Thanks for Being a Part of the 2025 WSU Data Summit: Challenge Accepted - Level Up with Data 

Matthew Baxter
Assistant Commissioner of Data Governance, Utah System of Higher Education

Matt started his career as a student intern on the Business Intelligence team at the University of Utah almost 10 years ago. After graduating in 2017 with his bachelor's degree in information systems, he accepted a full-time position at Salt Lake Community College, where he reported official data to USHE. After being at SLCC for just under five years, he accepted a position at USHE as a Data Governance Analyst. He has been at USHE for almost four years and recently completed his first year in his new position as the Assistant Commissioner over Data Governance.

Shawn Berry
Analytic & Tool Support Specialist, Institutional Effectiveness

Shawn joined Weber State University in January 2024, bringing over a decade of experience as an elementary and middle school educator with a specialization in Mathematics. Having grown up in a military family, she has lived in various locations but considers Alaska and Nebraska as her primary roots. She holds a BA in Music, a BS in Elementary Education, and an MA in Mathematics Education. Shawn is passionate about leveraging data to help others identify patterns and make informed decisions. She enjoys using tools like Excel and Tableau to analyze and make sense of both numeric and non-numeric data.

Anne Bialowas
Department Chair, Professor, Department of Communication

Anne Bialowas, Ph.D., specializes in Civic Advocacy. She earned her doctorate in communication from the University of Utah and a Master of Arts in Communication from California State University of Sacramento. Anne's primary research area is focused on sport communication and mediated representations of difference and identities. Anne is also involved with Safe@Weber.

Anne's journey into teaching was inspired by “playing school” while growing up. She never wanted to give detention to a student, so that eliminated her wanting to work in a high school. Anne loves the variety of subjects at the university level. Seeing students improve and expand what they think could be possible excites her.

Anne enjoys learning about the new dashboards and also participated in a Community of Practice about Building a Sustainable Data Culture at Weber State during the 2022-23 academic year.

TJ Bliss
Associate Commissioner for Academic Affairs, Utah System of Higher Education

TJ Bliss, Ph.D., is the Associate Commissioner for Academic Affairs at the Office of the Commissioner of Higher Education and a clinical assistant professor at the University of Idaho. He previously held leadership roles at the Idaho State Board of Education, Wiki Education Foundation, William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, and Idaho Department of Education, working to increase student access, affordability, and success across higher education and K-12. An internationally recognized researcher, Bliss has published extensively on Open Educational Resources (OER), co-developed the foundational COUP research framework, and was involved in the UNESCO Recommendation on OER. He has significant experience in higher education and nonprofit leadership at state and system levels, serving on the Executive Committee of the Western Academic Leadership Forum and the BYU Alumni Board.

Christopher Bramwell
Chief Privacy Officer, Director of the Utah Office of Data Privacy, Utah Office of Data Privacy

Christopher Bramwell is appointed by Governor Cox as Utah's Chief Privacy Officer and serves as the Director of the Utah Office of Data Privacy, where he leads efforts to modernize privacy practices for governmental entities statewide. He worked closely with the legislature to create Utah's Government Data Privacy Act, a comprehensive data privacy law for all public entities in Utah. Christopher led the creation of Utah's Strategic Privacy Program Plan as required by Executive Order 2023-06, designed to assist public entities in initiating and maturing their privacy programs. He has a strong focus on modernizing government systems and processes in a manner that allows privacy to scale efficiently with fewer resources through digital verifiable credentials and non-judicial processes that empower individuals to access and assert their privacy rights effectively. Christopher completed his MBA at Idaho State University as part of the National Science Foundation CyberCorps program in the National Information Assurance Training and Education Center and holds a degree in political science from Brigham Young University.

Sari Byerly
Assistant Vice President for Student Pathways

Dr. Sari Byerly brings over two decades of experience in educational leadership. As Assistant Vice President for Student Pathways at Weber State University, she oversees exploratory and general studies advising, new student orientation, career services, and the university’s early alert system, Starfish. She joined Weber State in Spring 2024 after serving as Assistant Vice President for Access and Opportunity Programs at Idaho State University, where she led initiatives that secured over $30 million in federal funding and expanded college access programs across a 250-mile region.

