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People on the move

People on the move is your weekly roundup of hiring and other personnel news throughout the state of Utah.

Salt Lake City — The Utah Advanced Materials & Manufacturing Initiative (UAMMI) announced today the selection of Dr. Tulinda Larsen as its new executive director. UAMMI is a non-profit organization whose mission is to bring together public, private, community, industry and education partners to assure growth and sustainability of Utah’s advanced materials and manufacturing industry. Dr. Larsen will oversee all aspects of this mission. Mr. Edwards served as UAMMI’s first executive director from January 2017 until the present. The position for a new director was opened up last December when he announced that he will be stepping down as director to serve a mission with his wife Karamea in the public affairs department for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints in New Zealand and the South Pacific Region. Dr. Larsen brings extensive experience of managing aerospace industry organizations, especially in the emerging Urban Air Mobility industry. Among many positions she has held in the industry, her most recent was the executive director of Deseret Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) where she helped secure state funding for the Utah’s growing urban air mobility industry. Other experience she brings to UAMMI includes 40+ years in commercial aviation, experience with outdoor recreation industries and an understanding of emerging trends and economic drivers in recreational sports, and government and industry data commercialization. In addition, she is an adjunct assistant professor at Embry Riddle Aeronautical University and holds a Doctorate of Management from the University of Maryland Global Campus as well as a B.A. and M.A. in Economics from George Washington University.

Salt Lake City — Woodside Homes has announced the selection of Chris Williams as its new Chief Customer Officer effective March 1, 2020. This new position at Woodside Homes was created to further promote a consistent customer-centered culture across the entire company. Williams will lead Woodside’s Customer-centric business strategy, unifying all Woodside’s customer initiatives developed through research, insights and data-driven processes. Williams transitions to this role after serving as president of Woodside’s California Central Valley division for nearly 14 years. During that time, he led a team that built approximately 3,500 homes and acquired and developed a similar number of lots.  He has led the Central Valley Division in creating numerous memorable customer experiences, earning several awards and recognitions for outstanding customer satisfaction, construction quality, and high customer referral rates.  In 2017, Williams was selected by Chief Executive Officer Joel Shine as the chairman of the company’s Customer Experience Steering Committee. The Customer Experience Steering Committee has been a visionary force driving innovative customer solutions throughout the Woodside enterprise.

Salt Lake City—R&R Partners announced today that Kyle Curtis has rejoined as President of the Salt Lake City office. A former board member and President of Utah’s chapter of the American Advertising Federation, Curtis has also won many of the ad industry’s most prestigious awards, including the One Show, Communication Arts, Effies, national ADDYs, PRSA Silver Anvil, TBS World’s Funniest Commercials and many more. In 2011, he was honored as Utah’s Advertising Professional of the Year. Curtis’ campaigns have earned the title of national best practices and shaped how entire industries advertise, including mass transit and substance abuse prevention. Kyle spent over ten years as group creative director at R&R. During that time, he produced some of the most effective and attention-getting ads in Utah, including programs for Utah Highway Safety DUI prevention, “Use Only as Directed” pharmaceutical awareness, the Colorado Wildlife Commission, and “Parents Empowered” underage drinking prevention. His unique combination of strategy and creativity has consistently delivered fame and bottom-line results for clients. Along with R&R, he’s done stints with Fluid Advertising, Richter7, and Bonneville International.