Make-A-Wish Foundation of Utah
PROFESSIONAL STAFF

Christine Sharer
Chief Executive Officer

Christine Ellingson
Manager of Volunteer Services

Katherine Fife
Director of Marketing and Development

Krachel Greenwood
Communications Manager


Katie Huber
Database Coordinator

Kandis Johnson
Wish Hospitality Coordinator

Mike Lauder
Wish Manager

Frank Nilson
Director of Program Services

Becky Rhead
Special Events Manager

Nicole Swift
Office Manager


All the above can be linked to the bios below.

Christine Sharer, CFRE
Chief Executive Officer
Christine is a founding board member of the Utah Chapter of the Make-A-Wish Foundation and has been its Chief Executive Officer since 1990. She has a graduate degree in Theatre from Northwestern University, worked as Assistant Professor of Theatre at Loyola University in Chicago, as Assistant Professor and Director of Theatre at the University of Maine, as Associate Professor and Chair of Theatre/Dance at Barat College in Lake Forest, and later as Administrator of the Performing Arts Center of the college. Christine is the past Board Chair of the Utah Nonprofits Association and the Utah Society of Fund Raisers, and has received CFRE certification through the National Society of Fund Raising Executives. In 2000, she received the Distinguished Fundraiser of the Year Award from USFR. Nationally, she is a Faculty Trainer for Make-A-Wish of America and has facilitated board retreats and training in board and fund development, strategic planning, and program management for MAWF chapters around the country and many other non-profits in Utah and the West.

Christine Ellingson
Manager of Volunteer Services
Christine has worked with children as long as she can remember. She graduated from the University of Utah with a BS degree in Human Development and Family Studies in 1999. In 1998 she joined the Guardian ad Litem Office for the Third District Juvenile Courts as Administrative Assistant and then became Volunteer Coordinator for the Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) Program within the Guardian ad Litem Office. There she recruited, trained, and supervised volunteer advocates for abused and neglected children in the court system. Christine joined the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Utah in December 2003. In her spare time Christine enjoys serving on the Board for Royal Family Kids Camp, a week long summer camp for abused and neglected children, as well as being the Camp Photographer and Child Placement Coordinator.

Katherine Fife
Director of Marketing and Development
Katherine joined the Make-A-Wish team in June 2007. She received a Bachelors degree in 1996 from Westminster College, where she majored in Sociology and minored in Business. She will soon obtain a Masters degree from the University of Utah in Family Ecology, through the Family and Consumer Studies Department. Katherine has enjoyed working on behalf of children throughout her professional career. Prior to coming to the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Utah, Katherine gained experience in both programming and fundraising for nonprofits through various organizations such as United Way and the Muscular Dystrophy Association.

Krachel Greenwood
Communications Manager
Krachel joined the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Utah in December of 2007. She graduated from the University of Utah with a Bachelors degree in Communications in 2002 and then worked at several tv stations across Utah and Wyoming. While working in Cheyenne she worked closely with the Special Friends program and even headed up a weekly segment featuring a child looking for a mentor. She decided to leave the daily grind of reporting bank robberies and murders in search of a career that would be more fulfilling and says she has found that with Make-A-Wish. She and her husband live in West Jordan and have a dog named Yona.

Katie Huber
Database Coordinator
Katie joined the Make-A-Wish team in October 2007. She says South Pasadena, California is her home, but she is a Salt Lake local through and through. She is currently enrolled at Salt Lake Community College and is looking forward to finishing her degree in Communications and PR at the University of Utah. Katie loves to have fun and work hard, which means she loves her position at Make-A-Wish for many reasons. She brings with her a wealth of experience in Development and a solid understanding of the non-profit sector. She has previous experience in the non-profit world through her employment at Discovery Gateway and Tracy Aviary.

Kandis Johnson
Wish Hospitality Coordinator
Kandis joined Make-A-Wish as a part-time staff member in November 2007. She had previously worked for the foundation as a volunteer.

Mike Lauder
Wish Manager
Graduated from the University of Utah May 2006 with a degree in Sociology, with a minor in human development and family studies. Also received a criminology certificate from the U of U. He has been a volunteer for the Children’s Museum of Utah.

Frank Nilson
Director of Program Services
Frank is a Utah native who completed his first degree, a BS in Child Development, at the College of Family and Consumer Studies at the University of Utah in 1985. Frank has worked in accounting for 20 years and completed his accounting degree in 1992. Prior to joining the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Utah, he was a claims administrator for a group of physicians. Frank was a volunteer wish granter for the foundation since 1998 before joining as a staff member in July 2001.

Becky Rhead
Special Events Manager
Becky Rhead is a native of Salt Lake City and sister of a former wish child. She graduated with a Bachelor's degree in Sociology from the University of Utah in 2004. She is currently working towards a Master of Public Administration degree, with an emphasis in nonprofit management, also at the University of Utah. Before joining the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Utah she worked as an office manager for Richard Paul Evans and as the Community Outreach Representative at the Salt Lake Christmas Box House. During her five years at The Christmas Box House she scheduled volunteers, coordinated donations, planned fundraising events and helped implement children's programs. Becky has a passion for helping children and is very happy to be working for another great organization. She joined Make-A-Wish Foundation of Utah in November 2006.

Nicole Swift
Office Manager
Nicole Swift grew up in a small town in New York State. She graduated in 2001 with a BS in Business Administration and Marketing from SUNY Brockport. After finishing college she worked at Wegmans Food Markets in Rochester, NY in many positions ending her time there as a Service Team Leader. She moved to Utah in May 2005 to pursue a Masters Degree at the University of Utah in Parks, Recreation and Tourism planning to work with children one day. She worked at Snowbird Ski and Summer Resort for a year and a half as a Front Desk Supervisor at the Lodge at Snowbird and then moving to the Group Sales department as a Group Sales Assistant. Nicole joined the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Utah team in November 2006.