A first-generation college student with a learning disability, Sari’s path through higher education reflects her belief in access for all learners. She earned a B.S. and M.S. in Psychology from the University of Utah and a Ph.D. in Educational Administration and Leadership from the University of Idaho. Guided by her own experiences, she leads with the conviction that true leadership creates opportunities whose impact endures long after one’s tenure ends.

Heather Chapman
Senior Director of Data & Analytics, Student Success Analytics

Heather Chapman is the Senior Director for Data & Analytics at Weber State University (WSU). She can read a spreadsheet, scatterplot, or line chart and loves finding ways to make complicated data problems easy for everyone to understand. She has a passion for creating visualizations that tell a good story to people who are afraid of or uncomfortable with all that data. Her team is responsible for providing operational reports, creating visualizations that explore student success, and predictive modeling at WSU. Heather is also responsible for teaching visualization best practices across her institution and for helping with the integration of new data sources into WSU’s data warehouse. Prior to joining WSU, Heather earned a Ph.D. in Experimental and Applied Psychological Sciences, with an emphasis in statistics from Utah State University.

Juan Chavez
Institutional Analyst II, Budget & Institutional Research

Juan Chavez holds a Bachelor of Science in Information Systems and Technologies from Weber State and has been employed at the University for 17 years—10 years in the Advancement division and seven with the Office of Budget and Institutional Research. Although he mostly works with state, federal, and internal reporting efforts, staff and faculty may recognize Juan from his enrollment report emails, distributed weekly during enrollment periods. 

Nicola Corbin
Professor of Communications, Director, Center for Excellence in Teaching & Learning

Nicola A. Corbin, Ph.D. is a professor of communication at Weber State University who teaches public relations and mass media courses, and directs the university’s Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning. Corbin is a 2024 recipient of Weber State University’s Presidential Teaching Excellence Award. Also, she was named Weber State University’s Crystal Crest Master Teacher Award in 2019 and the 2018 Educator of the Year by the Omega Psi Phi Fraternity. Corbin earned a doctorate in Mass Communication from the University of Georgia in 2013. Prior to academia, she practiced journalism and public relations for a decade.

Paul Cutler
House Member - District 18, Utah House of Representatives

Paul Cutler was elected to the Utah House of Representatives in 2022. He previously served 12 years as a local city councilman and mayor.  He focuses on technology related policy as the co-chair of the Technology Committee for the National Conference of State Legislators (NCSL) and the Vice-Chair of the Utah Legislature’s Economic Development Committee. Professionally, Paul is an engineering director for a global tech company with a BSEE, MBA and professional networking, cloud, & AI certifications. 

Leslie Durham
Interim President

Dr. Leslie Durham is the new Provost and Senior Vice President of Academic Affairs at Weber State University, joining the institution on August 1, 2025. In this executive role, she will serve as a key partner to the President, overseeing academic planning, program quality, faculty excellence, and timely degree completion for WSU’s dual-mission institution. Her mandate includes cultivating a strategic vision for Academic Affairs, fostering a culture of shared governance, and collaborating on strategic enrollment management and long-term financial stability.

Dr. Durham brings a wealth of administrative and academic experience from her 24 years at Boise State University, where she most recently served as the Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences. During her deanship, she demonstrated her capacity for innovation by doubling research expenditures, securing over $40 million in fundraising, and launching four new academic programs and three new schools. Her leadership is characterized by a commitment to innovation, building collaborative teams, and elevating the work of others to enhance student success. She holds a Ph.D. in Theatre from the University of Kansas.

David Fernelius
Senior Director, IT Infrastructure & Operations

David Fernelius is an accomplished IT executive with over two decades of experience specializing in infrastructure management, cloud strategy, cybersecurity, and data security. As the Senior Director of IT Infrastructure, Operations, & Security at Weber State University, he has led transformative projects in cloud migration, disaster recovery, data warehouse development, and identity management—significantly enhancing the university’s efficiency, scalability, and security posture. He holds an MBA with honors from Weber State University, a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science, and is both a Certified ScrumMaster and an Oracle Certified Professional.

David is spearheading Weber State's strategic push into Artificial Intelligence. He serves as Chair of the university’s AI Implementation Task Force, leading cross-functional efforts to integrate AI into academic and administrative workflows. His work focuses on AI governance, digital trust, and leveraging generative AI to drive innovation in student engagement, operational efficiency, and institutional decision-making.

