Pub. 3 2015 Issue 2

Issue 2. 2015 21 NEW WOMEN’S LEADERSHIP INSTITUTE SUPPORTED BY ZIONS BANK The Women’s Leadership Institute (WLI), a new organiza- tion dedicated to enhancing opportunities and leadership for women in Utah, launched recently with support from Zions Bank. Lori Chillingworth, executive vice president of Small Busi- ness Banking, is the current chair of the Women’s Leader- ship Institute Executive Board. Her leadership in the or- ganization is part of her legacy as the current chair of the Salt Lake Chamber of Commerce’s Board of Governors. “Imagine what Utah could be like — will be like — in the future once all of its resources are engaged. That is WLI’s ultimate goal,” Chillingworth said. “Utah leads the nation in so many areas, and in female leadership, Utah is ready to lead again.” Former Utah State Senator Pat Jones is the CEO of the Women’s Leadership Institute. She thanked Zions Bank and other corporate partners for support at a business event on May 14. “This event marks another chapter in Utah’s visionary leadership,” Jones said. In recent years, studies have shown women in Utah lag behind those in other states in political leadership roles, income equality and business management positions. The WLI was created to rally the private and public sector to help counter the trends. ZIONS BANK MARKS 10 YEARS SUPPORTING ENGLISH LANGUAGE EDUCATION A graduation ceremony on June 3 for adult immigrant students marked the 10th anniversary of Zions Bank’s partnership of the University of Utah’s English Language Institute. The advanced English as a Second Language program makes it possible for adults to aspire to professional occu- pations or to university education. Since Zions Bank began partnering with the University of Utah to provide space and one-to-one funding match for student tuition in 2005, 400 individuals have completed the life-changing program. To mark a decade of improving the lives of immigrants, Zions Bank hosted a dinner for previous graduates and University of Utah administrators. The event featured key- note speaker Richard Montañez, who began his career as a janitor at Frito-Lay’s Rancho Cucamonga plant in 1976 and is now recognized as a success as the creator of the brand’s Flamin’ Hot line of products. While several English classes offered for adults provide ba- sic level “survival English,” the Zions Bank-ELI program provides advanced training to enhance immigrants’ em- ployment opportunities. To date, more than 78 Zions-ELI Scholarship Program students have gone on to attend other universities and colleges. n