USU Foundation Announces New Chair, Vice Chair, Members for 2023-24 Fiscal Year

The Utah State University Foundation Board has announced several updates including new appointments and new members for the 2023-24 fiscal year.

The members will serve as advocates for the university within their communities and aid USU in cultivating private support and fostering meaningful engagement.

Jeannine Bennett, from Salt Lake City, a retired attorney of Jeannine Bennett P.C., was named chair of the Foundation Board. Sylvia Jones, from Macon, Georgia, a marketing relationship manager with Wells Fargo, was named vice chair of the Foundation Board.

Additionally, Benjamin Aguayo, Ty Couey, Douglas Fiefia, Gina Gagon and Steve Palmer joined the Foundation Board as new members.

The new members join the board as Utah State celebrates the “Create Your Aggie Impact” campaign that heralds a new era for university fundraising focused on the impact of giving — inspired by those who create opportunity and innovation and those whose lives and communities are transformed by the power of philanthropy.

“We are so pleased with the direction of the board,” said USU Vice President of Advancement and President of the USU Foundation Matt White. “We look forward to working together and implementing their collective professional expertise to continue the foundation's mission to enrich the Utah State experience.”

Jeannine Bennett

B.A. Family and Human Development, 1987

Chair, USU Foundation Board

Jeannine Bennett has been involved with the board since 2007 but has been affiliated with USU since she earned a bachelor’s in family and human development in 1987. After obtaining an undergraduate degree, Bennett went on to the University of Utah where she received both an MBA and Juris Doctorate. A retired attorney, Bennett focused on medical malpractice law, where she primarily represented insurance companies and hospitals. She worked for Bennett & McBride, PLLC, as well as her own private practice.

Bennett is passionate about DEI initiatives and supporting a future of true equality. She is a past president of the Junior League of Salt Lake City and was previously on the Guadalupe School Board. During her time at USU, Bennett was a member of the Alpha Chi Omega sorority, which is now an area that she supports through scholarships, both at USU and through the Alpha Chi Omega Foundation. She also served on the Alpha Chi Omega Advisory Board. Additionally, Bennett was a USU Year of the Woman ambassador and has been a member of USU's Center for Intersectional Gender Studies & Research Advisory Board and the Women & Gender Development Board.

Bennett and her husband, Steve Creamer, have been active with Sportsmen for Fish and Wildlife, an organization of nearly 8,000 members who are passionate about wildlife and hunting. They are Old Main Society members and have four children.

In addition to her role as chair of the Foundation Board, Bennett is chair of the Executive Committee and serves on the Governance Committee.

Sylvia M. Jones

B.S. Economics, 1987

Vice Chair, USU Foundation Board

Sylvia Jones was born in San Antonio, Texas. Coming from a military family, she lived overseas for most of her teenage years. During the middle of her junior year of high school, Jones’ father was transferred to Salt Lake City, where she learned of Utah State University. She met her husband, Paul, at USU, and was involved in numerous activities. With support from the administration, they started the USU Voices of Praise Gospel Choir, one of her fondest memories as an Aggie.

Jones earned a bachelor’s in economics in 1987 from Utah State and an MBA from Western State College in Gunnison, Colorado. She worked on campuses in Colorado and Georgia as financial aid director before taking a position with Wells Fargo Bank as an assistant vice president-account executive in the Education Financial Services.

Jones is involved with many regional and state higher education organizations. Every year she spends many volunteer hours in her community conducting presentations at high schools, as well as working with students and parents as they navigate the college admissions and financial aid process.

The Joneses were determined to give back very early in their lives. They established the African-American Leadership Award as recent college graduates. Continued philanthropy throughout their professional lives — including supporting Goodwill Industries Foundation and Rotary Club meals for families, as well as giving to scholarships for disadvantaged students pursuing study abroad — is a testament to their desire to help others and reach those who will make a difference in the world. They are proud parents to two Aggie graduates.

In addition to her role as vice-chair of the Foundation Board, Jones serves on the Executive Committee and Marketing and Communications Committee.

New Members 2022

Ben Aguayo

B.A. Marketing, 1994

Originally from the Las Vegas area, Ben Aguayo attended USU on a golf scholarship. A business professional who has held several executive leadership positions in sales, marketing and operations, Aguayo is currently the vice president of customer experience at Alder Holdings, a security systems company.

Because many of his peers in high school did not have the opportunity to go to college, Aguayo feels it is important to help potential students in underserved populations attend USU through scholarships. As an avid golf fan, Aguayo enjoys supporting USU through the Big Blue Golf Classic and Aggie Auction. His son, Noa, attends USU and interns with the Athletics development office.On the Foundation Board, Aguayo is the chair of the Marketing and Communications Committee and serves on the Development Committee.

