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Protect against Title IX and submit a comment by September 12, 2022.

The US Department of Education released their proposed changes to Title IX regulations that would dramatically change the future for women and girls in federally funded activities and programs. There are many negative impacts that will harm girls, women, and families.

A government portal has been set up for you to make a comment submission.  It is very straight-forward and easy to do.  In addition, this governmental body is required to read every submission, large and small – before they can finalize the new “Rule.”  So rest assured, your input will be read and considered.

TAKE A STAND TODAY

Our Team

United Families International is fortunate to have a board and staff , from all walks of life, who are dedicated to the cause of family.

Bob Spiel

Bob Spiel

Chairman

Bob Spiel, UFI Chairman of the Board, acts as a catalyst for the organization to help facilitate the energy and creativity of the UFI leadership team, as well as help guide its strategic direction. He holds a Master’s Degree in Business from the Marriott School of Management at Brigham Young University where he specialized in finance and operations management. Bob is a consultant, author and nationally sought after speaker on leadership and customer service. Throughout his career he has worked as a hospital CEO, surgical center CEO, as well as an operations director and COO for two mid-cap companies and a venture capital firm. Bob is the founder and CEO of Spiel & Associates, Inc., a healthcare management consulting firm. He and his wife Judene are the parents of 6 children and the grandparents of 13.

Phil Marriott

Phil Marriott

Board Member Read Bio
Phil Marriott

Phil Marriott

Board Member

Phil Marriott has served on United Families International’s Board of Directors since 2007. Phil has been involved in many entrepreneurial activities, including real estate development in Texas and Utah. He has worked primarily as a securities financial advisor and has provided insurance solutions as well. Mr. Marriott has served on numerous boards and commissions and been involved with various non-profits, including the CAMIE Awards – an organization that rewards Character and Morality In Entertainment. Mr. Marriott and his wife Cheryl have been married 37 years, and they have five children and seven grandchildren.

Carol Soelberg

Carol Soelberg

Board Member

Carol Soelberg, UFI Board Member and Vice President of Organization Development, oversees UFI’s volunteers, internship program, and development of chapters. She has been with United Families International for over ten years lobbying at the UN, attending and speaking at World Congress of Families, organizing chapters, serving as state chapter leader, and as past President of UFI (2006-2008; 2010-Sept, 2013). Carol is the wife of J. Glade Soelberg, mother of 13 married children and grandmother to a growing number of grandchildren. She has a B.A. in Education and Home, Family, and Child Development.

Brad Wixom

Brad Wixom

Board Member Read Bio
Brad Wixom

Brad Wixom

Board Member

Brad Wixom holds a Masters of Business Administration from the Marriott School of Business at Brigham Young University. Brad has worked in the computer industry, and as CEO/President of a start-up company with sales worldwide. Brad moved into the Energy Industry to work more closely with his family serving as a Director and co-owner of two different organizations. Brad has spoken internationally at United Nations meetings and the World Congress of Families. Brad coauthored a chapter for publication in the book Family Capital and the SDGs: Implementing the Sustainable Development Goals. Above all this, Brad views his biggest accomplishments as his marriage of over 30 years to his best friend, Wendy, and the close relationship with their five children, spouses, and grandchildren.

Camille Williams

Camille Williams

Board Member

Camille Stilson Williams (J.D., M.A., Brigham Young University) worked as part of the Family Law Research Project at the J. Reuben Clark Law School at Brigham Young University, and has taught family law for undergraduates. Her research interests are related to women’s and family issues. Her publications have supported the sanctity of human life and the necessity of the natural family for the flourishing of individuals and societies. She currently works as an assistant city attorney. She and her husband, Richard, are the parents of five, and the grandparents of twenty-four.

Jenet Erickson

Jenet Erickson

Advisory Team Read Bio
Jenet Erickson

Jenet Erickson

Advisory Team
Heather Sandstrom

Heather Sandstrom

Advisory Team
Wendy Wixom

Wendy Wixom

President

Before joining UFI, Wendy served as the United Nations Policy and Projects Coordinator for International Organization for the Family and has also been on the leadership team of Sustainable Families. In these roles she has traveled the world meeting with UN Ambassadors and Delegates, attending meetings, sharing materials, and speaking in defense of those things that strengthen the family. Wendy is passionate about the family and religious liberty. She, and her husband Brad have five children and have loved moving into the grandparent stage of life. Wendy finds her greatest pleasures spending time with her family, or becoming familiar with the different beauties, cultures and people of the world.

