like to see a vision for the future that few others do, and he knows what it takes to make that vision a reality. His guidance to founders is born of first-hand experience and a desire to build not just a fund but an entire ecosystem. Kickstart is now the most active investor in Utah and has expanded to Colorado, New Mexico, and the rest of the Mountain West. Gavin loves being part of the startup journey for entrepreneurs. Before helping to pave the way for seed funding in Utah, Colorado, and the Mountain West, Gavin was an analyst, associate, and principal at vSpring Capital (now Signal Peak). Outside of Kickstart, Gavin can be found spending time with his family, multitasking while riding his Onewheel, fine-tuning his VR gaming skills, and playing tennis.

MORGAN DAVIS
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Morgan Davis is the CEO and Co-founder of SLC-based MarketDial. MarketDial's analytics software supports retailers around the world. Prior to MarketDial, Morgan was at investor at Kickstart Seed Fund and a management consultant at the Boston Consulting Group.

LISA ECCLES
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Lisa Eccles is President, COO, and a board member of the George S. and Dolores Doré Eccles Foundation. Directing the operations of one of Utah’s largest private philanthropic foundations, she is deeply committed to building on the state’s past and ensuring its vibrant future. 

Working closely with statewide nonprofits, Lisa oversees the Foundation’s grantmaking program that has awarded more than $750 million since 1982 in focus areas including Arts & Culture, Community/Social Services, Education, Health & Wellness, and Preservation/Conservation. In doing so, she serves as a catalyst for grantees to succeed in addressing needs and opportunities benefitting individuals and families throughout Utah.

In addition to her leadership of the George S. and Dolores Doré Eccles Foundation, Lisa serves as a director of the Spencer F. and Cleone P. Eccles Family Foundation and the Eccles family-owned hotel, the Goldener Hirsch, in Deer Valley, Utah. Active both locally and nationally, she is a board member of the National Park Foundation and has served on the National Trust for Historic Preservation’s National Trust Council.  Admired for her perspectives gained from leadership in business, education, and community service, she has also served on the boards of the Utah Symphony | Utah Opera, Preservation Utah, the Utah Shakespeare Festival, the Salt Lake County Center for the Arts, and Intermountain Healthcare’s Community Care Foundation, to name only a few. 

A graduate of the University of Utah, Lisa’s leadership roles at her alma mater have included service on its Board of Trustees, National Advisory Council, and capital campaign steering committee, among others. She received a Sundance Institute “Women’s Leadership Award” in 2019 and has been named one of “30 Women to Watch” by Utah Business magazine. She has also been honored by organizations such as Catholic Community Services of Utah and the Utah Humanities Council.

DAVID FRAZIER
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David Frazier has a BA in Economics from BYU and MBA from Harvard. He served as CEO of Achieve, Co-Founder of TruHearing, President of TruVision, and CEO of ThinkSubscription, which sold for a combined $516M. David also built the Frazier Group portfolio of private Utah businesses and co-founded the UtahAngels and the Lumen Secondary funds.

DAVE GROW
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Dave Grow is the CEO at Lucid. Since joining the company in the basement in 2010, he has been responsible for building out the business teams, including marketing, sales, customer support, and operations as the company has scaled to 1000+ employees, $100M+ in ARR and a $3B+ valuation. Prior to joining Lucidchart, Dave worked as a management consultant at Bain & Company. He also serves as an independent board member of Bitly and mentors a number of SaaS startups. Dave graduated summa cum laude from Brigham Young University with a B.S. in Business Management.

DAN HEMMERT
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Dan Hemmert serves as the executive director of the Utah Governor’s Office of Economic Opportunity (Go Utah), where he is responsible for implementing Gov. Spencer J. Cox’s vision of economic opportunity and prosperity for Utahns.

Hemmert was selected to serve as Go Utah’s executive director based on his previous business and legislative experience. He’s been a C-level executive at a successful venture-backed startup, a private equity investment professional, and managed a private asset management firm. Most recently, Hemmert owned and operated the largest dry cleaning business in Utah, with over 20 locations and 150 employees.

