COMMUNITY COUNCIL

Debra Jenson is an assistant professor of Journalism and Communication at Utah State University. She has a Ph.D. in Communication from the University of Utah and a BS in Political Science from Weber State University. Her work focuses on narratives of social justice in public policy and representation in popular culture. In 2016 Dr. Jenson was a speaker at TEDx at Utah State University, delivering a talk titled “The Comic Universe Belongs to Everyone” discussing the importance of diversity in comic books and geek culture. 

Kiki Furia has been called “your nerdy BFF” and passionately pursues and promotes positivity in the nerd/geek community. When she is not cosplaying, she is gaming, podcasting with the SLC Sitdown podcast, and a frequent panelist for conventions and other podcasts. As a consultant for quality programming in afterschool programs, she holds multiple degrees with emphases in youth and community services and in creating social change for arts and cultural non-profit organizations.

Rev. Marian Edmonds Allen is Executive Director at Parity, a national LGBTQ faith-affirming nonprofit, is a co-founder of the LGBTQ Youth Continuum of Care, and has previously served as executive director to the OUTreach Resource Centers and the Utah Pride Center. She has been recognized for her decades of work with and for LGBTQ youth, including as a Petra Fellow and the 2014 Q Salt Lake Person of the Year.

Rachel Burt, a certified Professional in Human Resources (PHR) and SHRM Certified Professional (SHRM-SCP), has more than 15 years of experience in Human Resources with particular experience in sexual discrimination and harassment issues as well as sensitivity in business and employment relations. In addition to her other efforts related to these issues, she has recently been involved in conducting and leading sensitivity training sessions for FanX.