Marcia Barlow

Marcia Barlow

VP Policy and Senior Advisor Read Bio
Marcia Barlow

Marcia Barlow

VP Policy and Senior Advisor

Marcia Barlow, Vice President of Policy and Senior Advisor, oversees “all things UN” for United Families International. She directs the development and updating of the UN Negotiating Guide and oversees research and policy analysis on domestic, as well as international issues. Some of Marcia’s favorite UFI projects are the Guide to Family Issues series and UFI’s new “Discussion Group” curriculum. She’s particularly interested in the Religious Freedom issue and you’ll often find her testifying at municipal and legislative hearings around the country. Marcia holds a Master’s Degree from Harvard University (Kennedy School of Government) where she specialized in public policy. She and her husband, Greg, have three children and six grandchildren and she’ll tell you that it doesn’t get better than being a grandma.

April Gallart

April Gallart

UN Mission Coordinator Read Bio
April Gallart

April Gallart

UN Mission Coordinator

April H Gallart, Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) Coordinator and Director of Mission Relations. April attends CSW every year and coordinates UFI team member visits with delegations from around the world. April often serves as mission leader on many of these visits, during which UFI team members present materials which assist ambassadors and counselors in promoting the inclusion of family-friendly language in UN documents. April maintains and develops relations with missions and delegates through out the year. April is bilingual and speaks English and Spanish. She worked as a bilingual elementary school teacher for 2 years and frequently uses her Spanish speaking ability during mission visits. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Spanish from CSU Long Beach and a California Teacher’s credential. Issues that she is passionate about include parental rights and religious freedom. She and her husband, Henry, have 4 children.

Teresa Hunsaker

Teresa Hunsaker

VP Org Dev/Homefront Read Bio
Teresa Hunsaker

Teresa Hunsaker

VP Org Dev/Homefront

Teresa, Vice President of Organization Development, is responsible for the planning and development of the United Families organization. She also organizes and supervises the work of the student interns that accompany us at the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women. Teresa has spent many years as a Family and Consumer Sciences Agent with the Extension Service and has extensive experience volunteering with many organizations, including: the women’s success program at Utah Valley University, rape recovery groups at Orem Crisis Center, several community boards, as well as orphanages in Romania. Teresa is fluent in American Sign Language, shares her musical talent as an organist in many venues. Teresa’s greatest accomplishment, however, is her role as a mother. She loves everything that has to do with home and family.

Susan Roylance

Susan Roylance

Director, Int’l Policy Read Bio
Susan Roylance

Susan Roylance

Director, Int’l Policy

Susan Roylance, Director of International Policy and Social Development, is the author/compiler of several books on international family policy, including the UN Negotiating Guide, The Family and the MDGs – Using Family Capital to Achieve the Millennium Development Goals and Family Capital and the SDGs – Implementing the 17 Sustainable Development Goals. Susan participated in many international conferences – and traveled to forty-four countries – visiting orphanages and street children programs, and helping develop family-based care for orphans. Susan is a founder of United Families International (1978), and has been actively involved in many pro-family organizations. She was the CEO/Manager of Roylance Publishing. Susan was a candidate for the U.S. Congress from Washington State, and chaired several initiatives and referendums in Washington and Oregon. She authored a blog for the Deseret News, a Utah daily newspaper, titled: “Families around the World.” Susan and Robert are the parents of seven children, thirty-four grandchildren and eight great grandchildren.

Esme Weathers

Esme Weathers

Director of Finance Read Bio
Esme Weathers

Esme Weathers

Director of Finance

Esme Weathers, Director of Finance, is in charge of UFI’s administration affairs and oversees the organization’s finances. She graduated from Brigham Young University Hawaii with a B.S. in Accounting and minor in Organizational Behavior. Esme has been with UFI ever since she was an accounting intern. She was able to join the team in action for CSW 2012 in United Nations and knows how important UFI’s work is. She is from Malaysia and is fluent in 4 languages. Esme enjoys diversity and loves learning about different cultures and traditions. Her belief and personal background has lead her to have a great passion for protecting and strengthening the family. Esme and Matt, her husband are enjoying and learning the ropes of parenthood with their little ones.

