Mike Glenn is retired from the Utah Division of Housing and Community Development where he served as Director of Housing. At the division, he managed state and federally funded programs to assist lower income households. He was reappointed in 2024 by Governor Spencer Cox to the Olene Walker Housing Loan Fund Board where he has served for 11 years. Mike has previously served on the State Homeless Coordinating Council and Critical Needs Task Force. He currently volunteers as a service missionary to the Church Humanitarian Center helping refugees resettling in Utah. Mike also volunteers as a member of the Wasatch County Arts Council, Midway Historic Preservation Committee, Midway Boosters and Wasatch Community Foundation – Human Service Pillar. He resides with his wife, Diann, and three children in Midway, Utah.
Shannon Symonds writes from her seaside home and the Utah desert. A mother of six and Nana to 18, she loves her Savior, family, mysteries, and beach walks.
With over 15 years as a certified advocate for survivors of intimate partner and sexual violence, Shannon writes to honor their resilience and hope. She also worked with Portland State University on trauma recovery research.
Now a full-time author and volunteer, Shannon debuted with Safe House (Cedar Fort, 2017), a Whitney Award nominee. Her By the Sea series earned the 2021 Author to Watch Award, and Murder Takes a Selfie was even sold at Costco. Her books are available at Deseret Book, Barnes & Noble, and Amazon.
Her advocacy earned her the Davis County Child Abuse Prevention Award, the Oregon Trial Lawyers Public Justice Award for the Tiffany Alvera case, and the Oregon DOJ Star Advocate Commendation.
Kellie was born in Ogden, Utah, and raised in the Heber Valley. A graduate of Wasatch High School’s Class of 2001, she went on to attend Utah Valley State College and was fortunate to witness its transition into Utah Valley University. She is a proud mother of two beautiful children and currently resides in American Fork, Utah.
An Ogden, Utah native, Ryan graduated from St. Joseph Catholic High School before receiving a Congressional Appointment to the US Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland. He graduated in 2010 with a degree in Political Science and was commissioned into the US Navy as a Surface Warfare Officer. He served for eight years on Active Duty in various assignments and deployed to areas such as Southeast Asia and the Middle East before serving as an Adjunct Professor of Naval History at the University of Pennsylvania, where he also earned a Master’s Degree in Public Administration. Following the Navy, Ryan worked as a project manager and consultant for various Natural Resources, Energy, and Public Sector clients with Accenture. He returned to Utah in 2022 to seek treatment for addiction and mental health difficulties, and although his journey in sobriety has not been a simple or linear path, he has overcome deep personal challenges over the past few years and hopes to make his experiences of hardship illuminating and useful to others.
