Happy Friday from #OneUtah, a weekly update from the office of Gov. Spencer J. Cox. Here’s your recap of what we did this week, what's on the horizon, and more.

Honoring a dear friend

Pamela Atkinson has rendered extraordinary service to Utahns for decades, so we thought it fitting to declare on Feb 24th, as Pamela Atkinson Day! 

As an advisor to four governors, Pamela has served at the highest levels guiding policy, helping to set agendas, serving on the State Homeless Council and Board of Advisors on Refugees, and serving on numerous boards of directors.

But she’s best known as a true friend and advocate for our homeless and refugee friends. Pamela makes big things happen; helping open homeless resource centers, health clinics and overflow shelters. She takes on work to help those in need and unites interfaith groups. Pamela is a devout member of her faith community and, most of all, she’s a devoted mother, grandmother and great-grandmother. 

We are honored to be a friend of Pamela Atkinson. She is a guiding light in Utah, and we appreciate her and her life’s work greatly!

Let states lead on immigration

With thousands of unfilled jobs in Utah, we need more workers. We made the case for immigration reform with our friend, Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb, in a Washington Post op-ed published this week.

Immigration, done the right way, is as critical to the future of our nation as it was our past. We currently have more jobs available than unemployed people, and we believe that increasing legal immigration would ensure that our economy will continue to flourish. 

We are calling on Congress to introduce legislation that allows states to decide for themselves how many legal immigrants they want to sponsor. Immigration sponsorship would give states a dynamic means to attract new residents, both from new applicants from abroad and from current asylum seekers. Our hope is that Congress will come together to find a solution for the benefit of not only Utah, but also our nation.

Read more here

Aggie Day on the Hill 

We were excited to say “hi” to some of our fellow Aggies from Utah State University this week at Aggie Day on the Hill! Alumni, including Jaycee Carroll, administrators and students came to the state Capitol to meet with our office, legislators and more (and brought some sweet Aggie Ice Cream!).

Thanks for stopping by! See photos from our visit here.

Snow in Utah

Apparently, our prayers for rain and snow were heard this week. Salt Lake City got nearly 14 inches with many ski resorts in Utah reporting more than 30 inches of snow! 

We urged Utahns to work remotely if possible, and are extremely grateful for the Utah Department of Transportation, which worked tirelessly through the night keeping the roads clear and salted, and the Utah Department of Public Safety for keeping our roads safe. 

While the snow shut down school and work, it also is providing our state with water. Our snowpack continues to be above average for this time of year, which is great news for us because we get approximately 95% of our water from snowpack. 

We know that we still have a long way to go to emerge from our extended drought, but we remain grateful for the blessing this snowfall will be for our state. To learn more about Utah snow, click here.

Utah’s Spirit of Service

We’re still taking nominations for the second annual Governor’s Spirit of Service Awards! Thank you for all the nominations and please keep them coming.

Utah leads the nation in volunteerism, and there are so many of you engaged in important service work that too often goes unnoticed. We want to recognize you! 

Nominating a person or organization for the award is easy. Use this link and fill out the survey before March 10. Share the survey with family and friends; we want to give everyone the chance to nominate the person or organization they think deserves the award. Thank you for all you do to serve our community!

Meet Ryan Starks

Meet Ryan Starks, executive director of the Governor’s Office of Economic Opportunity. GOEO cultivates prosperity, helping to future-proof Utah’s economy and working at the speed of business. 

Grateful to have Director Starks on Team Utah!

Spotlight: Governor’s Award for Excellence

Each week we are highlighting a state employee who was recently awarded the Governor’s Award for Excellence. This week we are recognizing Marty Windham with the Utah Labor Commission. 

Marty does an excellent job and is an integral part of the Utah Occupational Safety and Health (UOSH) Division. Marty exemplifies the concept of servant leadership and continuously helps multiple departments regardless of what else he may be working on. He also has an ability to communicate effectively with all of his coworkers, from the director level to staff members. Marty is directly responsible for duties including purchase orders, new hire processing, IT support, and, most importantly, preparing federal grant applications for UOSH. He is the type of person that you can trust to figure things out and find a way to get them done, and has never dropped the ball on anything he’s been asked to do, which is why he is often referred to as the backbone of the division. Marty is a great asset to our team and we would be hard pressed to find anyone as efficient and effective at what he does.

Thank you for your good work, Marty! To read more about the Governor's Awards for Excellence, click here.

Avalanche Danger in Utah

Utah’s gotten a lot of snow in the past week, which makes great conditions for winter activities. But with that snow comes the risk of avalanche danger. Whether you’re skiing, snowshoeing, snowmobiling, headed into the backcountry or just exploring the snowy mountains, be sure to check conditions before you head out, and bring proper equipment. 

The Utah Avalanche Center is a great resource for avalanche forecasts and education.

ICYMI

• We were honored to meet with Utah Mother of the Year Meg Johnson this week. Her motto – When life gets too hard to stand, just keep on rollin’! – is an inspiration to all. We thank her for representing the best of Utah at AMI's national conference in Nebraska.
• We were glad to meet with members of Utah’s Rural Caucus this week to discuss our rural priorities and successes. We’re proud of the rural representation we have on Team Utah! 
• NBA All-Star Weekend was in town this past weekend! Great to see everyone who came out and visited Salt Lake for this great event.

Coming up

• Feb. 27: We will be participating in a forum about conservation at the University of Utah’s Hinckley Institute of Politics. 
• Feb. 28: We're joining the Utah Broadcasters Association's "Direct Link with Gov. Cox" at 6 p.m. Listen live here!
• Feb. 28: We will be hosting a virtual town hall on Facebook Live! Tune at 7:15 p.m. at https://www.facebook.com/govcox to ask us questions. We want to hear from you!
• March 2: We’re excited to join Lt. Gov. Henderson and the Policy Project for a press conference on The Period Project. 
• March 3: It’s the last day of the 2023 General Legislative Session!

Get involved!

Looking for a new job opportunity? From great employee benefits to versatile work schedules, the career opportunities with the state are truly endless. Join Team Utah today! 

Those looking to volunteer can also consider more than 300 boards and commissions. Find out which openings are available and how you can get involved here!

Get in touch!

You can reach the Governor's Office here. And you can follow us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and  YouTube for the latest news and updates.

Contact the Governor's Office