Meet the Board
Gilberto "Juan" Rejón Magana | Executive Director/Coach
Coach Juan started it all and runs the program both from the office and especially out on the field, on the river and in the neighborhood he calls home. Read more about this dynamic leader and community activist throughout the website! |
Teresa Molina, MSW, MBA, PhD. | Associate Chair
Teresa came to Utah in 2006. Since then, she has worked with Westside Salt Lake City residents in different capacities. Her research interests are mental health and community practice. Her research dissertation focused on recovery from intimate abuse among Latinas in Utah. She has conducted impact and empowerment program evaluation for the Westside Leadership Institute, and volunteered as an instructor for refugee nonprofit organizations and NAMI. She also worked with the Hartland Redwood Refugee Clinic. As Associate Director at University Neighborhood Partners, her mission is to support the development of UNP’s education pathways, community capacity building and community leadership partnerships. Teresa has a strong experience working in Mexico and Utah with individuals and families with mental health, substance use and domestic violence issues. She has an appointment as assistant professor/lecturer at the College of Social Work, where she teaches policy and community practice courses in the BSW program. Teresa is a member of the NAMI Latino Utah task force, the Salt Lake County CODA Health Subcommittee, the Salt Lake City Human Rights Commission, and South Valley Sanctuary Board of Advisors. Teresa earned her PhD and MSW degrees from the University of Utah; her MBA degree from Lake Superior State University, and her BS in Economics at UNAM. |
Almaida Yanagui | Community Advocate Coordinator University Neighborhood Partners
Alma graduated from The University of Utah Parent Advocate Training where she learned how to become a leader in her own community and an advocate for her family within the school system. She is a graduate of The Venture Course in the Humanities through the Utah Humanities Council and is currently working on obtaining a Social Work degree and plans to further her education in Communications. At UNP, Alma spends most of her time working side by side with the community, more specifically parents of students who are involved in UNP’s partnerships; she supports Westside families in becoming involved in educational opportunities as well as their children’s school. Alma also works as a childcare provider at the Northwest Recreational Center. Alma was raised in Laredo, Texas and has been living in Utah for over twenty years. She is the mother of five beautiful children; four daughters and one son. She spends her free time with her family; she also enjoys the outdoors and camping. |
Bruce Neumann | Manager – Accounting & Finance University Neighborhood Partners
Bruce has a Master’s of accounting and has been with the U for over 10 years. Before coming to UNP he worked in the U of U’s Central Development Office as an accountant. Previously, he worked as a corporate accountant in property management and nursing home management. He enjoys working with people and numbers to align organizational goals with budgeting and finances. While working on his bachelor degree he worked as a waiter, CNC machine operator, and pheasant ranch hand. Currently he spends his free time staying current with accounting, cooking from scratch, gardening, playing with his parrots, and rock climbing. |
Kara Byrne | Research Assistant Professor, Social Research Institute University of Utah
For more on Kara please click the button below:
For more on Kara please click the button below:
Jeff Whitbeck | Managing Partner, Momentum Recycling
Shortly after receiving his B.A. from the University of Colorado, Boulder in 1994, Jeff served in the Peace Corps for 5-years as a secondary education teacher in Ukraine and as a teacher and a Sustainable Economic Development Volunteer in Kyrgyzstan. He returned to the States to pursue a Masters in Community and Regional Planning from the University of Oregon in 2002. After graduate school, Jeff returned to the developing world where he worked for a number of international non-profits over the next several years gaining extensive experience in civil society development, democracy building, health education, community and economic development, infrastructure development and social planning. In addition to programmatic work, Jeff directed administrative operations for the office of a large NGO and had oversight of:procurement; security of property and personnel; human resources; grant writing, and contracts and tendering. Jeff previously worked as a planning assistant in Oregon. In the seven years Jeff has been managing Momentum Recycling he has also served on the Utah Society for Environmental Education Board of Directors and on an Advisory Board for Real Food Rising. |
Van Hoover |
For more about Van click the button below: |
Peter Vordenberg | Board Member, Media and out-reach
Pete Vordenberg above all a happy dad and husband. Before becoming a dad he was head coach of the US Cross Country Ski Team. He is a two-time Olympic athlete and two-time Olympic coach. He is a professional photographer, published writer and has run non-profits for the sport of cross-country skiing. Many of the shots on this site are his. Pete is an environmental and climate activist, an outdoors person, who enjoys alpine ski touring, mountain biking, backpacking, canyoneering, scuba diving, cross-country skiing, rafting and exploring the wilderness with his family. Pete loves working for social and environmental causes. for more, click the button below.
Pete Vordenberg above all a happy dad and husband. Before becoming a dad he was head coach of the US Cross Country Ski Team. He is a two-time Olympic athlete and two-time Olympic coach. He is a professional photographer, published writer and has run non-profits for the sport of cross-country skiing. Many of the shots on this site are his. Pete is an environmental and climate activist, an outdoors person, who enjoys alpine ski touring, mountain biking, backpacking, canyoneering, scuba diving, cross-country skiing, rafting and exploring the wilderness with his family. Pete loves working for social and environmental causes. for more, click the button below.