‘Showcase the power of education and sport’: Utah 2034 announces education committee

SALT LAKE CITY — The Utah 2034 Winter Games organizing committee on Tuesday announced the launch of its official education committee.

The 16-member committee is made up of education, business, nonprofit and athletics leaders across the Beehive State and beyond.

Related: What if Utah has a light winter in 2034?

According to a press release, the committee will provide strategic guidance, foster partnerships, and develop statewide initiatives that connect students and educators to the opportunities created along the road to 2034.

Also included in the committee’s mission is the launch of a statewide classroom education program.

“A key vision point for Utah 2034 is to elevate communities,” Utah 2034 President and Executive Chair Fraser Bullock said in a statement. “Our Utah 2034 Education Committee brings together a diverse group of leaders who can guide us in impacting youth through classroom programs across the entire state, serving as a model for others to showcase the power of education and sport.”

The committee is led by chair Amy Garff, president of Ken Garff Philanthropies and vice chair Sydnee Dickson, former state superintendent of public instruction. Utah native and Olympic champion Nathan Chen will serve in an athlete-focused role.

Related: What the IOC president says about the new name for Utah’s next Olympics

Garff’s father-in-law, Bob Garff, played a big role in the 2002 Winter Games, and she was among the Utahns who carried the Olympic torch ahead of the 2026 Winter Games in Milan-Cortina, Italy, earlier this year.

“The formation of the Education Committee is an important milestone as we begin building the educational legacy of the 2034 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games,” Garff said in a statement. “By bringing together passionate leaders from across the state, we’re creating opportunities for students to engage with the values of the Olympic and Paralympic Movement in meaningful ways that will extend well beyond the Games.”

One of the committee’s key missions, said the press release, is to oversee a statewide education strategy that uses the “excitement and values of the Olympic and Paralympic movement to strengthen student literacy, increase school attendance, and track measurable student outcomes.”

The full committee is made up of the following:

• Brad Wilson (CEO, Utah 2034)
• Mindy Benson (President, Southern Utah University; Utah 2034 Board member)
• Doug Bowser (Past President, Nintendo of America; Hasbro board member)
• Nathan Chen (figure skating gold medalist)
• Andy Cooley (Vice President of Technology Services, Kornerstone)
• Lexi Cunningham (Executive Director, Utah School Superintendents Association)
• Sheri Dew (Executive Vice President, Deseret Management Corporation)
• Kathi Garff (Chair, Robert H. and Katharine B. Garff Foundation)
• Molly Hart (Superintendent, Utah State Board of Education)
• Geoff Landward (Commissioner, Utah System of Higher Education)
• Alisa Olsen (Elementary school teacher, Nibley Elementary, Cache County School District)
• Andrea Seminario (Principal, Northwest Middle School, Salt Lake School District)
• Erin Trenbeath-Murray (President, Ken Garff for Good)