The Utah Statesman’s 50 Most Influential Aggies 2018
TOP 10 MOST INFLUENTIAL AGGIES
Toward the end of every year, The Utah Statesman honors 50 people — from students and alumni to faculty and staff — who have made an impact on their fellow Aggies’ lives. Here are the 50 most influential Aggies for the 2017-18 school year.
Spencer Cox
Lt. Gov. Spencer Cox graduated from USU in 1998 with a degree in political science. He visits USU often – from speaking on politics to attending Aggie games with his family.
Cox almost went to BYU, but Abby, his fiancee at the time and now his wife, convinced him to go to USU instead.
Something he loved about USU was the quality education he received while still being able to form close professional relationships with faculty. After graduating with a degree in political science, he went on to the Washington and Lee University School of Law. He practiced law, worked in the private sector and held a few different public offices before being appointed as lieutenant governor in 2013.
Cox often hires Aggies as his interns and assistants – but not just because they’re Aggies, he said, but because they’re almost always the best ones for the job. He loves directly engaging with students.
Felicia Gallegos
Felicia Gallegos works for the SAAVI office as an outreach and advocacy specialist and is pursuing a master’s degree in social work.
She worked as an advocate last year, where she helped survivors of interpersonal violence to get help and supported them in any way they needed. She now mainly works to promote SAAVI events and campaigns, such as Start By Believing and the Upstander training program. She also conducts one-on-one therapy as part of her master’s program.
Felicia loves the “Aggie family,” how there is always someone there when she or anyone else needs help in any way. She works with SAAVI because she doesn’t want anyone to feel alone in their experiences, and wants them to have their voices heard.
Val Potter
Val Potter is an alumnus from Utah State University of the Huntsman School of Business. He graduated in administration-marketing. Currently, Potter works on campus as well, as the executive director of development in the college of engineering. Besides being faculty, he has served extensively in cache valley, holding offices including, Cache County Council and Mayor of North Logan city, from 2002-2006. Potter is now a republican Utah representative of House District 3. An office he’s held since January 1, 2017. He is affiliated with the Higher Education Appropriations subcommittee, House Business and Labor Committee and the House Political Subdivisions Committee. Recently, he sponsored House Bill 349, known as the Higher Education Legacy Scholarship, which provides a waiver for incoming, out-of-state students who have have USU alumni relatives to pay resident tuition prices. The bill was recently changed to now permit out of state students under the legacy waiver to gain residency in the state of Utah after their first year here.
Tim Vitale
Tim Vitale has been at the helm of public relations at Utah State University since 2011.
He helped guide the university out of the aftermath of 2008’s financial crisis to build its reputation as a university ranked top in the nation for education and value.
Vitale actively works to safeguard the university’s brand and image, from responding to press requests for news and events to monitoring the use of trademarks like the Aggie name and logo.
During his tenure at USU, Vitale saw the university through the selection of its first female president, Noelle Cockett, in 2016. Vitale continues to maintain the university’s image through critical events that have made both local and national headlines. Vitale continues to work with administration to help guide USU to a place among the most-recognized colleges and universities in the nation.
Alison Berg
Alison Berg, a junior in Utah State’s print journalism program and senior writer for The Utah Statesman’s news team, is a dedicated journalist who works tirelessly to hold those in power accountable.
She is this year’s print student of the year and winner of this year’s Legacy Award from the College of Humanities and Social Sciences. She is also a finalist, along with Carter Moore, for an award with the prestigious organization of Investigative Reporters and Editors, for their investigative story which revealed that a business student advisory board for differential tuition was supposed to have been meeting but had not. The Huntsman school held its first meeting with the advisory board in response to the story.
