Alumni Advisory Board Welcomes New Members

Utah State University’s Alumni Advisory Board welcomes new President Steven Palmer and elected advisors Zachary Ames, Terry Camp, Isaiah Emmanuel Jones and Triné Nelson.

Since the Alumni Association was started in 1898, board members have provided support for the strategic goals of the Alumni Engagement Office.

“Our board members are an essential asset,” said Kim Larson, associate vice president of alumni engagement. “Their energy and love for our alma mater boosts our team’s endeavors to be relevant and helps us be seen as a resource for our alumni and campus community. We are thrilled to announce Steve as our new president and welcome new members Steve, Zach, Terry, Isaiah and Triné to the board. Their knowledge, perspectives and experiences will enrich our alumni association.”

USU Alumni Association board members are the leading advocates and advisors for the Alumni Association. Board members provide direction and feedback in fulfilling the association’s mission to contribute to the success of Utah State by providing opportunities for meaningful, lifelong involvement for its alumni, students and friends.

Steve Palmer ’15

President

B.S. Business Administration

Palmer fell in love with the charm of Logan and USU, where he studied business, in the late ’90s. Since serving as the Associated Students of Utah State University student body president in 2001, Palmer has maintained close connections with the university. After graduating from USU, he went on to receive a master's in business from the University of Notre Dame in 2018 and is currently studying entrepreneurship through Harvard Business School. Palmer is a serial entrepreneur with several successful startups and is currently the owner of a company that manufactures freeze-dried food.

In addition to his role as president of the USU Alumni Advisory Board, Palmer represents Aggie alums as a member of the USU Board of Trustees. He and his wife, Amy, have seven children and live in Alpine, Utah, where they proudly fly an oversized Aggie flag in their front yard. Palmer’s ultimate goal is to finish his career teaching business classes at USU to aspiring business leaders.

Zachary Ames ’08

B.S. Economics

B.S. Sociology

Ames has spent his career dedicated to building better leaders. After graduating from Utah State, he headed to New York City where he lived for nearly a decade working for both Fortune 500 and private companies as a leadership and talent development specialist. Ames then relocated to Singapore, taking on a regional role for a global financial services firm.

As a certified coach, Ames now resides in Murray, Utah, having started his own consulting practice focusing on leadership, communication and diversity. Beyond work, Ames has been a volunteer for a variety of LGBTQ organizations and is an avid patron of the arts — in New York he performed weekly at The People's Improv Theater.

Terry Camp ’11

B.A. Political Science (Spanish minor)

Camp was raised in Hyde Park, Utah, and is the son of Utah State alums Lee and Ruth Ann Camp. A lifelong Aggie, Camp grew up attending Utah State athletic events. During his time as a student, he fulfilled a lifelong dream of putting on an Aggie uniform while playing hockey for Utah State's club team for two seasons, where he served as team president. Following a two-year mission to Concepción, Chile, Camp graduated from Utah State and began work as a campaign staffer for former Senator Orrin Hatch, eventually ending up in the Washington, D.C. office. In 2015, Camp was hired by former Congressman Rob Bishop to work for the House Committee on Natural Resources. He later earned a master’s in public policy from George Mason University (’16) and now works for Ranking Member Bruce Westerman of Arkansas on the House Natural Resources Subcommittee on National Parks, Forests and Public Lands.

Camp currently resides in Silver Spring, Maryland, with his wife, Kayla, son Elijah, and pup, Luna. He was instrumental in helping reestablish alumni chapters, with the Aggies in D.C. chapter becoming the first new officially chartered chapter.

Isaiah Emmanuel Jones ’12, ’15

B.S. Human Physiology

M.A. History

Jones is currently in his third year with USU’s Student Orientation & Transition Services office (SOTS) as the parent and transition program coordinator. Prior to working with SOTS, he worked as an administrative staff assistant and assistant company manager for the USU Theatre Department and Caine Lyric Theatre. He is currently working on earning a degree from Notre Dame.

Jones was a member of the USU Football team from 2009-2012 where he met his wife (Josselyn White), who was a member of the USU Volleyball team from 2009-2013. The two now live in Smithfield, Utah, with their three kids: Tatum (age 4), Sophie (age 2), and Micah (6 months). In addition to his responsibilities with the SOTS office, he enjoys spending time with family and friends, being outdoors, reading, traveling and listening to music.

Triné Nelson ’02

B.S. Family and Human Development

Hailing from Orem, Utah, Nelson earned a bachelor’s from Utah State in 2002 and then went on to earn a master’s in learning design from Arizona State University.

Nelson works as a curriculum manager in the W. P. Carey School of Business at Arizona State University. She has more than 15 years of experience working in career management, training and development. Passionate about technology in the educational environment, she finds unique ways to connect students to the career information they need.

Nelson currently resides in Phoenix, Arizona, with her husband and two children.

For more information about the USU Alumni Association, visit https://www.usu.edu/alumni/.