(801) 412-3223
arts@sslc.gov
South Salt Lake Arts Council Board of Directors
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Derek Dyer
South Salt Lake Business Owner &
Utah Arts Alliance Director
Lindsay Frendt
South Salt Lake Business Owner & Artist
Leslie Jones
South Salt Lake Activist &
Planning Commissioner
Derek Dyer is the founder of Utah Arts Alliance (UAA) and has been the Executive Director since its creation in 2003. Through his efforts, the organization has grown ten fold. The organization can now boast of two fine arts galleries, a full service music studio and publising label, The Cube black box theater, the SLC Arts Hub facility serving a large and diverse array of artists and community programs, a yearly arts festival, and much more. In addition to building the UAA over the years, Derek is an active volunteer, fundraising coordinator, and Board/Committee member for numerous arts related organizations including: Utah Cultural Alliance, The Grand Theater, Element 11, and the SLC Downtown Allliance.
Lindsay Frendt likes to spend time chasing her two kids with her camera all while hoping not to trip on the various toys and animals leaping out at her feet. She also loves a good soy latte and shutting herself in her office to work on various design projects.
As a designer and artist with almost 20 years of experience, she’s worked for several local sign companies, created websites and branding, as well as pursued her art creating commission painted portraits and photography. She now spends her time in the world of Fine Art printing at Custom Canvas Prints L.L.C. located in South Salt Lake. Custom Canvas Prints specializes in turning clients’ images into works of art! With a staff of designers, Lindsay loves to help her clients print their family photos, office and home decor, as well as working with artists to create beautifully accurate reproductions and printed digital artwork.
Leslie Jones joined the Arts Council Board because in her words, “I want live in a community where you find art. Everyone needs art because it adds a dimension to their lives that is too often overlooked. Art enriches our community – it's hard to define the impact it has, but it's easy to feel.”
In addition to the Arts Council Board, Leslie also serves on the City’s planning Commission, the Promise SSL Early Childhood Education Committee, is a part-time event planner for the city (including the Mayor’s State of the City and the 4th of July Parade), and driver behind Restaurant Week. She became involved when her husband Irvin Jones became a city council member and now just can’t stop being the “resident busybody” of South Salt Lake.
Natalie Pinkney
South Salt Lake City Council
CJ Jensen
Artist and South Salt Lake Resident
Natalie Pinkney was first elected in 2019, and is serving her first term as an At-Large representative on the South Salt Lake City Council. Originally hailing from Las Vegas, Natalie holds a BA in
Psychology from Marquette University, and a M.Ed of Educatoinal Leadership and Policy from the University of Utah. She moved to
the city in 2018, and currently works at the University of Utah.
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Beyond her work with the U and the Council, Natalie also sits on the South Salt Lake Arts Council and the Salt Lake County Behavioral Health Advisory Board, and serves as Associate
Director for a nonprofit that is focused on removing financial barriers for college-bound students. Additionally, she is a member of the U of U’s Prison Education Program and works with severalother area nonprofits. In her free time, Natalie enjoys playing tennis, writing and spending quality time with her three cats.
CJ is a local artist and resident of South Salt Lake. Whether it is metal working, word working or SFX makeup, she's bouncing from one spectrum to the other. CJ always struggles when asked which medium she prefers. While metal and wood are the materials she often uses for her product design, it really depends on the day and sometimes even the hour what CJ will be creating.
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With years of experience in product design selling tens of thousands of products per unit, CJ spends most of her time working towards her small business that embodies a home brand both organic and industrial in design. Owning a home in South Salt Lake has give her a rooted sense of community and CJ is passionate about the collective efforts helping make South Salt Lake a place that artists can call home.
Cherie Wood
South Salt Lake Mayor
Cherie Wood is a lifelong resident of the City of South Salt Lake, and began her career with the City 24 years ago. She graduated from the University of Phoenix with dual Bachelor’s Degrees in Business Management and Business Administration, and was elected as South Salt Lake’s first female Mayor in 2009. She was named one of “30 Women to Watch” by Utah Business Magazine, and chosen by the University of Phoenix for their 2011 National Icon Campaign. She was selected as “Best of State, Elected Official” in both 2012 and 2013. In 2013 Cherie was re-elected for a second term as Mayor.
In 2016 Mayor Wood has been selected by the National After School Association as Most Influential in Local Government. Additionally, this past May she was named one of United Way of Salt Lake’s 2016 United for Change award honorees. As a ‘Changemaker’ Mayor Wood has set into motion the Promise South Salt Lake initiative, which has become a local institution and a national model for results. As a mother of three boys, Cherie has a passion for her city and believes that every South Salt Lake resident deserves a safe, healthy home and community, and the opportunity to prosper. Mayor Wood has assembled an impressive team and has set in motion
Lesly Allen
South Salt Lake Arts Council Executive Director
Lesly Allen is a life long resident of Salt Lake County and has been involved in the arts in one way or another since her youth. Lesly developed a passion for photography as a teenager and majored in Photography as an undergraduate. Lesly spent many years volunteering with the Beverley Taylor Sorenson Arts Learning Program. Lesly has a Masters degree in Community Leadership with an emphasis in Arts Administration from Westminster College. Lesly has a passion for public art and using art as a way to unite and revitalize communities. Lesly has four daughters, and enjoys skiing, cycling, traveling to France and riding her motorcycle.