Larry Smith
Through 2017 and the first semester of 2018, a substitute occupied one of the highest offices in the university. Larry Smith, the current interim provost, has been fulfilling the duties of the office since Noelle Cockett left it to become president in January 2017. Charged with the chief office of academic officers, Smith has been behind the scenes overseeing academics, maintaining faculty, and managing all seven colleges of USU. Prior to being appointed as interim provost, Smith was the executive senior vice provost of the university, and has served in the provost office since 2006. This is not his first interim position, however, as he was the interim Dean of graduate studies for two years, serving 2004-2006. Prior to his work at USU, Smith researched cell science and was on the faculty of Idaho State University for 14 years.
Smith enjoys outdoor activities here in the valley, such as fly-fishing, hiking, skiing, as well as growing and maintaining a small vineyard where he makes his own wine.
John Ferguson
John Ferguson, senior lecturer of Management in the Jon M. Huntsman School of Business, has a reputation as the voice for the students. He is also one of the most beloved business professors at USU, despite being known for teaching tough classes. Given his background, that should come as no surprise. Prior to coming to USU, Ferguson was an associate professor at Howard Payne University, a lecturer/pre-law coordinator at Baylor University, and worked for 10 years as the First Amendment Education Coordinator and attorney for the First Amendment Center in Nashville, TN. During that time, he travelled the country providing legal counsel on first amendment issues. A graduate of Vanderbilt University Law School and Howard Payne University, Ferguson now is the main instructor of all business law courses in the Huntsman school.
Mike Kuehn
Utah State University Police Chief Mike Kuehn has chosen to spend the final stretch of his 32-year law enforcement career as an Aggie.
After receiving his master’s degree from Brigham Young University, Kuehn served the Los Angeles Police Department in various capacities, then joined the Utah Highway Patrol, where he climbed the ranks and eventually became second-in-command.
Kuehn joined the Aggies in 2017, hoping to bring a spirit of compassion and care for students. Kuehn says serving students is his favorite part of the position.
Kuehn spends his days overseeing all public safety operations at USU campuses, but he loves the time he gets to spend in one-on-one interactions with students.
Aggie Shuttle Bus Drivers
Utah State University’s Aggie Shuttle drivers are influential because they are friendly, outgoing, and efficient. Aggie Shuttle drivers provide transportation for up to 8,500 people each day – over one million people each year. The Utah Statesman thanks Aggie Shuttle for being such an essential service to students.
Noelle Cockett
President Noelle Cockett has spent the last 28 years as an Aggie –– climbing the ladder from assistant professor to provost and vice president, and now the first woman to hold the presidential title.
She has dealt with sexual assault issues since her presidency began. But rather than shying away from such a sensitive topic, Cockett took the lead on a task force charged with preventing sexual violence. She was also proactive in hiring an outside attorney to investigate accusations against piano faculty.
And in the academic realm, Cockett teamed up with the First Lady of the Dominican Republic to devise a plan providing way for disabled children and families in the D.R. to receive education through the Emma Eccles Jones College of Education and Human Services.
Although she said she was a rather shy person toward the start of her presidency, Cockett has now spoken at multiple university events, is regularly spotted at USU sports games and personally delivered cookies to Aggies at the library during finals week.
Photo mosaic by: utahstatesman @ Mosaically
STUDENTS
Carly Thornhill
Carly Thornhill is a member of the HURD committee and is a CAPS REACH peer mentor.
Jackie Sullivan
Jackie Sullivan was the 2017-18 president of the Huntsman Scholars program. After graduating in the May with a degree in economics, she will attend Oxford University.
Sam Merrill
Sam Merrill is a guard on the USU Basketball team. He’s received third team all-Mountain West, Academic All-Mountain West and is a Whitesides Scholar-Athlete.
Michael Scott Peters
Michael Scott Peters was the 2017-18 USUSA president and a Huntsman Scholar. He was also the 2017-18 Utah Student Association president.
Toryn Coombs
Toryn Coombs is the USUSA series director in the student events office.
Mike Booth
Mike Booth was the USUSA regional campus president for the 2017-18 year and was just re-elected for the 2018-19 school year.
Dillon Maggard
Dillon Maggard is the first Aggie to win multiple cross country All-American honors. He set a USU record when he placed sixth at the NCAA National Cross Country Championships.