Kristen Hackett

Kristen Hackett

Intern Coordinator Read Bio
Kristen Hackett

Kristen Hackett

Intern Coordinator

Kristen Hackett, Executive Team Assistant and Intern Coordinator, became involved with United Families International while studying at BYU-Idaho. After completing a Bachelor of Science in Marriage and Family, and completing an internship with UFI, Kristen wanted to stay involved. The 5-Point Mission of UFI: family, marriage, life, parents, and religious liberty are passions for Kristen which she feels strongly need defending and strengthening. Most important to Kristen is her own family. She and her husband, Ryan, have 5 children, a beautiful daughter-in-law, one amazing grandson, Carter, and will soon welcome another grandson. Kristen loves doing anything with her family, but especially vacationing. She loves visiting new places and being exposed to new cultures. One of her favorite pastimes is reading. Most summer days you will find her sitting by her swimming pool, watching kids play and reading a good book!

Jessie Keller

Jessie Keller

Social Media Coordinator Read Bio
Jessie Keller

Jessie Keller

Social Media Coordinator

Jessie Keller, Social Media Coordinator, grew up on Colorado’s Western Slope where she played softball, rode horses, and learned life skills from the strong women in her family. Later she moved to Utah where she started her family, ran her own business, and immersed herself in volunteer and advocacy work for the East Millcreek community and Granite School District. As a transplant to Dallas, Texas in 2012, she quickly found a perfect fit volunteering in the Plano Independent School District. Jessie has over 15 years of experience as a volunteer and advocate for children. Jessie graduated from Brigham Young University, Idaho in the spring of 2019 with a bachelor’s degree in Marriage and Family Studies. She followed her degree up by earning her certificate in Human Resource Management, also from Brigham Young University, Idaho in 2020. She celebrated her 23rd wedding anniversary in the summer of 2021 and has three children. Jessie now lives in North West Arkansas with her husband and youngest child.

Miriam Merrill

Miriam Merrill

Lead Policy Analyst Read Bio
Miriam Merrill

Miriam Merrill

Lead Policy Analyst

Miriam Merrill, Lead Policy Analyst, Human Rights Council Projects feels passionately about advocating for the family on a daily basis in small, yet significant, ways. Some of her more notable recent efforts including working with The Sutherland Institute as a Policy Intern, interning with Family Policy Resource as a Legislative Intern, and attending the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women with United Families International. She has a Bachelor of Science with an Emphasis in Family Advocacy and Policy and is currently working on her Masters of Public Administration, where she is studying the ins and outs of non-profit management and local government involvement. When she isn’t writing or researching, you can find her performing, singing, and making happy memories with her husband, Sam, and puppy, Jimmy Stewart.

Sarah Davenport-Smith

Sarah Davenport-Smith

Policy Advisor
Annie Wood

Annie Wood

Annie is a senior at Brigham Young University- Idaho and is graduating in April 2024 with her degree in Marriage and Family Studies. She lives with her husband in Henderson, Nevada and together they have 6 awesome kids ranging from 19 to 8 years old. She loves spending time with her family, especially when food and games are involved. Annie enjoys reading books, listening to podcasts, baking and eating goodies, walking the dog and planning family adventures. She appreciates the opportunity to be involved with UFI in promoting marriage and family, two subjects near and dear to her heart.

Jennifer Leininger

Jennifer Leininger

Jennifer is a senior at Brigham Young University-Idaho and will be graduating in July 2024 with a bachelor's degree in Marriage and Family Studies. Through her studies at BYU-I, Jennifer has focused her interests on Child and Family Advocacy. Jennifer joins United Families International as an intern because of their commitment to strengthen and defend the family as a foundational unit of society. Jennifer resides in Meridian, Idaho and is married to her high school sweetheart. She is a mom to four children and has enjoyed homeschooling them for the past 11 years. In her free time, Jennifer enjoys gardening, photography, traveling, and exploring the outdoors with her family.

Rachel Cannon

Rachel Cannon

Rachel Cannon is a student at Brigham Young University - Idaho. She will complete her degree in Marriage and Family Studies in April 2024. She loves to learn new things and spend time in nature. She comes from a family of 8 and married her best friend last July. She says family is her greatest joy in life and is excited about the opportunity to strengthen other families so they can experience that joy too. She has always been passionate about her faith, freedom, and families. She says all of those things come together working with United Families International. Promoting and defending freedom and the family is our most important responsibility.

Kylie Hope

Kylie Hope

I am a student at Brigham Young University Idaho, studying Family and Human Relations. I am set to graduate in July of 2024 with my bachelor's degree. I live in a small town in Idaho with my husband and our various barn animals where we live on a farm that keeps us plenty busy. I want to advocate for families and children by spreading the word about various issues that concern families and children.