Bennion Center Staff
BobbiJo Kanter
Director
801-585-9103
Pronouns - She, Her, Hers
BobbiJo started as the Director in October 2023 after 7.5 years as the Bennion Center's Associate Director for Co-curricular Engagement. She holds a B.A. in History and Psycology from Hasting College and a master of Arts in History from the easteemed Univerity of Alabama. BobbiJo's professional history is marked by a deep commitment to advocacy and community engagement. Prior to joining the Bennion Center team, she dedicated more than a decade to work with Special Olympics programs in utah and Wyoming. She is passionate about community engagemetn, student mentorship, and creating positive social change.
BobbiJo finds deep fulfillment in her personal life, she is happily married and welcomed her first child in December 2022. She enjoys adventurous journeys - including many outdoor activities and travel.
Pamela Giebler
Administrative Manager
801-585-3296
Pronouns - She, Her, Hers
Biography coming soon.
Kristi Thompson
Advancement Officer
Kristi.Thompson@admin.utah.edu
Pronouns - She, Her, Hers
Kristi joined the Bennion Center in 2023 as the Advancement Officer after spending the previous 10 years working as the Director of an Early Childhood Education Program. She earned her bachelor's degree in Political Science and M.P.A. from the University of utah. Kristi's experience with the center in college helped guide her career choice to study and work in nonprofit management. She is excited to help raise funds to that the Bennion Center can continue its important work.
In her spare time, kristi loves spending time with her two daughters, and husband. And she enjoys golf, skiiing, watching movies, playing games and going on travel adventures with her family.
Megan Medina
Associate Director
Curriculum & Scholarship
801-585-3297
Pronouns - She, Her, Hers
Megan was born an raised in North Dakota and earned her B.A. in Communication Studies from Gustavus Adolphus College in St. Peter, Minnesota. After teaching English in Guangxi, China for two years, Megan moved to Utah and fell in love with the mountains. Megan earned her M.S. of Public Administration at the U and started working at the Bennion Center in the fall of 2017. Currently Megan is the Associate Director of Community Engaged Learning and Scholarship. She assists faculty interested in incorporating community engagement in their courses. She also coordinates the CEL course designation and related funding. Additionally, Megan manages the Community Engaged Learning Assistant (CELA) program.
When not advocating for community Engaged Learning, Megan likes spending time outside with her family, including her mini aussie, koda.
Rebecca Tolentino
Associate Director
Student Leadership & Development
801-585-0093
Rebecca Tolentino is excited to join the Bennion Center as the Associate Director of Student Leadership and Development. The Bennion Center was a critical component to Rebecca's undergraduate experience and sparked her passion for a career in community engagement. Rebecca holds a Master of Arts in Community Leadership from Westminster College and two Bachelar degrees from the University of Utah. She is Aumna of AmeriCorps, the Congressional Hunger Center's Emerson Hunger Fellows program, and Feeding America's Child Hunger Corps. After over 10 years in the antihunger nonprofit world, she then spend over 7 years at Salt Lake Community College cultivating partnerships in the Thayne Center and working with Adult Learners in the Admissions Office.
In her spare time her family likes to explore as many National Parks as possible and had visited 11 and counting in the past 5 years. She also enjoys gardening, supporting her local CSA, and trying out new recipes.
Bryce Williams
Associate Director
Student Engagement & Outreach
Pronous - He, Him
Bryce Williams joined the Bennion Center as the Associate Director for Student Engagement and Outreach in March of 2024, but previously worked at the Bennion Center from January 2015 to August 2022 as a Student Programs Manager. Bryce holds a bachelor degree in social work and a maters in educational learship and policy, both from the University of Utah. Bryce was very involved as a student leader at the Bennion Center while he was a student. When not at the Bennion Center, Bryce holds true to being involved in community by holding elected office on the Salt Lake City School Board since July 2021.
In his free time Bryce enjoys spending time at Utah football and gymnastics or at home with his wife and two dogs.
Sabita Bastakoti
Program Manager
Community Partner
801-585-1508
Pronouns - She, Her, Hers
Sabita holds a M.S. in Writing & Rhetoric Studies. Her specialization in decolonial theory reflects her dedication to working with communities to amplify marginalized voices and challege Western-centric norms in academic spaces. Sabita's current position allow her to translate these pedagogies into actions through community engagement work. Sabita loves mentoring her students to help them discover their purpose in community, and she also sees these interactions as an opportunity to learn from students.
In addition to her professional endeavors, Sabita is a passionate cook and a seeker of knowledge.
Brett Gaffney
Program Manager
Community Events
801-581-8436
Pronouns - She, They
Brett Gaffney joined the Bennion Center in 2022. She holds a MFA in Poetry from Southern Illinois University Carbondale, where she found both her family and her passion for community empowement. As our Student Cohorts Program Manager, she oversees the Bennion Center Events, Service Corner, and Residential Engagement, supporting spaces lke the Service House and HIVE LLC.
When she's not actively working with students and the community, you can find her watching horror movies, hiking the wasatch mountains, or playing with her puggle, Ava.
Asma Hassan
Program Manager
Utah Reads
801-585-9101
Pronouns - She, Her, Hers
Asma has a M.Ed. in Special Education and a B.S. in Psychology from the University of Utah.
She is passionate about literacy access and loves managing our Utah Reads program. As a student, she was a Utah Reads Tutor, and now she is glad to mentor the amazing college students that are part of the program at the Bennion Center.
In her free time, she enjoys listenning to podcasts, hanging out with her sisters, and eating Thai food.
Ann Lopez
Program Manager
Alternative Breaks
801-587-9027
Pronouns - She, Her, Hers
Ann holds a B.S. in Political Science and a Master of Public Administration from the University of Utah. Ann runs the Alternative Breaks program which engages University students, staff, and faculty during fall and spring break in ethical community engagement and advocacy across the western United States. Previously, she worked for the Hinckley Institute of Politics and abroad in Ukraine, China, and Taiwan.
When she's not at work, Ann loves to spend time outdoors, travel, hike, and cuddle doggos.
Gäelle Perrier
Program Manager
Community Engaged Learning Certificate
Pronouns - She, Her, Hers
Gaelle earned her Ph.D. in Sociology from the U, focusing her research on economic development, culture, and human rights. Previously, she worked as a human rights officer for international organizations and NGOs. As the Bennion Scholars program and CEL manager Gaelle helps students as they integrate their commitment to community engagement and their academic learning. She loves mentoring students as they realize their ability to be actors for change and understand the importance of centering voices for communities when acting upon it.
She finds joy in the little things of everyday life with her family, even more so when outdoors. She also enjoys challeging herself to be in a constant effort to learn and grow.