Ivana Fredotovic
Chief Data Officer, Student Success Analytics

Ivana brings extensive experience in higher education, institutional research, and analytics. She is the inaugural Chief Data Officer at Weber State University, focusing on developing data strategy, enhancing data governance, and fostering a data informed culture on campus. Previously, Ivana served as Director of Research and Data Analytics at Miami Dade College and held multiple roles in institutional research at Barry University in Florida. She holds a Doctorate in Leadership and Education from Barry University. Ivana actively participates in national and regional professional organizations, advisory boards, and community based research projects, promoting data literacy, organizational transparency, and effective data governance.

Sare Gardner
Administrative Specialist III, Department of Communication

Sare Gardner has over ten years at Weber State and has been the Administrative specialist for the Communications department since 2018. As with so many, her job description varies from scheduling to reconciling P-Cards (go Concur!) and budgeting, to helping facilitate student engagement. She loves how the consistently improving availability of data and analytics at Weber State are making her job a little easier on a regular basis.

Jocelin Gibson
Associate IT Learning & Development Specialist, IT Learning & Engagement

Jocelin is an associate IT Learning and Development Specialist at Weber State University. Her background includes more than a decade of managing marketing campaigns and providing training for one of Utah’s Extension programs. She applies her expertise in training, program development, and project management to create engaging and accessible learning experiences. Jocelin is passionate about leveraging technology to empower staff and ensure their success within the university environment.

Mark Halverson
Vice President of Administrative Services

Mark Halverson serves as the Vice President of Administrative Services for Weber State University, overseeing critical campus functions including Information Technology, Financial Services, Facilities Management, Public Safety, Human Resources, and Athletics.

A dedicated member of the WSU community since 2007, Mark has over two decades of strategic management and leadership experience. He is a proven leader who has fostered positive work environments across complex departments, including Facilities Management and Campus Planning. His unique background, spanning both IT and administrative functions, gives him invaluable perspective on utilizing data and technology to drive operational excellence and innovative solutions for the campus community.

Mark holds bachelor's and master's degrees in business administration from Weber State University, and a doctoral degree in higher education administration from Southern Mississippi University. 

Ed Harri
Executive Vice President, Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities 

Ed Harri, EdD, Senior Vice President, has served in faculty and administrative leadership roles for the last 23 years. At Whatcom Community College, Ed served as math faculty, department chair, division chair, dean for instruction, and vice president for instruction, as well as serving as the accreditation liaison officer. Most recently, Ed has served as the interim director of institutional effectiveness at Green River College. Ed has dedicated his career to studying and improving student learning and outcomes, and is passionate about using data as a tool to inform institutional progress and professional development for faculty and staff. He has presented on the results of this work at many NWCCU workshops and conferences. He has also served as an accreditation evaluator and team chair for numerous mid-cycle and EIE reports and visits.

Ed holds a BA in mathematics from Whitman College, an MS in mathematics from Western Washington University, and an EdD in community college leadership from Oregon State University. A lifelong resident of the northwest, Ed enjoys spending time running and biking trails with his family.
 

Beckie Hermansen
Assistant Commissioner of Analytics, Utah Systems of Higher Education

Beckie has worked in higher education for nearly 30 years. Her background includes work in residential life, student activities, and counseling. For the last 19 years, she has worked in the areas of data analytics, institutional research, and institutional effectiveness. She joined the USHE team in 2023 and has just completed her second year as Assistant Commissioner of Analytics.  Beckie also serves as a seasoned evaluator for the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities.

Brent Horn
Associate Dean, Professor, College of Social Sciences & Education

As program director, department chair and associate dean, Dr. Horn has a deep appreciation for the value of enrollment and financial data. He has been on the "top 3" of WSU dashboard users for the last two Data Summits and serves as a member of the WSU Data Governance Advisory Board.  He graduated from BYU-Provo with a doctorate in analytical/physical chemistry in 2001.  After spending 3 years at Sandia National Laboratory working on weapon defense projects, he joined the WSU Criminal Justice department as faculty and the director of forensic science programs in 2005.  At the same time, he became a member of the Utah Bureau of Forensic Services staff, working in the chemistry section analyzing controlled substances for 11 years.  His research interests include glass fracturing, firearms and forensic photography.

