My Family
My amazing wife, Kim, and I have four children ranging from 18 years down to 9. My wife received her degree from Utah Valley University and is currently a teacher at Harvest Elementary. She grew up in Ephraim and attended Snow College. While in High School, she was the pitcher on the softball team. She spends most of her time running our kids to all of their different activities, as well as teaching piano. Our son Jackson spends his time playing soccer, practicing the cello, or scouting. Laney and Brooklyn both love dance and cheer. Laney plays violin, and Brooklyn loves the piano. Lincoln is our fun little busy body and is currently passionate about learning to code. As a family, we love to visit national parks, particularly Arches, Yellowstone and Zions. We enjoy spending time in the mountains, hiking, and fishing. In whatever spare time I have, I love to read and play the guitar.
Kim and I both come from large families. She has five kids in her family, and I have seven in mine. This means we have a lot of cousins for our kids to play with, and our kids look forward to our family reunions every year. Most of Kim’s side of the family lives in Canada, which is where she spent her summers growing up. Even now, she stays close with her cousins that she used to visit as a kid and tries to get up there at least once a year.
I was born on July 4th, 1976, hence the name Jefferson. I was the fifth child of seven kids. My family was very active in public service, and we often discussed issues around the dinner table. My dad served in the Utah House of Representatives and worked on many campaigns, which meant that we also helped on many campaigns. My dad had a deep love and appreciation for the founding fathers and the Constitution. He had us memorize the Preamble to the Constitution at a young age, and those words have stayed with me throughout my life.
My father passed away suddenly when I was 14 years old. This left my mom with seven kids to raise on her own. My oldest brother was 21 and had been home from his mission for a week and my youngest sister was 10. Shortly after my father passed, my mom returned to complete her doctorate degree while still working full time. Watching my mom work so hard to provide for us while doing what she needed to do to retain her job had a significant impact on me. Finances were tight but she took care of us and taught us the importance of getting a good education. I started working at a young age and did what I could to take care of myself. I believe that experience has helped shape my view of the world. If I needed something, I knew I had to work hard and earn it. I saw my mom stretch a dollar as far as she possibly could, while still providing us with opportunities.
Education
I believe in being a lifetime student and have gained much of my education from personal reading. In college, I received my degree from Brigham Young University in Political Science with an emphasis in Philosophy. I was particularly interested in the philosophers that helped to shape our founders' ideas on our form of government. During my undergraduate, I attended the Washington Seminar in Washington DC. While working for a member of Congress, I gained a practical education on how government works. I also earned an MBA from BYU, with an emphasis in Finance and Entrepreneurship. I was one of a handful of students selected to be a member of Cougar Capital, a student-run venture capital firm. As an investor in startup companies, I gained a deeper understanding and appreciation for the free market system and what it takes to build a business from a simple idea to a successful enterprise. I also completed a certificate in financial planning from New York University.
Career
My career has traveled down several paths. I started several businesses while attending college, including a web development and marketing company. After graduating, I helped launch a tech company which was eventually acquired. I watched as the founders of that company put everything they owned (and every credit card they could get their hands on) to build a company from the ground up. I vividly remember my first day there when I completed a sale, and the founder of the company came up to me and thanked me because they now had enough to make payroll. During that period, I had a roommate who was making interesting leather products. I asked if he wanted to go into business together. I self-funded the company and led the sales, marketing, strategy, and business development. We grew the company into a multi-million dollar business and successfully sold the company.
I then worked for Spring Capital as a portfolio consultant. This again provided me with great insight into how critical entrepreneurship is to our economy and how the free market system works. I was then recruited to work in San Francisco for Credit Suisse, a Swiss Investment Bank. This provided me with a much greater understanding of finance, banking, and investments. It also gave me a global view on how the world financial system is interrelated and the impacts that fiscal and monetary policy has on the global economy. After several years in San Francisco, my wife and I determined we should move back to Utah. For five years, I worked for Key Bank in their Private Bank. My role was to coordinate the efforts of our team on all aspects of wealth management, including estate planning, financial planning, tax strategy, philanthropic goals, credit needs, and investment management. I worked as the Division Executive Director and Foundation Chief Operating Officer at Utah Valley University. I also led the efforts to launch the Wolverine Fund, a student-run venture capital firm. I’m currently the Executive Director of the Innovation District at The Point.
Public Service
I have spent most of my adult life involved in public service. I was raised with the expectation that I should always give back. I began by service on the city council while in my mid twenties. I had only recently moved to Saratoga Springs, but I felt compelled to get involved. As the fastest growing city in Utah, I knew it was critical that we were managing our growth effectively and ensuring we were being fiscally responsible. We went through some difficult growing pains, but I believe we made the needed decisions to ensure we remained on solid financial ground and prepared for future growth. This experience taught me some very valuable lessons when it comes to government. I’ve learned that you need to be continually vigilant. You can’t always trust the information that is provided to you. You need to dig deeper, ask good questions, and hold those that provide information accountable. You also need to always be prepared for worst-case scenarios.
After moving back to Saratoga Springs, I was asked to serve on the Planning Commission. Having served on the City Council, I better understood how important the planning process was, particularly in a city growing as fast as ours. I then ran for the State Board of Education, representing parts of Saratoga Springs, Eagle Mountain, Bluffdale, Herriman, South Jordan and other outlying areas. With my finance background, I was asked to serve on the Finance and Audit committees. Again, I believe my financial background helped me dig into budgets, find areas where we could be more efficient, and put processes in place to ensure we would remain on solid financial ground. I also gained a deep appreciation for our teachers, principals and administrators. I came to realize the challenges that they face on a daily basis and have looked for ways to help reduce micromanagement from the state.
Additionally, I have served on a number of other boards. I am a proud member of the Brighton A Day foundation board. This was started in memory of Brighty Tenney, my daugher’s best friend. Brighton A Day provides financial support and group events for families who have lost children. I also served on the Utah State Board of Regents, the board of the Hale Centre Theatre (in Salt Lake) and American Indian Services. I’ve previously served on the Boards of the Stem Action Center and ConnectShare.