Community Council

Rachel Burt

Rachel Burt, a certified Professional in Human Resources (PHR) and SHRM
Certified Professional (SHRM-CP), 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.

Rev. Marian Edmonds Allen

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.

Kiki Furia

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.

Kerry Jackson

Kerry Jackson has worked in radio for over 30 years, including as a host of X96’s popular “Radio From Hell” and the “Geek Show Podcast.” He is also a cancer survivor and a long established and well respected “geek” in the community.

Debra Jenson

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. She has also presented her work on diversity and geek culture at academic conferences. She is a member of the FanX Salt Lake City Community Council, working to help make geek spaces safer. She also serves on the programming committee and is a regular contributor on panels at FanX events.

Dr. Jenson has worked professionally with Special Olympics Utah and other organizations, advocating with people with disabilities. Her work also includes narratives around religious feminism and the American environmental movement. She is also a member of the executive board of Ordain Women, working to bring gender equality in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Debra spends her spare time swimming and reading. You can also find her cheering for her three kids at soccer games, and leading a Girl Scout troop in Ogden.

Erika Lynn Sabrowski

Erika Lynn Sabrowski is a well-known personality in the local convention community and head of all volunteers for the League of Utah Volunteers, a role she has also fulfilled for FanX® Salt Lake Comic Convention™ for several years prior to the formation of LUV. She is also a cancer survivor who is known for applying her entire heart to every program or project she enters.

LaShel Shaw

LaShel Shaw is an attorney at Parr Brown Gee & Loveless in Salt Lake City specializing in entertainment and media law. She graduated magna cum laude from Notre Dame University, where she worked on issues of cyberbullying and is an officer of the Utah Center for Legal Inclusion and member of its Organizational Inclusion Committee.

Jay Whittaker

Jay Whittaker is a popular comedian, actor, Air Force veteran, and FanX® Salt Lake Comic Convention™ moderator and panelist. As host of the Incredibly Vocal Minority podcast and a regular panelist on numerous others, he is a consistent voice and advocate for diversity and unwaveringly dedicated to keeping the geek community safe.