Daniel Jensen
Data Training & Communication Manager, Student Success Analytics

Daniel Jensen, Ed.D, is currently the Data Training and Communication Manager out of the Office of Student Success Analytics at Weber State University where he supports faculty and staff with on demand data literacy courses, data tool and dashboard training resources, and live training events. His dissertation focused on perceptions of predictive analytics and early alert systems. With over a decade of experience in higher education, Daniel has helped faculty, staff and students develop data literacy skills, enhance academic advising practices, create effective assessment strategies, and implement strategic planning initiatives to improve student outcomes and institutional effectiveness.

Carrie Mayne
Chief Economist, Utah Systems of Higher Education

Carrie Mayne is the Chief Economist. Formerly, Mayne was the Chief Economist and Director of Workforce Research and Analysis at Utah’s Department of Workforce Services, where she was employed for 14 years. She and her staff produced a wide array of tools to aid the public in understanding the state’s workforce. Mayne is a member of the Utah Economic Council and the Governor’s Child Support Guidelines Advisory Committee. She holds a bachelor’s degree in economics from the University of Utah and is working toward completing her doctorate in the same field. Her areas of expertise include labor economics, econometrics, and statistics.

Shannon McGillivray
Chair, Professor, Department of Psychological Science

Shannon McGillivray joined Weber State in 2013 after earning her Ph.D. in cognitive psychology from the University of California, Los Angeles. Her research interests include memory, metacognition and decision-making biases. More specifically, she is focused on factors such as interest, emotion and strategic processes that positively influence and enhance explicit memory, decision making and metacognitive accuracy in adults.

Drake Mendelson
Program Consultant, Online & Continuing Education

Drake Mendelson is a Program Consultant at Weber State Universty, where he specializes in aligning academic programs with workforce needs. Passionate about creating efficient educational pathways for students, he enjoys playing beach volleyball and serving as an assistant swim coach in his free time. 

Ty Naylor
IT Learning & Engagement Manager, IT Business Services

Ty Naylor, MBA, is the IT Learning and Engagement Manager at Weber State University, where he has led training, communication, and organizational development initiatives for more than 13 years. His work focuses on advancing Digital Fluency and AI adoption while aligning technology with university strategic goals. He is committed to building sustainable systems that empower individuals and teams to succeed.

Gail Niklason
Executive Director, Institutional Effectiveness

Gail has been with Weber State University for 27+ years in a variety of roles; for the last 14 years in the Office of Institutional Effectiveness. Gail has recently taken on the role of Accreditation Liaison Officer for the institution and is having great fun learning the ins and outs of that responsibility.

Katy Paulson
Institutional Analyst II, Budget & Institutional Research

Katy Paulson holds a Bachelor of Science in Information Systems and Technologies from the John B. Goddard School of Business and Economics. She has 14 years of experience working with higher education data, including customer relationship management (CRM Recruit, Hobsons Connect) and enterprise resource planning (Banner, Colleague) databases.  Katy's goal is to empower people to manage and use data to make our lives better. She enjoys walking with her spouse, Mark and their dog, Herman.

Kyle Peterson
IT Learning & Development Specialist, IT Learning & Engagement

Kyle Peterson is one of the Learning and Development Specialists for IT at Weber State University. He's been with the university for over 10 years, serving in his current role for the past 6. He is also a proud alumnus, having earned both a marketing degree and MBA here at Weber. Additionally, he enjoys directing camera work for Weber State football games for both the video board and ESPN+ broadcasts.

His main work focuses on creating "A-ha!" moments for faculty and staff and finding ways to improve outcomes for everyone. He provides training and learning support for various software and tools used on campus, including Adobe, Google, and Zoom, and now new AI tools like Google Gemini, Adobe Firefly, and NotebookLM.

Tristan Rhodes
Senior AI Integration & Automation Engineer, IT Operations

Tristan Rhodes is a distinguished IT professional with over two decades of experience, primarily focused on designing and building enterprise networks at Weber State University. As the incoming AI Automation and Integration Engineer at WSU, effective September 2025, Tristan is dedicated to leveraging AI to streamline university-wide workflows and develop innovative applications.

