Community, business leaders to receive Weber State honorary degrees

OGDEN, Utah — Weber State University will recognize four outstanding leaders with honorary degrees during its commencement ceremony April 25. The event begins at 7 p.m. at Stewart Stadium on the Ogden campus. 

Honorary degree recipients are nominated and chosen based on their business and community leadership, passionate support for higher education, and faithful service to Weber State. 

One recipient, Diane Morais, is also this year’s commencement speaker.

Diane Morais

Morais recently retired after a distinguished career in financial services, where she drove business growth and transformation. In her last role, Morais served as president of Ally Bank, overseeing consumer and commercial banking. She managed 3,500 employees, $50 billion in assets, $2 billion in annual revenue, and more than $144 billion in deposits. 

Under Morais’ leadership, Ally Bank achieved double-digit retail deposit growth each year since 2009. The bank received numerous accolades, including Money Magazine’s Best Online Bank eight out of 10 years and Kiplinger’s Best Internet Bank. 

Morais worked on Ally’s Community Reinvestment Act team, driving significant strategic relationships in Utah and beyond, and played a key role in Ally’s successful initial public offering. She has extensive experience with strategy, digital transformation, technology, brand and customer loyalty, regulatory relations, risk management, and building corporate culture. 

Prior to Ally, Morais spent 12 years at Bank of America, working in the deposit and debit business, credit card marketing, and customer experience. She also spent nine years at Citibank’s credit card division in a variety of marketing, risk and finance roles.

A leader in the business community of Charlotte, North Carolina, Morais received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Charlotte Business Journal, was recognized by Queens University as Charlotte Businesswoman of the Year, and was named American Banker Magazine’s 25 Most Powerful Women in Banking for nine consecutive years. She serves on several boards, including Junior Achievement of Central Carolinas, YMCA of Greater Charlotte, and Charlotte Center City Partners. 

Morais is a native of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and graduated from Penn State University.

Jeffrey C. Flamm

Flamm is the CEO and founder of Infinite Mind, LC, an online brain and reading enhancement program launched in 2002. Available in the App Store as “Infinite Mind Brain Exercises,” the program has been used by over two million people and implemented in 1,000 schools and businesses.

Beyond technology, Flamm has been active in real estate development and construction since 1992. He is a partner in several businesses focusing on commercial office and residential development, including Koloa Landing, a Marriott Autograph Resort in Kauai.

Previously, Flamm co-founded Health Benefits America in 1985, a company that provided benefit management services to Fortune 500 companies. He held executive leadership roles until HBA was acquired by Automatic Data Processing in 1996.

Flamm graduated from Weber State University with a bachelor’s degree in management. During his time at WSU, he served as the WSU Student Association president and financial vice president, as well as president of the Latter-day Saint Student Association. He has served on the WSU Alumni Board and National Advisory Council. He and his wife, Nancy, have established an endowment fund to support future student leaders.

Flamm is also committed to philanthropy, serving on the boards of the Living Planet Aquarium, Millie’s Princess Foundation, Hale Centre Theatre, and the Flamm Family Foundation.

Christine C. Ivory

Ivory is the co-founder and director of the Clark and Christine Ivory Foundation and a senior advisor at Ivory Homes. 

Passionate about education, Ivory has been actively involved in creating engaging learning environments. She served as PTA president at her children’s schools and currently supports statewide efforts to ensure 70% of third graders read at grade level by 2027. Her dedication extends to Weber State University, where she serves on the National Advisory Council, as well as the University of Utah’s National Advisory Council and the Tanner Dance Board.

In 2003, Ivory and her husband established the Clark and Christine Ivory Foundation to address housing affordability and support thriving communities. The foundation has made significant contributions to education and sustainable development throughout Utah, including at Weber State.

Ivory also plays a key role at Ivory Homes as a project manager and design consultant, specializing in landscape architecture and master-planned communities. Her work reflects a commitment to sustainable living and community development.

Ivory is a resident of Holladay, Utah, and earned a bachelor’s degree in English from Brigham Young University before completing a teaching certificate at the University of Utah.

Reed Richards

Richards has had a distinguished career in law, public service, and education. After earning degrees in accounting, business administration, and law from the University of Utah, he began his career as a tax attorney in Los Angeles before returning to Ogden in 1976. 

He served as Weber County Attorney from 1987–1993, where he pioneered Utah’s first Children’s Justice Center and played a key role in constitutional amendments on bail reform and victims’ rights.

Richards held leadership roles in the Utah Attorney General’s Office, the Utah Sheriffs’ Association, and the Utah Prosecutors Association. He spent 25 years as chairman of the Utah State Council on Victims of Crime and served as president of the National Children’s Alliance. His contributions to victim advocacy and public safety were widely recognized.

Richards taught criminal justice and law courses for over 20 years at Weber State University and its Law Enforcement Academy, often traveling statewide in support of WSU’s Continuing Education program. Four of his children earned degrees from Weber State, and his daughter serves as the university’s director of learning support.

Beyond his legal and academic work, Richards served honorably in the U.S. Army. He has been active in church and community service, holding leadership positions in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, including nearly a decade as a stake president. He also led local initiatives, including the Boy Scouts, the Weber County RAMP program, and several non-profit boards.

Richards is a native of Ogden, Utah, and a graduate of Ogden High School.

Author:

Marketing & Communications

Contact:

Rachel Badali, news coordinator
801-626-7362, rachelbadali@weber.edu