Karina Brown
Karina Brown is Executive Director of Cache Refugee & Immigrant Connection. In addition to her service as Chair of the Board of Trustees of Bridgerland Technical College, she serves as Chair of the Community Relations Committee and a board member of Logan Regional Hospital, a board member of Friends of the Cache County Children’s Justice Center, and Civic Engagement & Advocacy Advisor for A Bolder Way Forward.
Karina has held leadership roles in county government, statewide advocacy, and regional coalitions, advancing initiatives in housing, healthcare access, civic engagement, and community partnerships. She is passionate about building strong partnerships, expanding opportunity, and creating resilient, inclusive communities across Utah.
Karina holds an M.S. in Human, Environmental & Consumer Resources from Eastern Michigan University and a B.S. in Family Resources & Human Development, summa cum laude, from Arizona State University. She also holds a Public Leadership Credential from Harvard Kennedy School of Government.
Outside of her professional and civic commitments, Karina enjoys spending time with her children and grandchildren, family and friends, lifting weights, and listening to audio books.
Mark Smoot
Mark C. Smoot brings more than 35 years of business and executive leadership experience to the Bridgerland Technical College Presidential Search Committee. A graduate of Utah State University with degrees in accounting and business administration, Mark began his career as a CPA working at Coopers and Lybrand as an auditor, before moving into leadership roles in the energy industry. He ultimately served as President of Wasatch Energy, LLC, leading the company through significant growth and its successful sale to BP Energy.
Since 2012, Mark has been an entrepreneur and business owner in the Bear Lake area, with ventures in outdoor recreation, hospitality, motorsports services, and real estate development. His business experience has given him a strong appreciation for the importance of workforce development, entrepreneurship, and educational opportunities that prepare students for successful careers.
Mark has also been actively involved in community and youth service throughout his adult life. He has served in leadership roles with the Utah Tourism Industry Association, Bear Lake Valley Chamber of Commerce, The Xtra Mile Charitable Foundation, and The Bear Lake Trails Foundation.
Mark and his wife enjoy spending time with family and participating in outdoor recreation in all four seasons. He is honored to serve as Co-Chair of the Presidential Search Committee and looks forward to helping select a leader who will build on Bridgerland Technical College’s strengths and serve the workforce needs of the region.
Danny Ipson
Daniel, more often referred to as “Danny,” was born in Provo, UT and has lived most of his life in St. George, UT. He and his wife Jenny have been married for just over 28 years, and have three children; Braxton (26) and wife Clara, BrinLee (23) and husband Badge, and Braylon (13). He has been blessed with three wonderful grandchildren.
Danny graduated from Dixie High in St. George. He received his associate of arts degree from Dixie College, and then went on to receive his bachelor of arts in accounting from Southern Utah University. He began working in the family business to put himself through college. He worked and managed and oversaw all aspects of the DATS Trucking Group of Companies, DATS Trucking, Inc., Overland Petroleum, LLC, Overland Leasing, LLC, and Ernies Stores, Inc. In September 2018 he directed the sale of the fuel distribution business (Overland Petroleum, LLC) to Offen Petroleum, Inc., and March 2021 managed and directed the sale of the operating trucking company (DATS Trucking, Inc.) to North American Services. Danny continues to own and operate an 8 store chain of convenience stores and truck stops under the Ernie’s Stores, Inc. and HF Sinclair brands, and he also works as managing member of Overland Leasing, LLC.
Danny also has been a high school baseball coach at his alma mater, Dixie High for the last 26 seasons. He has spent the last 13 seasons as the head baseball coach. He has served on many boards and service organizations. He has had the opportunity to serve on various hiring and search committees at Utah Tech University. He has previously completed service as the booster club president for the former Dixie College Rebels, served a term as a member of the Western Region Council for the Department of Workforce Services, and served on the customer advisory board for the State Bank of Southern Utah. He is currently serving in an advisory role for Zions Bank on their customer advisory board for the St. George District. He also has served on the President’s National Advisory Council at Utah Tech University, and has recently served on the Board of Directors for the Utah Tech Foundation as governance chair. Danny has most recently served as a member of the Board of Trustees at Utah Tech University, and served on the financial and audit committees while also serving as the board liaison and member of the Board of Trustees at Dixie Technical College.
He recently completed his service on the Sinclair Oil Executive Distributor Council, and is currently serving as a member of the Board of Directors for Ambest, Inc., an independent truck stop cooperative. And is currently serving as Vice Chairman of the Board.