At the time of his appointment, Hemmert was serving in the Utah State Senate where he was the Senate Majority Whip. Hemmert is a strong advocate for Utah and brings his unique perspective and skills to advocate for the state.His educational background includes a bachelor’s in economics, Masters of Business Administration, and a law degree, all from Brigham Young University.

Hemmert and his wife, Natalie, are proud parents of six children. He enjoys outdoor activities such as hiking, mountain biking, and skiing.

KAT KENNEDY
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Kat Kennedy is passionate about building - products, companies, and the startup ecosystem as a whole. Before joining Kickstart as a General Partner, Kat was President and CXO of Degreed, a company dedicated to changing how people develop skills, build expertise, and grow their careers. She was instrumental in driving Degreed’s growth, shaping its product and culture, and deepening its client relationships. She partnered closely with Degreed’s customers to accelerate innovation and ensure their ability to quickly reallocate talent to the most critical strategic priorities. 

Kat’s 15 years of operating experience give her a unique perspective as an investor - one that allows her to not only spot talented entrepreneurs from all backgrounds but also to serve as a mentor, fostering innovation through every stage of the company’s growth.

SID KROMMENHOEK
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Sid is Founder and General Partner at Album VC, an early-stage investment firm focused on tech startups throughout the US. Prior to a career in venture capital, Sid co-founded 4 startups, including Zinch.com, an online portal connecting students to colleges. Later, he led Zinch’s growth into China, launching Zinch.cn, one of the first foreign online brands to reach scale in China. Zinch was acquired by Chegg Inc in 2011 and Sid led Chegg’s international efforts through initial public offering in 2013 (CHGG, NYSE).

MANAN MEHTA
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I was fortunate to win the geographic lottery. I was born in the Bay Area as the son of Indian Immigrants. As a result of my parents, my childhood was significantly defined by challenging the status quo and using my misfit energy to my benefit. For example, from my very first job back in high school, I worked at TIBCO (a publicly traded Software Company founded by an Indian immigrant) tasked to identify uncollected maintenance revenue. In 10 weeks, I found nearly $30M of uncollected revenue by reading through and documenting hundreds of SLA agreements in filing cabinets. That's right; this was a generation when SLAs were stored in filing cabinets, and I went through drawer by drawer in search of them.

Following High School, where I was the only Indian kid to play for the baseball coach in over 30 years, I attended UCLA with aspirations and skills to play D1 Baseball there. However, after two unsuccessful attempts to walk on and overhearing that I should find a "flat bat," I took my competitive energy towards dancing. Over four years, I won a National Dance Title as the Captain and Lead.

As a student, I graduated from UCLA with two degrees in Materials Science Engineering and Economics. Following college, I joined RBC Capital Markets as an Investment Banking Analyst focused on Tech M&A in 2007. I led countless deals during my investment banking career, most notably, Skype's $1.7B take-private. After three years of banking and mentoring numerous Associates and Analysts, I decided to rechallenge myself. I joined a Series A funded educational technology Company called Kno, backed by a16z, First Round Capital, Intel Cap, and Floodgate. Osman Rashid, a Pakistani immigrant, led Kno, and within three years, I ended up running the Marketing department to the acquisition by Intel. At Kno is where I also met Nitin. Following Kno, I leaped to start my own Company, this time with an immigrant founder on an H1-B visa. Needless to say, after nine months of toiling with immigration, I saw all the challenges firsthand as an American and was compelled to solve them with Nitin.

Beyond Unshackled, I teach a VC class at San Jose State University (help the underdogs), join an annual Panel at Stanford University specifically for foreign entrepreneurs, and actively participate in conversations around supporting diverse and overlooked populations. The opportunity that comes from being a misfit continues to be a consistent theme in my life, which is why I love Unshackled. A platform that invests in rising stars who are an opportunity away from becoming known stars.

