Sutherland Team
Executive Team
Rick B. Larsen
President & CEO
Aaron Taylor
Executive Vice President
Stan Rasmussen
Vice President, Government Affairs
Derek Monson
Vice President, Policy & Senior Fellow, Tax Policy
Kelsey Witt
Communications Director
Policy Team
William C. Duncan
Religious Freedom Policy Fellow
Christine Cooke
Education Policy Fellow
Development Team
Rayanne Matlock
Events Manager
Communications Team
Communications Team
Pamela Whitmore
Editor
Spencer Williams
Digital Content Creator
Operations Team
Brenda Chamberlain
Accountant
Board of Directors
Gaylord K. Swim
Founder (1948-2005)
Gaylord K. Swim attended Pomona College before transferring to Brigham Young University, where he received a B.S. in business management and an M.A. in political science. He went on to found and lead Pillar Capital Advisors, later managing an office of Dominick & Dominick, then dedicating his professional time to investment management.
Gaylord’s success in business was exceeded only by his commitment to liberty. He and his wife, Laurie, set an example of mutual devotion to faith, family and freedom. In 1995, he founded Sutherland Institute as a resource to the state Legislature and a certain trumpet of conservative principles. Gaylord chose to name the Institute not after himself, but after someone else – someone he admired – Utah’s only Supreme Court justice, George Sutherland.
Regardless of the endeavor, his goals were always the same: foster faith, develop character, teach principles, promote accountability, build the community, and strengthen the family as the fundamental unit of society.
Ron Daw
Chairman
Maj. Gen. Jeff Burton, Ret.
Director
Chase Hale
Director
Brent McKinley
Director
Brent Andrewsen
Director
Brent A. Andrewsen is a member of Kirton & McConkie’s Business, Tax and Estate Planning Sections. His practice includes estate planning, probate and trust administration, gift taxation, tax-exempt organizations, charitable trusts and planned giving. Mr. Andrewsen also has advised clients with respect to business matters and has assisted in forming various business entities and transactions. He is a frequent speaker on issues regarding tax-exempt organizations, planned giving, estate planning, and related topics. In addition to his professional work, he has sat on the boards of various charitable organizations over the years.
Brad Harr
Director
Brad Harr is the founder of Injury Smart Law, serving personal injury clients in Utah, Nevada and Arizona. He received his juris doctorate from the Cecil C. Humphries School of Law, in Tennessee, and a bachelor’s degree in communications from the University of Utah. Now living in St. George, Harr and his family are active in their community; they have sponsored and participated in 156 events in the last year, including the St. George Marathon, Washington Cotton Days, Santa Clara Swiss Days, St. George’s Fourth of July Celebration, and many other charitable events. Harr believes that making a difference in the community means rolling up your sleeves and going to work. He has served on leadership boards including the Southern Utah Bar Association, Leadership Dixie, Scott Matheson Inns of Court, Utah Supreme Court Advisory Committee on Professionalism, and Boy Scout events of all levels. Brad is married to his best friend, Marta, and is an active father to their five sons and four daughters.
Greg Miller
Director, Larry H. Miller Group of Companies; Governor, National Basketball Association
Greg Miller is an American businessman, philanthropist and adventurer. His passions for off-road vehicles and the great outdoors are paired in Salt Lake City’s Land Cruiser Heritage Museum. Greg led an expedition that was the first instance of a single vehicle driving on all seven continents. Long before Greg was crossing continents in Land Cruisers, he was sweeping the lot at his family’s Toyota store. In the decades that followed, Greg’s responsibilities increased, and in 2008, he become CEO of the Larry H. Miller Group of Companies. By the end of Greg’s tenure in 2015, the Group was better honed and prepared for future success. Miller serves on the Utah Office of Tourism Board of Directors and is a member of Solamere Capital’s Executive Partner Group. Greg and his wife, Heidi, support communities through the Sherry Black Education Foundation. They reside in Salt Lake City, have six children and are grandparents to seven.
Frantz Belot
Director
Frantz Belot, Ph.D., is co-founder of Tyfoom, a mobile-first platform that documents and improves communication, productivity and training. He is also a co-founder of Tech Trep Academy, a tuition-free, public school program tailored to the unique needs of each student. From 2011 to 2015, he worked with Imagine Learning, which provides a complete suite of adaptive digital curriculum and assessment solutions for PreK-8 in language development. As one of the executives, he was instrumental in helping the company to a successful acquisition. Belot is a native of Haiti and was raised in Montreal, Quebec. Belot obtained his Ph.D. from BYU in educational leadership with an emphasis in organizational behavior. His entrepreneurial spirit permeates all aspects of his life. He’s passionate about helping people access education and training so they can positively impact their lives, businesses and communities for good. Belot and his wife, Brandi, are joyfully raising five sons.
Sharlene Wells Hawkes
President
Sharlene Wells Hawkes is president/founder of Remember My Service (RMS) Military Productions, a division of StoryRock Inc. RMS Productions is the only full-service video production and book publishing provider working specifically with the military and veterans organizations. Hawkes holds a bachelor’s degree in communications from BYU and a master’s in integrated marketing communication from the University of Utah. After college, she signed with ESPN and spent 16 years as an award-winning sportscaster, covering such world-class events as World Cup Soccer, World Cup Skiing, the Kentucky Derby 1995-2004, the French Open, and Big 10 College Football 1990-1995. Hawkes has four children and two grandchildren.
Joseph Kerry
Director
Joseph Kerry is managing partner at littlecloud, a strategic social media marketing company. He hosts the Joe Kerry Radio Show, broadcast from Salt Lake City. Joe is a New York Times and USA Today No. 1 best-selling author, having co-authored Common Sense: The Case Against an Out-of-Control Government with Glenn Beck. He spent nearly 10 years working with Beck as chief of staff and president of Beck’s nonprofit. Joe served on President George H.W. Bush’s Council on Competitiveness and worked with CNN, Fox News and The Blaze. Previously, Joe was a practicing attorney. He is married with three children and lives near Philadelphia.
John Sperry
Director
John Sperry is the entrepreneurial force behind InMoment. He founded the company in 2002 and served as CEO until 2017, when he took on the new role of Chief Scientist and Chairman of the Board. In 2010, John joined the ranks of the V100 as one of the top entrepreneurs to lead a new venture to success. That same year, he was named Entrepreneur of the Year by Ernst & Young for the Utah Region. Under John’s leadership, the company has enjoyed strong growth, claiming a spot on the Inc. 500/5000 for five consecutive years. John’s abundant energy and passion is focused toward continual innovation. His philosophy, which highlights the importance of valuing each employee, client, and consumer individually, is core to everything he creates—from companies to new technology. Before founding InMoment, John headed up the design and implementation of enterprise technology solutions for leading insurance, financial services, and automotive brands. He also served as senior vice president at SunGard, a billion-dollar company that provides mission-critical software and services to the financial services industry.