Steering Committee
Michelle Love-Day
UROR co-founder, Steering Committee Member
Michelle Love-Day has been an educator for 21 years. She received her Bachelors in Education and Masters in Reading from Bowling Green State University, and a Masters in Education, Leadership, and Policy from the University of Utah.
She has been a 2nd grade teacher, Literacy Coach, Principal, and Associate Director of Educational Equity. In March 2020, she began as Consultant for Jordan School District in the Educational Language Services, Teaching and Learning Department. As she began to see the need for black students in Utah, she created an online virtual academy called RISE!
She is passionate about schools being student focused, equitable, and a place where all students feel that they are welcomed and have an adult they can believe in and who believes in them. In 2022, she delivered an idea worth sharing on the Tedx stage and is the proud mother to 5 children and wife to a supportive husband.
“Being a part of UROR was my call to action to the community. When I called for help, I never imagined how the organization would form. My purpose is to challenge the community to address the counter narrative and work with others to eradicate racism. We, as a community, cannot turn a blind eye. Being involved is my purpose and passion to educate and encourage others to not sit by and allow others to speak for the whole. Just 60 short years after Dr. King’s speech, we still have people trying to put their head in the sand. We are a great country and people, but we have a lot of work to acknowledge so we can grow and live out the true words in the Declaration of Independence.”
Sheryl Ellsworth
MWEG Advocacy Director, Rooting out Racism, Steering Committee Member
Sheryl Ellsworth was the project manager for Utah Youth Leadership Pipeline, an initiative to increase BIPOC representation in Utah's education, political, and business leadership. Prior to that, she was the Family/Community Engagement Specialist for the Utah State Board of Education. In this role, she supported and trained schools, namely administrators and teachers, in engaging families through evidence-based strategies in urban, suburban, rural, remote, and Indigenous reservation communities. Sheryl served as the team leader of a family engagement fellowship to design a strategic plan to improve family engagement in Utah.
Before working at Utah State Board of Education, Sheryl taught in Philadelphia, Maryland, and Washington, D.C. While in D.C., she played an integral role in helping her school move from the second-lowest performing position in the district to become the first school out of priority/turnaround status.
Sheryl received an undergraduate degree from Brigham Young University in Communications and Sociology and obtained a master's degree from George Mason University in Early Childhood Education.
Sheryl and her husband, Matt, are the parents of three children and reside in the Atlanta Metro Area.
Melarie Wheat
MWEG Utah Chapter Co-Coordinator, UROR Steering Committee Member
Melarie Wheat is currently a Utah Chapter Co-Coordinator for Mormon Women for Ethical Government (MWEG). She graduated from BYU with a B.A. in Socio-Cultural Anthropology and is a former homeless services caseworker turned mostly stay-at-home mom. In addition to her role at MWEG, Melarie stays active in the community by mentoring refugee families, volunteering on PTA boards at her local elementary and middle schools, and serving on her city's Diversity and Inclusion Committee. Melarie and her husband are the proud parents of five children. She also finds joy by spending time in nature hiking and exploring different areas of the world.
“I learned to appreciate the beauty of diversity from a young age. I grew up in Utah as the daughter of a Mexican immigrant mother, surrounded by a large extended immigrant family. I believe Utah should and can be a welcoming place for people of all backgrounds, but we still have work to do to achieve that goal by addressing racism and prejudice within our communities. We are better equipped to create communities where everyone thrives when everyone is treated with empathy, dignity and respect.”
Michelle Brown
Steering Committee Member
Michelle Brown is an Indigenous designer, creative, a community activist, and an enrolled member of Navajo Nation (Naabeehó Bináhásdzo) from the water flows together clan. She is passionate about all things creative and shaping a world that feels in harmony with all her relations. Michelle has over 10 years of fashion industry experience and counting. She has created, critiqued, consulted, styled, forecasted, and directed for multiple brands. Alongside her passion for design, the past 5 years she has immersed herself into Indigenous issues in the state of Utah, and served as the Committee Chair to Missing and Murdered Indigenous Relatives Utah where she aims to educate the community and provide spaces for support and healing. Her goal in this work is to ensure that Indigenous sovereignty is respected and recognized by all who occupy and benefit from Indigenous lands. In her spare time, she enjoys connecting with friends over a well-considered meal.