Paul Nelson
Paul Nelson leads digital portfolio, architecture, and integration for Northrop Grumman’s Space Systems sector.
In this role, Nelson is responsible for leading digital initiatives across the sector that will enable the Space Systems team to leverage transformational capabilities to ensure effective execution across the full program life cycle from concept through sustainment. Nelson has more than 20 years of digital engineering experience spanning the lifecycle of complex systems of systems development and is passionate about promoting processes and tools that drive speed and affordability while meeting customer requirements. He loves a technical challenge, but also realizes the hardest variable in the enterprise digital transformation equation is and always will be people including their need for training, education, organization change, and cultural adoption.
Nelson joined Northrop Grumman, via heritage company Orbital ATK, in 2008. Prior to his current role, he led engineering digital transformation for Space Systems. Previously, he served as Chief Technical Strategist and NG Fellow, leading the establishment of an enterprise cloud-based Integrated Digital Environment and served as a Tech Fellow for the Product Lifecycle Management Discipline, supporting programs including Space Shuttle, Trident D5 missiles, Space Launch System, Orion Launch Abort, and several commercial programs to meet their model based data management needs.
Prior to joining Northrop Grumman, Nelson worked closely with a major aerospace and defense company on their digital transformation for figher jet programs, Space Station in Houston, and Product Data Management across their defense systems landscape as a technical architect for several years.
Nelson currently serves as a board of trustee member for Bridgerland Technical College in Logan Utah. Nelson lived in Siberia for 2 years and is fluent in Russian.
Nelson earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in mechanical engineering from Brigham Young University and earned a graduate certificate in Systems Engineering from the University of Utah. He is INCOSE CSEP certified and CM2-Professional certified.
Northrop Grumman is a leading global aerospace and defense technology company. Our pioneering solutions equip our customers with the capabilities they need to connect and protect the world, and push the boundaries of human exploration across the universe. Driven by a shared purpose to solve our customers’ toughest problems, our employees define possible every day.
Todd McKee
Dr. Todd McKee is the Superintendent of Cache County School District. He has more than 29 years of experience in public education, serving as a teacher, high school principal, and district administrator in Oregon and Utah.
Dr. McKee began his career teaching in alternative and comprehensive high schools and helped establish and coordinate an International Baccalaureate Diploma program. He later served as principal of Sunset High School in Beaverton, Oregon, and Timpview High School in Provo, Utah, before moving into district leadership. His work has focused on improving student achievement, expanding educational opportunities, and developing systems that support effective teaching and learning.
Dr. McKee earned his doctorate from the University of Oregon, where his research focused on the early identification of students at risk of dropping out of high school. He has also taught and presented in educational leadership programs at several universities.
Dr. McKee and his wife, Emalie, have three children and two grandchildren. Outside of work, he enjoys cycling and spending time outdoors.
Zak Konakis
Zak Konakis serves as the Director of the School of Professional and Technical Education and Vice Provost for Technical Education and Academic Pathways at Utah State University. His work focuses on connecting secondary, technical college, and university programs with regional workforce needs through strong industry partnerships, work-based learning, and innovative program design.
Dr. Konakis is passionate about technical education and building partnerships with academic programs across the state, with a focus on Utah's central and southeastern regions, Tooele County, and Northern Utah. He is especially committed to serving Utah's rural communities and expanding opportunities for place-bound students to pursue technical education close to home.
Dr. Konakis has been with Utah State University for more than a decade, serving as a graduate assistant, academic advisor, pathway coordinator, and faculty member before moving into his current leadership roles. As a faculty member, he has taught courses ranging from Project Management and Anatomy and Physiology to Digital Marketing.
Dr. Konakis holds a Master of Public Health and a Ph.D. from Utah State University. He currently resides in Price, near USU Eastern, with his wife and three children.
Renee Milne
Renee Milne serves as the Vice President for Student Services at Bridgerland Technical College (BTECH) in Logan, Utah, where she leads student services and works alongside an incredible team to support students throughout their educational journey. Her areas of leadership include enrollment, financial aid, accessibility, student conduct, Title IX, and campus safety initiatives.
Renee earned a Bachelor of Arts with a Secondary Teaching Certificate and a Master of Education in Curriculum and Instruction from Westminster College. She began her career teaching middle school art before moving to the high school level, where she taught art and concurrent enrollment courses and served as the yearbook advisor.
