Tanner Humanities Center

Megan Deon Bettilyon is a deeply committed University of Utah alumnae. She graduated from the U with her Bachelor’s degree in English Literature in 2016 and received her Masters in Educational Leadership and Policy in 2020. Megan considers herself an evangelist for the humanities, and found great satisfaction sharing this passion with the students she worked with in her various positions at the U over the years with the Bennion Center, the College of Engineering, and the College of Science. She is now working in the Office of Equal Opportunity and Title IX and still evangelizes the humanities by sharing media recommendations with her unsuspecting colleagues. If you're looking for a new podcast, book, show, or movie, she is your gal.

Sarah Bishop is an Assistant Teaching Professor of Management in the University of Utah’s School of Business and the founder and CEO of Coneflower Consulting, a consulting firm empowering mission-driven organizations in the nonprofit, academic, and government sectors with sustainable strategies for creative growth. Previously, Sarah served as the Humanities Grant Consultant for the University of Southern California-Dornsife, and as Associate Director of the Hall Center for the Humanities and Co-Director of the Institute for Digital Research in the Humanities, both at the University of Kansas. Sarah has a B.A. in literature from Northwestern University and a Ph.D. in 20th century American literature and film from the University of Virginia.

Marcie Young Cancio is a Clinical Associate Professor of Communication at the University of Utah and founder of Amplify Utah, a nonprofit that creates real-world journalism opportunities for student and emerging journalists. Born and raised in Salt Lake City, she spent nearly two decades in newsrooms across the country, from Condé Nast in New York to ABC in San Francisco, earning an Emmy for television breaking news along the way. She began her teaching career at Salt Lake Community College in 2018, joined the faculty at the U three years ago, and has since been nationally recognized for her work in collaborative and community journalism through Amplify Utah.

When she’s not doing journalism stuff, Marcie loves being outdoors with her pups and kid, exploring SLC’s food and drink scene, and binging trashy reality TV. She also teaches Media and Society, a course examining the impact of mass media on modern culture, which means she can watch the Real Housewives and call it work.

Pamela Silberman has more than 25 years of experience in non-profit program management, community outreach and engagement, public relations, and policy advocacy in the areas of refugee services, healthcare, and education for vulnerable populations. She currently works as deputy director of refugee resettlement for Church World Service, a global humanitarian organization that responds to hunger, poverty, displacement and disasters. In addition to the Tanner Humanities Center Community Advisory Board, Pamela serves as vice chair of Salt Lake City’s Human Rights Commission and social action chair for Congregation Kol Ami. Pamela holds a bachelor’s degree in art history from Columbia University and a master’s degree in linguistics from the University of Texas at Austin. Originally from Connecticut, Pamela has lived, worked and studied in London, New York City, Rome, Austin, Guatemala and Salt Lake City.