"Living in Utah as an Indigenous mother has made me value learning from cultures other than my own and being in agreement that no one should ever face racism. We do not get to choose where we are born or what we look like, but we can choose how to behave inclusively. I want to be a part of UROR in order to ensure that local families who have faced racism know that there is a community actively advocating on their behalf."
Eric Ruiz Bybee
Steering Committee Member
Dr. Eric Ruiz Bybee has been a public-school teacher and teacher educator for 16 years. After graduating from BYU with BA degrees in Humanities and Latin American Studies, he worked for several years as a middle school bilingual special education teacher in Washington Heights, NYC. He earned a master’s degree in Middle Childhood & Special Education from Pace University and completed his doctorate in Cultural Studies in Education at the University of Texas at Austin.
Dr. Bybee is currently an associate professor in the Department of Teacher Education at BYU where he researches and teaches undergraduate & graduate courses in the social foundations of education, multicultural education, and civil rights. His work has received awards from the American Educational Research Association (AERA) and has also been featured nationally in media outlets like NPR, WNYC, The Chronicle of Higher Ed, and Pacific Standard Magazine as well as locally in The Salt Lake Tribune. He is a proud father of three elementary-age children and partner to a supportive wife.
“My Dad grew up in Utah but decided to raise my siblings and me elsewhere after experiencing discrimination directed toward my Mexican-born Mom. More than 50 years later, families are still leaving our state because of racism in schools, communities, and congregations. I am a part of UROR because rooting out racism and creating spaces of belonging for all people are at the core of my deepest civic, moral, and spiritual commitments. I believe that honoring and building upon the social, cultural, and linguistic resources of all students, families, and communities is a key ingredient to living an abundant and joyous life. I want everyone to be able to experience this.”
Meghan Castleton
Steering Committee Member
Meghan Castleton was recently elected to serve on the Skyline High Community Council and has spent many years volunteering at schools with multiple PTA boards. She is a native of Utah, born and raised in Salt Lake City. She has four beautiful children and is married to her high school sweetheart of 22 years. She is a football, baseball, basketball, soccer, and dance mom and has spent the last 18 years driving carpools and cheering emphatically at sporting events. If she is not attending to her children, you will find her helping people buy and sell homes along the Wasatch front as a local real estate agent.
“My parents always taught us to be kind, to kill others with our kindness. To keep our heads down and work hard and our kindness would show who we are. It’s not enough to just be kind, we have to act, we have to speak up. I never thought that my kids would have to deal with some of the things I did as a kid and to watch them go through the same or even worse things 20 years later is just not ok. I am so excited to be apart of UROR, to have a platform to uproot racism in our schools and communities. Schools are place where every child should feel safe and feel a place of belonging."
Markeeda Elliott
Steering Committee Member
Markeeda Elliott is a professional with a solid educational foundation. She holds a degree in Psychology with a minor in Sociology from Brigham Young University - Idaho.
Markeeda began her career as a Juvenile Corrections Officer, guiding young individuals toward positive change. Later, she transitioned into the role of caseworker for the Division of Child and Family Services in Utah county where she advocated and worked with some of Utahs most vulnerable populations.
Today, Markeeda is a dedicated stay-at-home mother to three children, bringing her professional background to her family life. She resides in Utah County, where she uses her skills and experience to continue making a positive impact in her community.
"I am a part of UROR because it's important to me as a black mother, raising children in Utah to be a part of the change that I seek for my kids and their future."
Emily Inouye Huey
Steering Committee Member
Emily Inouye Huey is a children’s book author, educator, mother, and lifelong Utahn. She holds a BA in English Teaching from Brigham Young University and an MFA in Creative Writing from Lesley University.
Emily is the author of the award-winning young adult novel BENEATH THE WIDE SILK SKY (Scholastic) and the picture book WAT KEPT PLAYING (Shadow Mountain). She believes deeply in the power of story to connect and build compassion. As an educator, Emily’s wide-ranging interests have given her the opportunity to work with every age group from preschool to college, teaching a variety of subjects including English, drama, art, orchestra, creative writing, and special education. Outside of writing and teaching, Emily’s interests include the arts, the outdoors, and time with her family.
“My family moved to Utah following the mass incarceration of Japanese Americans by the United States during World War II. To this day, I am grateful to those in this state who opened doors for our family; I believe and have hope inthatversion of Utah. It’s imperative that as a state, we address issues of prejudice and racism so that we can live up to the values we espouse.”