Seeking to expand her impact beyond the classroom, Renee earned her Principal Licensure and went on to serve as both an assistant principal and principal in Tooele County School District. She was named the district’s 2018–19 Principal of the Year and was selected to participate in a leadership program through the University of Virginia’s Darden School of Business.
After moving to Cache Valley in 2021, Renee brought her experience in education and school leadership to BTECH. As Vice President for Student Services, she has focused on strengthening relationships with local schools, counselors, and community partners to expand opportunities for students and increase awareness of technical education. Her efforts have contributed to year-over-year growth in high school enrollment and stronger connections with students throughout the region.
Renee has also led efforts to streamline enrollment processes, making it quicker and easier for students to move from initial interest to enrollment. Her leadership emphasizes removing barriers, improving the student experience, and creating responsive, student-centered services that help students take their next step in education and career training.
Renee believes that investing in people and communities creates opportunities that benefit everyone. She helped establish the Tooele City Arts Council and served on the council for seven years. She also participated as a panelist for Women Who Succeed. After moving to Cache Valley, she joined the inaugural class of the Cache Valley Chamber of Commerce Leadership Institute. She currently serves on the Cache Arts Education Committee, the Cache Humane Society Board, and the Bear River Behavioral Health Advisory Council.
When she is not at work, Renee can usually be found outdoors on a walk, spending time with her husband, Shawn, or happily answering to her favorite title—dog mom. Her dogs remain blissfully unimpressed by her leadership credentials, but they are excellent at reminding her to take breaks and enjoy the little things.
TaSheena Baltodano
TaSheena brings more than two decades of experience in customer service, education, operations, and leadership to her role as Instructional Chief of Staff at Bridgerland Technical College (BTECH). Before entering higher education, she spent 12 years in the customer service industry, advancing through multiple positions and building a strong foundation in customer service, operations, problem-solving, and team leadership.
A technical college graduate herself, TaSheena understands firsthand the value of career-focused education. She earned her Business Technology – Administrative Support Certificate from Bridgerland Technical College in December 2013, completing more than 1,200 hours of hands-on, in-class training focused on professional business practices and workplace performance.
TaSheena began her career at BTECH in 2013 as an Assistant Registrar and later advanced to Registrar, a position she held for seven years. During her 10 years in the Student Services Office, she focused on making the student experience easier and more efficient, refining enrollment processes, improving day-to-day operations, and helping develop policies and procedures designed to better serve students. Her work helped streamline how students navigated the college while supporting consistent and effective practices across Student Services.
In 2023, TaSheena transitioned into her current leadership role as Instructional Chief of Staff. Today, she supports college accreditation, coordinates annual program and course updates, leads college-wide initiatives, and serves as BTECH’s Concurrent Enrollment liaison. She contributes to multiple committees, supports the maintenance and continuous improvement of the student information system, and helps modernize both the college website and student/faculty portal.
Outside of work, TaSheena holds a few additional titles. She moonlights as a professional wrestler taking on two tiny contenders with endless energy, a toddler negotiator brokering high-stakes snack treaties, and a personal assistant to two small bosses who change the schedule with zero notice. But of all the titles she holds, her favorite is simply “Mom” to her two boys.
Jason Rindlisbacher
Jason Rindlisbacher has dedicated more than three decades to the meat cutting industry as a skilled professional, educator, and community leader. Before beginning his teaching career, Jason built extensive hands-on experience working as a meat cutter, assistant meat manager, and meat manager for businesses throughout Utah, Wyoming, and Oregon. His background includes custom meat cutting and harvesting, meat processing, merchandising, inventory management, product ordering, and department operations. He has also continued working in custom meat processing while teaching, keeping him closely connected to the industry.
Jason began teaching in the Meat Services Department at Bridgerland Technical College in 1998 and became Department Head in 2018. Drawing on his extensive industry experience, he teaches students the practical skills, safety practices, customer service, and professional standards needed for successful careers in meat processing.
Jason’s commitment to agricultural education extends beyond the classroom. He is involved with the Cache County Junior Livestock Committee, assists with Utah FFA state meat judging competitions, and serves as a committee member for the Wool Growers of Utah. He also collaborates with Utah State University’s Meat Science program on outreach and educational seminars, sharing his knowledge of meat processing techniques with students, producers, and community members.
Jason and his wife, Cheryl, have passed their appreciation for agriculture and the meat industry on to their two children, both of whom completed the Meat Services certificate at Bridgerland and have pursued careers in the field. Outside of work, Jason enjoys supporting his family’s involvement in sports, livestock, and agriculture.