Doug Fiefia

B.S. Marketing, Business Administration 2015

During Doug Fiefia’s time at Utah State, he held leadership positions with the Business Council, A-Team, Student Alumni Association, Psi Sigma Phi Fraternity and served two terms as the USU Student Body president (2013-2015). He was also selected by his peer student body presidents to serve as Utah Student Association president, representing all 180,000 higher education students in the state of Utah.

After graduating, Fiefia was employed by software company Workday, where he started as a sales development representative and later became sales manager. After three years with the company, he decided to go back to school to earn an MBA from Rice University’s Jones School of Business. During the two-year full-time program, Fiefia served as the MBA program’s president and received an internship offer from Google, where he now works as a sales manager in Google Ads.

Outside of work, Fiefia spends the majority of his time with family. He met his wife, Jocelyn, at Utah State, and they have three girls and a son.

Fiefia is the Foundation Board’s inaugural GOLD member (graduate of last decade) and serves on the Marketing and Communications Committee and Development Committee.

New Members 2023

Ty Couey

B.S. History, 1971

Tyrone (Ty) E. Couey first stepped onto USU’s campus after he was recruited to play football in August of 1968. The ground was covered by a foot of snow, but this didn’t chill Couey’s enthusiasm for his alma mater. He played defensive back for the Aggies for two years before graduating in 1971 with a bachelor’s in history.

Immediately after graduation, Couey was drafted by the Dallas Cowboys, but his passion for education never stopped. He went on to study at multiple institutions, including Harvard University, the University of Maryland in College Park — and in his home state of New York at New York University, Pace University and the New York Institute.

Couey is a founding member and president of the National Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) Alumni Association Foundation and the National Organization of College Parents (NOCP). His work with these important organizations led to Couey being named one of Minority Enterprise Advocate Magazine’s “50 Powerful U.S./International Business Executives” in 2013. Couey is a father of two now-grown children and enjoys traveling and vanilla Aggie Ice Cream.

On the USU Foundation Board, Couey serves on the Development Committee and Governance Committee.

Gina Gagon

Utah State University Eastern

Gina Gagon started her career in business assurance with PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) and later ran Gagon Family Medicine + Urgent Care with her husband for 23 years. She has served as the founding chair for the Boys & Girls Club of Carbon County Board of Directors, treasurer of Price Chapel Governing Board, chair of the Carbon County Strategic Planning Committee and chair of the local Community Economic Council. She was appointed to the USU Board of Trustees in March 2019 and currently serves as vice chair.

On the USU Foundation Board, Gagon serves on the Executive Committee.

Steve Palmer

B.S. Business Administration, 2015

Steve Palmer fell in love with the charm of Logan and USU, where he studied business. Since serving as the USU student body president, 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 earned an Owner President Management Entrepreneurial Leadership certificate through Harvard Business School in 2022.

Palmer is a serial entrepreneur with several successful startups and is currently the owner of a company that manufactures freeze-dried food. Palmer most recently served as president of the USU Alumni Advisory Board and represented Aggie alumni as a member of the USU Board of Trustees. Palmer 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.

On the USU Foundation Board, Palmer serves on the Executive Committee.

New Emeriti Member

Sydney Peterson

M.S. Agriculture & Applied Sciences/Home Economics & Consumer Education 1989

Dedicating her entire professional career to Utah State University, Sydney Mitchell Peterson had a long and distinguished tenure at the institution before retiring in 2022. For more than 40 years, Peterson served in a wide variety of roles spanning many areas of the university, including within the College of Family Life; Office of Research; College of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences; Provost’s Office; Office of the President; Advancement; and with the Board of Trustees. Most notably, beginning in 2005, she served as the first woman chief of staff to USU’s president and as secretary to the Board of Trustees for more than 15 years. Prior to assuming those roles, she served as assistant provost.

New Committee Chairs

Several new committee chairs were named this year including Benjamin Aguayo as chair of the Marketing and Communications Committee; Wafaa Alrashid as chair of the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Subcommittee; Laurel Cannon Alder as chair of the Development Committee; Burns Israelsen as chair of the Finance Committee; and Travis Lish as chair of the Governance Committee.

New Subcommittee

The USU Foundation Board created the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Subcommittee to foster a diverse and inclusive board experience. Supporting the need for diversity, subcommittee members are tasked with staying current on the latest news and developments related to DEI issues. They ensure practices and decisions related to DEI are aligned to position the Foundation Board for growth and success.

The USU Foundation Board aims to secure private support in its many forms and provide a measure of excellence at USU not possible through public funding alone. In turn, the university continues to make a tremendous impact on its surrounding community and on the people it serves.