GLEN MELLA
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Glen Mella has focused his career on delivering rapid business growth, profitability, and significant investor returns in the high-tech arena, including raising $200 million in investment capital. His experience in executive leadership, product management, marketing communications, consumer retail and online channels, and global business development has allowed him to build and lead successful teams in numerous startups and multinational organizations, including Cypher, Control4, WordPerfect, Novell, Found.com, Triton PCS, and Frito-Lay/PepsiCo. Mella currently serves as an Advisory Board Member for Connected Home Living, with prior Board positions at Imagine Learning and InMoment, as well as serving as a Trustee for the Utah Technology Council and as Chair of UTC’s CEO Peer-to-Peer Forum. Mella received an MBA from Northwestern’s Kellogg School and a bachelor’s degree from Brigham Young University.

DEREK MILLER
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Derek Miller is the president and CEO of the Salt Lake Chamber and Downtown Alliance. The Chamber is the state’s largest and longest serving business association that “Stands as the voice of business.” In this role, Derek leads the business community in advocating and leading Utah’s continued economic prosperity.

Previously, Derek served as the president and CEO of the World Trade Center Utah, helping to “Promote international business across the state.” He also served as Chief of Staff for Governor Herbert and as Managing Director of the Governor’s Office of Economic Development for Governor Huntsman.

Recognizing his leadership, Governor Herbert lauded Derek as, “an architect of economic opportunity and innovation,” and “instrumental in transforming Utah into one of the most competitive and fastest growing economies in the country.”Derek began his career in Washington, D.C. as a management consultant with Arthur Andersen and as legal counsel for the U.S. House of Representatives.

He is a graduate of the J. Reuben Clark Law School and holds a Master of Public Administration from the Romney Institute of Public Management at Brigham Young University.

GAIL MILLER

Gail Miller is the owner of the Larry H. Miller Company, established by Larry and Gail in May of 1979 with the purchase of their first automobile dealership in Murray, Utah. Today, the company has a diversified portfolio of companies doing business across the United States. Their headquarters are in Sandy, Utah.

Gail was a homemaker raising five children, while Larry established and grew the company for 30 years until his death in 2009. At that time, she took an active role in the business and continued to grow their legacy. She has focused on and directed the culture of the company as well as the growth and diversity of its operations. Since Larry’s passing, the company has more than doubled in size and value. She served as chair of the LHM Board of Directors for five years before turning over that position to her son, Steve. She remains an active member of the board.

Gail is also chair of the Larry H. Miller Family Foundation and presides over the Larry H. Miller Education Foundation. Gail has been recognized with many public and private honors. She is the recipient of five honorary doctorate degrees, the Congressional Award Foundation’s Horizon Award, the Salt Lake Chamber’s Giant in Our City Award, and the internationally recognized ATHENA Award.

Gail gives freely of her time and is actively involved in many business, civic and educational endeavors. She serves on Intermountain Healthcare’s Board of Trustees and as the Canyons Region Board Chair. She also serves on the Zions Bank Advisory Board, is the co-chair of the Utah Homeless Council, a member of the Board of Shelter the Homeless, co-chair of the Kem C. Gardner Institute, and author of Courage to be You, Inspiring Lessons from an Unexpected Journey.

Gail and her husband, Kim Wilson, have a combined family of nine children and a large posterity. They enjoy traveling, spending time with family and serving others. They reside in Salt Lake City.

ANN MILLNER
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Dr. F. Ann Millner serves as the State Senator for District 18. She is Senate Majority Whip and Chair of the Senate Ethics Committee.

Ann also sits on the Executive Appropriations Committee, Education Committee, Economic Development and Workforce Services Committee, Public Education Appropriations Committee, Higher Education Appropriations Committee, Government Operations Committee, Legislative Management Committee, and the Transportation, Public Utilities, Energy, & Technology Committee. She has sponsored legislation focused on economic development specifically related to commercialization of new technologies and workforce preparation, public and higher education and victim’s rights. Last year she sponsored a Utah Constitutional amendment, approved by the citizens of the state, to ensure prudent investment of the funds in the Permanent School Fund and increase the annual distribution of funds to our schools.