Lexie Jenkins
Lexie Jenkins was the 2017-18 USUSA Students For Choice club president.
Paulina Rivera-Soto
Paulina Rivera-Soto is the diversity director on the USUSA diversity cabinet, a member of the Student Alumni Association and a member of the LatinX Student Union.
Joe Aratari
Joe Aratari was the 2017-18 USUSA student events vice president. His nominators described him as someone who “not only seeks to create a higher quality of life through events on campus and his great ability to involve as many people as possible and help people feel like a part of a larger group.”
FACULTY
Dennis Dolny
Dennis Dolny is the late head of the Kinesiology & Health Science and Nursing & Health Professions Department. He tragically passed away earlier this year.
Joe Ward
Joe Ward is the dean of the College of Humanities and Social Sciences and served as the head of the provost search committee.
Donna Gilbertson
A psychology professor who promotes self care, according to those who nominated her.
Paul Fjeldsted
An economics and finance professor who is a great mentor, according to those who nominated him.
Laura Dotson
A USU-Eastern nursing program coordinator, who trains up-and-coming confident nurses.
Crescencio Lopez-Gonzalez
An inspiriting and caring Latinx Studies professor who cares about his students and the community.
Dennis Kohler
Dennis Kohler is the Academic Success Director and Instructor and is a passionate force at USU who cares about faculty and students equally.
KimberLeigh Hadfield
Kimberleigh Hadfield is a math and statistics full-time lecturer who makes students “feel like they can succeed,” according to those who nominated her.
Kari Olsen
An accounting professor who also researches management control systems and personality characteristics.
Shannon Peterson
Shannon Peterson works with the Institute of Government and Politics to provide more global internship opportunities.
ALUMNI
Jay Bollwinkel
Landscape Architecture, 1987
Principal/partner with environmental design firm MGB+A: The Grassli Group
Bobby Wagner
Business, 2012
Seattle Seahawks and First Team All-Pro linebacker
Brian Tarbet
Political Science and Business, 1973
Major general in National Guard, former counsel for state attorney general
Dusty Petersen
Public Health, 2016
USU recruitment specialist
Jalen Moore
Business, 2017
Former NBA prospect
Nathan Alder
History, 1991
Attorney with law firm Christensen & Jensen
Spencer Nelson
Finance and Accounting, 2005
USU men’s basketball assistant coach
Tim Stewart
Political Science, 1992
Government relations consultant, lobbyist, U.S Oil and Gas Association VP
Trevor Sean Olsen
Finance, 2016
Former USUSA president; product manager intern with LDS Church
Sian Smith
Liberal Arts, 2012
USU Alumni Relations Development Director
STAFF
Krystin Deschamps
Krystin Deschamps is the director of Student Conduct and Community Standards.
Yvonne Kobe
Yvonne Kobe is an exploratory adviser for the pre-health professions and biology departments.
Taylor Adams
Taylor Adams is the project coordinator for regional campuses at Utah State University and is also a USU alumnus.
Karalee Ransom
Karalee Ransom is the academic adviser for physics majors in the college of science.
Shane Richards
Shane Richards is the landscape operations and maintenance manager of the Logan campus. He has been with USU for two years now, and works with his crew every day to keep campus pristine.
Matt Jensen
Before joining the university in 2014, he worked as a newspaper and public radio reporter and host. He is also a commercial-certified pilot and enjoys spending time with his two dogs.
Amanda DeRito
Amanda DeRito is the sexual misconduct and information outreach coordinator.
Suzanne Thorpe
Suzanne Thorpe is the administrative assistant for the student affairs office, an office that is committed to students’ global learning and environments, by enhancing the academic, personal, ethical, social and cultural experiences of students, according to its website.
John Hartwell
John Hartwell is the athletics director at Utah State.
Linda Zimmerman
Linda Zimmerman directs the Student Involvement and Leadership Center.