Hope Corps Internship Spotlight: Welcome Alex and Elizabeth!

OGDEN CITY, UTAH - June 27th, 2022

The Hope Corps is an initiative being run by Utah Community Builders, a non-profit affiliate of the Salt Lake Chamber of Commerce.

The Hope Corps‘ goal, in partnership with the Utah Community Builders, is to assist and lift the businesses, non-profits and people of Utah.

Alex Yoder and Elizabeth Melendez are two Hope Corps interns that have been assigned to the Weber Prosperity Center of Excellence (COE) for the past 2 semesters. Alex is paired with Melissa Freigang, the Executive Director of the COE, and is working on communications and website development.

Alex Yoder is a senior at Weber State University studying Political Science with an emphasis in American Government and a minor in Communications.

In 2021, Alex interned at the Utah State Legislature for two Utah State Representatives. He was recently elected President of the Presidential Leadership Fellows at Weber State University and graduates in the Spring of 2023.

Elizabeth Melendez was paired with Jill Devito, the Contracts Supervisor for the COE, and is working on building relations with local businesses.

Elizabeth Melendez is a sophomore at Weber State studying Political Science and International Studies. After she graduates, her future career interests are community involvement, non-profit and legislative work. Elizabeth's goal for the Hope Corps internship is to provide a voice for those in need. To learn more about the Hope Corps, click here.

State of Reform Q&A with Melissa Freigang

OGDEN CITY, UTAH - August 18th, 2021

Melissa Freigang, Executive Director of the COE, sat down with DJ Wilson, the host of the State of Reform Health Policy Conference to discuss a variety of issues local to Utah. These issues included criminal justice, economic development systems, homeless response, and the social determinants of health.

In regard to the work the COE is doing, Freigang said "Our job is to share best practices and to solve these problems for our community members. It’s to build the capacity of the system so that our service providers can plug in right away... Our entire job is to do this work differently than it’s ever been done before." You can find the full interview here.

Executive Director of the COE Announced as Top 50 Women Leaders of Utah for 2022

OGDEN CITY, UTAH - May 30th, 2021

Melissa Freigang, Executive Director of the COE, was recently announced as one of the Top 50 Women Leaders of Utah for 2022 by Women We Admire. The award was given to Melissa due to her work at the COE, and her deep dedication to creating social equity for the Weber community. Find the full list here.