Ann is a Regents Professor of Health Administration and former President at Weber State University in Ogden, Utah. Under her leadership as University President from 2002 to 2012, Weber State became a multi-campus institution, experienced a nearly 40 percent enrollment increase, initiated a major facilities revitalization effort, expanded its network of community partnerships, launched WSU-Davis, emerged as a regional center for economic development, and earned national recognition for its undergraduate research and community-based learning initiatives.

Ann serves on the Education and Mental Health Coordinating Council, Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute Advisory Board, Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education, Executive Committee - National Conference of State Legislatures, and as Co-Chair for Education - Council of State Governments West. Additionally, she is on the Board of Trustees for Intermountain Healthcare, Board of Directors for Merit Medical, Advisory Board for Zions Bank, and the United Partnership Council - United Way of Northern Utah, where she is Co-Chair.

JESSE RANDALL
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Jesse is the Founder and CEO of Sweater, a fintech venture capital app that allows anyone to invest into its VC fund. After ten years working with startups, accelerators, and venture capital funds, Jesse has worked with hundreds of companies, has raised venture capital himself, and has deployed capital from Sweater into over a dozen companies. He enjoys competing in endurance sports and has completed seven Ironman competitions and countless other endurance events.

KATELIN ROBERTS
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Katelin Roberts is the executive director of BioHive, a public-private nonprofit for life sciences and healthcare innovation companies to build community through education, volunteerism and grant-making. Prior to BioHive, Roberts was CEO of a venture-backed, medical device start up in Salt Lake City. Roberts also has experience in the aerospace and food manufacturing industries and is an investment partner at MedMountain Ventures, a local seed fund focused on healthcare.

DAVIS SMITH
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Davis Smith is the founder and CEO of Cotopaxi, an outdoor gear brand with a humanitarian mission. He is a member of the United Nations Foundation's "Global Leadership Council" and a Presidential Leadership Scholar. Davis was Silicon Valley Community Foundation’s “CEO of the Year”, is an EY Entrepreneur of the Year, and previously started Brazil’s "Startup of the Year." Davis holds an MBA from the Wharton School, an MA from the University of Pennsylvania, and a BA from Brigham Young University. Davis is an adventurer who has floated down the Amazon on a self-made raft, kayaked from Cuba to Florida, and explored North Korea. Davis grew up in Latin America and currently lives in Utah with his wife Asialene and their four children. 

REPRESENTATIVE ROBERT SPENDLOVE
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Representative Robert Spendlove serves in the Utah House of Representatives, where he was elected in 2014. He represents District 42 in the Legislature, covering parts of Sandy and Cottonwood Heights cities. Robert is a Senior Vice President and the Economic and Public Policy Office for Zions Bank. He serves on a number of boards and commissions, including the Utah Economic Council, the Utah International Relations Committee and the Health and Human Services Committee.

STEVE STARKS
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Steve Starks is the Chief Executive Officer and member of the Board of Directors of the Larry H. Miller Company. Prior to this role, Starks was the president of the Utah Jazz and Larry H. Miller Sports & Entertainment. During his time with the organization, he has helped develop the organization’s growth strategy, led mergers and acquisitions, and oversaw the award-winning renovation of Vivint Arena.

Starks is active in the community. He serves as the governor’s Olympic and Paralympic Advisor, is a Utah Board of Higher Education member, and is chair of EDCUtah. Starks is a past chair of the Salt Lake Chamber Board of Directors and served on the Weber State University Board of Trustees. He was recognized as Utah Business Magazine’s 2021 CEO of the Year and a 2013 Top Forty Under Forty. He was also named a Top Forty Under 40 Sports Executives by Sports Business Journal in 2018. Starks is a graduate of Weber State University.