The 2024 Eastern Utah Women’s Conference was hosted once again on the USU Eastern campus. To conclude to evening, participants were invited to a delicious and hearty dinner, a keynote speaker, and the Woman of the Year award.
Kicking off the presentation of the 2024 Woman of the Year, Mallery Dunn invited the previous year’s recipient to the stage. Amanda McIntosh shared that her good friends and the planning committee made her win a secret the whole time and, though a year has gone by, she is still in shock and feels very underserving but appreciative of the recognition.
McIntosh also stated that she was happy to be in attendance that evening to pass the honor on. From there, Dunn explained that the 2024 Woman of the Year recipient has been described as dedicated and zealous, with the nomination stating that she has saved lives and healed families.
Jan Thornton was named the 2024 Woman of the Year for her outstanding service to the community. Thornton is employed at USU Eastern, with emphasis on Clinical Social Work Practice, Trauma Informed Care and Social Work Leadership. Dunn said that the award was to recognize her continuous efforts and her impact, which goes beyond the classroom.
Before inviting Thornton to speak, Dunn stated that her nomination solidified her status as an inspirational role model for all. Thorton said that she had not prepared anything because she was sure that she would not win. She thanked everybody in attendance, saying that there were so many deserving women in the room.
“I think together, let’s all move forward, and let’s just keep doing this for other women in our community,” Thornton concluded.
