People on the Move information may be sent to brice.w@thecityjournals.com.
BANKING
• D.L. Evans Bank, with 39 branches across Idaho and Utah, has promoted Ron Wolfe to senior vice president/chief banking officer. He will be responsible for the oversight and supervision of multiple aspects of community banking activities, including retail banking, business banking and treasury management, investment services and marketing. Wolfe joined the bank in 2022. He previously was senior vice president, chief banking officer at a regional community bank in Oregon for a little over two years. Much of his banking career has been spent in various leadership positions after his start in banking as a commercial loan officer in 1999.
EDUCATION
• Western Governors University has promoted Dave Huff to vice president of academic operations and appointed Paul LaForge as vice president and dean of the Department of Computer Science, Software and Data Analytics. Huff will drive strategic operational planning and initiatives that enhance faculty excellence, student success and operational efficiency within the School of Technology. He will lead efforts to develop and implement innovative strategies across the student lifecycle, with a focus on personalized support and career alignment to ensure a highly personalized and relevant student journey that allows WST faculty, students and graduates to thrive. He previously spent 19 years as a faculty member at WGU with increasing responsibility, most recently serving as associate dean and director for the cloud/network engineering and security degree programs. LaForge will oversee the development of new, innovative and market-relevant competency-based program offerings. He will lead industry partnerships and design go-to-market strategies to attract and enroll students into these programs and to ensure these students have successful educational and employment outcomes. LaForge comes to WGU from Eccovia (now a CaseWorthy company), where he was chief technology officer. LaForge earned a doctorate in economics from the University of Utah.
FRANCHISING
• Five Star Franchising, a Springville-based company offering a platform for home service brands, has hired Jacob Hanika as vice president of franchise development. He will lead strategic franchise development efforts for Five Star brands Bio-One and 1-800-Packouts. Hanika has experience in business development and franchising in several leadership roles. His experience includes serving as chief development officer at Live Hydration Spas and a significant tenure at HorsePower Brands, where he progressed from director of franchise development to vice president of franchise development.
GOVERNMENT
• The Utah Department of Commerce has appointed Robert Cummings as director of the Utah Division of Securities. Cummings has over 15 years of experience in civil and criminal litigation, along with a strong passion for public service. He has tried several cases in the securities industry, including criminal securities fraud and a multi-week civil securities fraud arbitration, along with health care fraud, corporate fiduciary duties, and corporate share valuations trials. Cummings began his career in Los Angeles with the international law firm of Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom. Upon returning to Utah, he established his own law firm before joining Snow Christensen & Martineau, which merged with the national law firm Spencer Fane in March 2024. His education includes earning a degree in political science at Westminster University and a Master of Science in economics from the University of Utah.
• The Utah Homeless Services Board has added Brandy Grace and Maurice “Moe” Egan as members. They succeed outgoing members Brandon Hatch and Arlyn Bradshaw. Grace is CEO of the Utah Association of Counties. Egan has experience of homelessness and will offer insight into the challenges and opportunities for those who have experienced homelessness. The board has been reshaped based on passage of HB329 during the 2025 general legislative session. It will continue to meet quarterly to review strategies and assess progress on statewide efforts to reduce homelessness.
HEALTH CARE
• CareXM, a West Jordan-based provider of clinical triage and virtual care coordination solutions for post-acute care, has appointed Carla Davis as an independent member of its board of directors. Davis has a 30-year career in home health and hospice, serving most recently as senior vice president of hospice and palliative care operations and business development at LHC Group. Prior to that, she held executive roles across multi-service line care organizations, including CEO of Heart of Hospice; chief operating officer of VistaCare; and vice president of sales, marketing and market development at Heartland Home Health Care and Hospice. She has a strong background in compliance, including experience with a Medicare administrative contractor, Palmetto GBA. Davis also has served on the boards of the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization, Hospice Action Network, Home Care 100, and as president of the Louisiana and Mississippi Alliance for the Advancement of End-of-Life Care.
• Wellnest Fertility, South Ogden, has added Dr. Michael J. Heard, a reproductive endocrinologist. Heard has over 25 years of experience in fertility care, academic medicine and women’s health. Heard’s career includes leadership roles at Baylor College of Medicine, Women’s Specialists of Houston, and The Heard Institute. A veteran of the U.S. Air Force, he has also served as an educator and researcher, presenting nationally on topics such as male infertility, early pregnancy and adolescent gynecology.
INVESTMENTS
• Stalwart Ventures, a Provo-based early-stage venture fund previously known as RevRoad Capital, has expanded its leadership team by adding Jeff Martin as managing director and James Prasad as chief financial officer. Martin has experience in AI, multimedia design and mobile commerce at leadership roles with The Smithsonian Astronomy Council, Harvard Center of Astrophysics, and as the first co-chair of the Albert Einstein Foundation. Prasad is a technologist, serial entrepreneur and former Red Hat executive with experience in scaling startups to IPO and in engineering, operations and financial optimization. The company’s original partners are Bart Skalla, who recently retired, and Scott Petersen, currently on ecclesiastical mission service.
• DW Healthcare Partners, a health care-focused private equity firm with main offices in Park City and Toronto, has promoted Michael Barulich to principal. Barulich joined the company in 2017 and works in the firm’s Park City office. He started his career at JP Morgan. He sits on the Board of Public Partnerships LLC and previously served on the Spectrum and SoClean boards.
TECHNOLOGY
• MX Technologies Inc., a Lehi-based company offering solutions for financial institutions and fintechs to connect to, understand and act on customers’ financial data, has appointed Carine Strom Clark to its board of directors. Clark has experience as a technology executive and board member, including formerly serving as president and CEO of Banyan, and as president and CEO of MaritzCX and Allegiance Software. Her executive experience also includes senior marketing roles at Symantec and Altiris. Clark currently serves on the boards of several technology companies and is actively involved in supporting Utah’s technology ecosystem.