His expertise spans network architecture, AI engineering, and full-stack development, with a proven track record of creating AI-driven solutions that enhance efficiency and user experience. A two-time hackathon winner, Tristan is a passionate advocate for AI innovation, notably conceptualizing and executing Weber State University's first AI-focused hackathon. His work involves building sophisticated AI-powered chatbots, multi-modal AI applications, and automating complex integrations, making him a pivotal figure in advancing WSU's technological landscape. Beyond his professional pursuits, he is also an enthusiast in game development and contributing to open-source projects

Chaz Steimel
Director, Budget & Institutional Research

Chaz Steimel has been employed at Weber State University for over ten years. Serving initially as an Institutional Analyst and now as the Director of the Budget and Institutional Research office, Chaz helps the university report, understand, and leverage various student retention, persistence and graduation measures. Chaz has assisted in developing several campus reports and dashboards detailing WSU student success.

Natalie Struhs
Retention Specialist & Advisor, College of Health Professions

Natalie Struhs is a Retention Advisor in the Dumke College of Health Professions Admissions Advisement and a Master of Public Communication candidate at Weber State University. Natalie is known for approaching data reports not as a data expert, but as an on-the-ground user. She champions the idea that data anxiety is real, and she sincerely thanks the Weber State data leadership for their patience with her "endless questions and ideas." Natalie's work centers on one key question: "What problem are we trying to attack?" She uses reports to identify and create targeted outreach plans, with a specific interest in leveraging data to help target the students who need support the absolute most.

Ali Threet
Associate Vice President, Dean of Students

Ali Threet is in her first few months as the Dean of Students at Weber State University, bringing more than 20 years of experience in both secondary education and higher ed. She holds a Master’s degree in Educational Counseling and recently earned her Doctorate in Adult, Organizational Learning and Leadership from the University of Idaho. Her research focuses on how a spirit of abundance and a mindset of enough can strengthen student well-being, personal growth, and leadership development. Ali is passionate about helping students feel like they belong and creating structures that support them in meaningful, practical ways. Outside of work, she loves spending time with her husband and three grown boys; hiking, playing games, exploring new places, and enjoying concerts and amusement parks together.

Sara Triplett
Associate Director, New Student Orientation

With over seven years at Weber State University, Sara currently serves as the Associate Director of New Student Orientation, where she is dedicated to helping incoming students transition successfully into university life. Prior to her career in higher education, she worked as a professional dancer and character performer at Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida—an experience that continues to inspire her engaging and student-centered approach. Her diverse background brings a unique energy and creativity to everything she does.

Genesis Vasquez Rivas
Academic Advisor, College of Social Sciences & Education

Genesis Vasquez is an Academic Advisor I at Weber State University, where she has dedicated over two years to taking a proactive and holistic approach to academic advising to ensure student success. She is also a Master of Education student in Higher Education Leadership at Weber State University. An efficient, proactive, and highly-motivated professional, Genesis is skilled at managing multiple projects and swiftly supporting leadership in fast-paced environments. She holds a Bachelor's degree in Spanish Language and Literature from UC Santa Barbara.

Mark Wolfson
Academics Special Projects Coordinator, Utah System of Higher Education

Mark Wolfson is the Special Projects Coordinator for Academic Affairs in the Office of the Commissioner of Higher Education (OCHE), and holds a Bachelor’s of Science in Computer Science from the University of Utah. Among his responsibilities is tracking new programs and modifications and maintaining the publicly accessible Utah Programs and Majors Guide. Mark has been working in the Commissioner’s Office for eight years both as a student worker and full-time professional and been closely involved in the program approval and modification process throughout.

Dylan Zwick
Assistant Professor of Computer Science, College of Engineering, Applied Science & Technology

Dylan Zwick is an assistant professor of computer science, where he specializes in data science. Prior to joining Weber State, he founded a product research company called Pulse Labs, was the Director of Data Science for Overstock.com, and earned a Ph.D. in Mathematics from the University of Utah. He lives in Ogden with his wife, fellow Weber State professor, Maria del Mar Gonzalez, and their two-and-a-half-year-old daughter, Aria.