Jessica Jensen
Steering Committee Member
Jessica Jensen is an arts educator, teaching dance at a Title One elementary school in Jordan School District. She earned her degree from Brigham Young University in Dance Education in 2021.
Jessica grew up in Cache Valley, Utah as a transracial adoptee. She is excited to learn more through this experience about community activism, and deepen her skills and knowledge in becoming an advocate for equity in our schools across Utah.
Jessica loves to sing, dance, and perform, spend time with her husband and dog, and enjoys learning and trying new creative hobbies.
“I hope to be an advocate for the cultural shift that needs to happen here. As I am at the beginning of my career as an educator, joining UROR felt like a powerful step to better help my students, and students to come. Students deserve joy and a safe community at school. It’s time for Utahns to come together to build that.”
Dorie Kim
UROR Manager, Steering Committee Member
Born and raised in Provo, Utah, Dorie worked as an elementary school teacher in the Provo City School District after graduating from BYU. As a mother and former educator, Dorie has a passion for advocating for equity and inclusion in schools. One of her favorite projects is working alongside her 11-year-old daughter on The Emi Project, which focuses on placing diverse and inclusive books in Utah schools. She has also worked on various committees, including the PCSD Asian American Parent Committee and the PCSD Superintendent Selection Committee and is currently serving on her local School Community Council. Dorie and her husband are proud parents of four children. In her spare time, she likes to listen to music and podcasts, do yard work, spend time with her friends and family, and eat all the best foods.
“Growing up in the Utah school system as a Japanese Hawaiian student, and later as an educator, I have seen how even the most well-intentioned people can cause harm through unconscious bias. Learning about the experiences of other marginalized groups of people has helped me to reflect and uproot my own biases. I strongly believe that advocacy work is most sustainable and impactful when done in community, and my hope is that we can come together as Utahns to examine the ways we can uproot racism within ourselves and in our community so that our kids can thrive in a safe and inclusive place that fosters belonging.”
Deirdre Stevens Straight
Steering Committee Member
Deirdre Stevens Straight is the Freshman Success coordinator at one of the comprehensive high schools in the Salt Lake City School District. She works to ensure that students have equitable access to curricula and extracurricular opportunities and seeks to build meaningful partnerships with students’ families.
Deirdre has had many roles in Salt Lake City schools, including working as a long-term substitute teacher, creating and running a hands-on science program for elementary students, and serving on School Community Council, PTSA, and numerous steering committees.
Deirdre contributed to the work of the Utah State Board of Education as a member of USBE’s Equity Lab, Early College Subcommittee, Refugee Collaborative and 2020 Utah Assessment Work Group.
In January 2022, she was a guest on the RadioWest podcast to discuss “Who’s Responsible for Racism in Davis County and The Rest of Utah.” She is currently a member of the Diversity and Inclusion Committee for the local unit of her church. She and her husband are the proud parents of three children. They love to travel as a family.
“I see serving in UROR as the natural next step in the work I have been doing for the last 20 years in Salt Lake City schools as a mom, educator, and advocate. We have a long way to go to uproot racism and other forms of prejudice in our schools and communities, but I am pleased that more and more students, families, educators, and community members are pulling together to do this important work. Schools should be sites of equity, free from hate so all that children may thrive.”
Richard Wolfgramm
Steering Committee Member
Richard Wolfgramm is a co-founder of Mana Academy Charter School where he is currently the Vice Principal of the secondary campus. He previously served on the Mana Academy Board of Directors.
He is currently a member of the Board of Directors for the Utah Museum of Fine Arts (UMFA) where he has been instrumental in bringing high profile Pacific Island visual artists to Utah such as Samoan-Japanese artist, Yuki Kihara, and the Tatau: Marks of Polynesia exhibition. He recently joined the Board of Directors of the National Pacific-American Leadership Institute (NAPALI) where he was also a graduate in 2005. He is a member of the University of Utah IRB Board as an advocate for Pacific Islanders and vulnerable populations in medical research.
Richard has also worked as a newspaper publisher and editor, a radio show host and producer, and most recently, the host and creator of the podcast, Toki Ukamea: The Story of William Mariner.
Richard is passionate about community activism and advocating for social justice and equity for all people. He is active in various Pacific Islander community organizations in Utah.
His ancestral roots are in the Kingdom of Tonga. He was born in Kahuku, Hawaii, USA, grew up in Vava’u, Tonga, before his family returned to the USA and settled in West Valley City, Utah.
