2024βs
Martha Hughes Cannon
Award Recipients
This year, we are honoring five outstanding women who have contributed so much to their communities and the state of Utah through their public service.
Outstanding Impact in
the Democratic Party:
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Inspired by dedicated volunteers, civic leaders, and organizations, Karen has worked to build community through sound public policy, strong advocacy, and engagement.
Hale served as Director of Special Initiatives and as Deputy Mayor of Community and External Affairs for Salt Lake County. Karen has also served in Salt Lake City government as Director of Community Relations, Communications Director, and as Deputy Mayor of Community and External Affairs.
In 1998, she was elected to the Utah State Senate where she served two terms as a passionate voice for public and higher education. During that time, she served as Minority Caucus Manager and Assistant Minority Whip. She was also selected as the Democratic candidate for Lieutenant Governor in 2000 and 2004.
Hale is the former publisher and editor of Parent Express, a news and resource magazine for Utah families and finds joy serving the community through participation on boards including Intermountain Healthcare, Primary Childrenβs Hospital Foundation, and the Natural History Museum of Utah boards.
More recently she served as the co-chair for the Utah Debate Commission and as a committee member on Utah's Independent Redistricting Commission.
Outstanding Impact in
the Republican Party:
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Senator Ann Millner has served in the Utah State Senate since 2015. She has served as the Senate Majority Whip and Chair of the Senate Ethics Committee.
Before her time in the state legislature, she was appointed the first female president of a four-year institution of higher education in Utah for Weber State University (2002-2012) where she had been the vice president for University Relations. She now teaches at Weber State University as a Regents Professor of Health Administration.
Millner has been involved in various community and academic organizations including the Education and Mental Health Coordination Council, Co-Chair of the United Partnership Council - United Way of Northern Utah, Co-Chair for Education - Council of State Governments West, Executive Committee - National Conference of State Legislatures
Senator Millner is committed to making the right decisions for her constituents and all of Utah, informed by data and her core values.
Outstanding Impact in Local Government & Nonpartisan Office:
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Victoria Petro serves on the Salt Lake City Council and on the Utah Inland Port Authority Board of Directors. She also works as a project manager at Sorenson Impact Center at the University of Utah.
Petro was originally appointed by the Salt Lake City Council to fill the vacant district one seat in 2021. Shortly thereafter, she was also elected by voters to serve a four-year term beginning Jan. 3, 2022. Petro was also appointed to serve on the Utah Inland Port Authority Board of Directors representing Salt Lake City. In 2024, Petro was elected by her council peers to serve as the Councilβs Chair. She is also a consultant with Pathway Associates.
Petro served as the Executive Director for Salty Cricket, a non-profit dedicated to building community through music-based activities. She also served on the Historic Landmark Commission, and the Utahns for Culture and Cultural Alliance Boards in 2020.
She has been, and will continue to be, an active voice for the diverse community in district one that is unique and rich in culture. Petro aims to build a strong unified voice for the place she loves and calls home.
Outstanding Work in Policy
and Advocacy:
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Maura Carabello is the President, Founder, and Owner of the Exoro Group, a communications, policy, and strategy group. In this role, she serves as an advisor and strategist to Utahβs top elected officials and business leaders.
Founded in 2002, Exoro Group serves corporations, governmental entities, and non-profits by blending scientific analysis, modern communications and deep connections. They also publish an annual definitive guide for the Utah State Legislature.
Before her work with the Exoro Group, her experiences span development work in Uganda, Time Magazine in New York, the director of several non-profits, as well as leading hundreds of regional, national and state campaigns and initiatives.
She hosts a regular show on KSL Radio, KSL at Night, and is a regular guest on KUTV-CBS weekly podcast Take Two; PBS Utah Hinckley Report.
Carabello is a powerful speaker, trainer, sought-after advisor, and trusted problem solver who has built a thriving career from her passions. She is motivated by her desire to advocate and achieve success for others.
The Martha Hughes Cannon Lifetime Achievement Award:
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Patricia Jones became the CEO of the Womenβs Leadership Institute in 2015. In this role, she works to elevate the stature of female leadership in Utah.
Earlier in her career, Jones co-founded Dan Jones & Associates, a public opinion and market research firm where she served as president.
She then served as a State Senator and Representative in the Utah Legislature for a total of 14 years, from 2000 - 2014. During this time, she was the first female leader in either party and in either House.
She currently serves on the Board of Trustees at Utah Tech University, the Zions Bank Advisory Board, the Garff Foundation Success in Education Board, the Salt Lake Chamber Board of Governors, Intermountain Healthcare Community Care Foundation, and the Western Interstate Commission on Higher Education.
Jones has committed her life to public service for the state of Utah, and her contributions continue to impact individualsβ lives every day.
2023: The Inaugural Martha Hughes Cannon Awards
On Nov 3, 2023, Utah Women Run, at the Hinckley Institute of Politics at the University of Utah, announced the inaugural Martha Hughes Cannon Award recipients and nominees. The awards ceremony recognized women who have made significant contributions to Utahβs political landscape.
The Martha Hughes Cannon Award is named after the first woman elected to a state senate in the United States. Martha Hughes Cannon was an immigrant, a physician, and a suffragist who championed public health. She famously ran against and defeated her husband to win her seat. The award honors women who continue this legacy by striving to do good in their communities and going above and beyond to make an impact on Utahβs political landscape.
Award Winners:
Outstanding Impact in the Democratic Party: Senator Luz Escamilla
Outstanding Impact in the Republican Party: Allyson Bell, Chief of Staff to Senator Mike Lee
Outstanding Impact in Local Government: South Jordan Mayor Dawn Ramsey
Outstanding Work in Policy and Advocacy: Nubia PenΜa, Director of the Utah Division of Multicultural Affairs
Lifetime Achievement Award: Representative Becky Edwards
2022 - βNew Name, New Home, Same Mission!β Fall Celebration
On Nov 15, 2022, Utah Women Run celebrated their new home at the Hinckley Institute. Formerly Real Women Run, the organization gathered women from across the political spectrum to recognize their new name and recommit to the mission of engaging more women in civic life.
Becky Edwards and Rebecca Chavez Houck led a keynote speech discussing their personal histories and hopes for the future.
