If you missed Jon and Chantel’s interview with “This Is Her Place”!
- On March 24, 2021, as part of the celebration of Women’s History Month, This Is Her Place launched the second season of the podcast which tells the stories of remarkable Utah women, past and present.
- Did you know:
- Utah Women were the first to vote in the Modern Nation. In fact, Utah just Celebrated 150 years of Suffrage in 2020.
- In 1920, 50 years after Utah women had the right to vote, 19th Amendment was ratified which granted women throughout the country the right to vote. The 100th Anniversary of this historic milestone was celebrated this past year as well!
- Utah elected the first female state senator in the United States.
- This Is Her Place is co-hosted by Naomi Watkins and Mike Aguilar and was founded by historian Patrick Mason and Utah State University with a mission to elevate the diverse stories of Utah women famous and forgotten, from various backgrounds and across the state — and the unique stories of how each has made Utah her
- Season 1 of This Is Her Place, which launched in 2020, featured women involved in public health, law enforcement, community activism and storytelling, public art, and more.
- Season 2 focuses on Utah women who are politicians, immigrants, restauranters, ranchers, athletes and more. Including, but not limited to, the inspiring stories of:
- Governor Deidre Henderson
- Former State Senator and current Lt. Governor of Utah
- Governor Olene Walker
- Former Governor of Utah
- Lily Eskelsen Garcia – LAUNCHING TODAY, May 5th!
- Former NEA president, and shortlist candidate for Secretary of Education under the Biden Administration.
- Lily Cardenas & Maria Cardenas
- Mother/Daughter ownership duo of the Red Iguana Restaurant
- Natalie Williams
- Former professional WNBA athlete and Hall of Fame inductee
- Norma Carr
- Utah’s second female athletic director in the State’s history
- Angela Brown
- Publisher of SLUG Magazine and Founder of Craft Lake City’s DIY Festival
- Alberta Henry – LAUNCHING TODAY, May 5th!
- Educator, Civil Rights Leader, and former president of the Salt Lake Branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People
- This Is Her Place invites members of the community to nominate Utah women to be featured on the podcast for upcoming seasons. Nominations can be made at thisisherplace.org.
- You can listen to This Is Her Place wherever you listen to podcasts, or you can learn more about the podcast and by visiting our website thisisherplace.org, or across social media at This Is Her Place.
- Governor Deidre Henderson
- Did you know:
Team Bios
Co-hosts
Naomi Watkins is an educational leader, women’s advocate, and community builder who believes that diverse representation plays a vital role in the empowerment of young people. She authored Champions of Change: 25 Women Who Made History, a book written with Katherine Kitterman and illustrated by Brooke Smart as part of her work for Better Days 2020, a non-profit dedicated to popularizing Utah women’s history through art, education, and legislation. An expert in teacher education and literacy pedagogy, Naomi earned her Ph.D. from the University of Utah and resides and hikes in the mountains of Salt Lake City.
Michael Aguilar is an executive who has worked extensively in Utah’s nonprofit community, including for The Leonardo Museum and Ronald McDonald House Charities. He is currently the Marketing Director for Mark Miller Subaru, where he also manages corporate outreach and charitable giving through the “Love Promise” program. Mike is passionate about building community and helping lift marginalized voices. He has earned degrees from the University of Utah and Westminster College and lives in Salt Lake City with his partner Kelly and their two dogs, Hiccup and Bleu. In his spare time, Mike enjoys tutoring third-grade math and championing women’s reproductive rights.
Producer
Allison Pond is a communications consultant and former senior editor of in-depth and investigative reporting at the Deseret News, where she reported on vulnerable populations including refugees. She also worked as a research associate at the Pew Research Center on its religion and politics project. Allison earned an MPP from Georgetown University and a BA in journalism and English from Brigham Young University. She is trained in therapeutic writing and founded the Transformational Writing Project.
Executive Producer
Patrick Mason is Leonard J. Arrington Chair of Mormon History and Culture and associate professor of history and religious studies at Utah State University. Born and raised in Utah, he pursued his graduate studies at the University of Notre Dame and held faculty positions at Notre Dame, the American University in Cairo, and Claremont Graduate University before returning to his native state in 2019. He is the author or editor of several books, including Mormonism and Violence: The Battles of Zion and What Is Mormonism? A Student’s Introduction. He and his wife Melissa are raising their four children to be proud feminists.
Engineer
D.D.R. Stewart is a content creator with a proven track record of successful shows, branded spots and podcasts. He has interviewed, produced, written, directed, edited and audio-mixed content for some of the world’s most recognizable name brands, networks, studios, agencies, companies and celebrities. Whether it’s the daily cold open for Good Morning America, or an eight-part TV documentary for Ireland / RTE, a web series with Katie Couric, or a web series and projection-art campaign for NIKE, a hundred national promo spots for NASCAR, or a new streaming series and podcast POETICS with celebrity host Omari Hardwick (“Ghost” in 50 Cent’s show POWER), a Special Projects Director as part of Bob Iger’s creative team at Disney, or an award winning PSA campaign creator and editor for Doctors Without Borders, and work with UN Outreach to help save refugee and enslaved children globally.
Research Assistant
Camille Nelson is an undergraduate student at Utah State University studying journalism with an emphasis in social media. She is passionate about sharing stories and empowering women in all fields. She has worked as a reporter for The Utah Statesman, where she covered issues related to sustainability and gender equality. In her free time, she enjoys being outside hiking, skiing, or rock climbing in the beautiful mountains of Utah.
