Happy Friday from #OneUtah, a weekly update from the office of Gov. Spencer J. Cox. Reply to this email with any questions or suggestions regarding the newsletter. And thank you for subscribing!

Disagree Better Convening: Colorado Edition

This week we held our second Disagree Better Convening in Colorado! Thank you to our National Governors Association vice chair Gov. Jared Polis for being such a gracious host, and to Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt, Montana Gov. Greg Gianforte and the staff of many other governors for joining us. 

We’re concerned about the trend we’re seeing on some college campuses where debates are shut down and free expression is discouraged, so this convening focused on higher education. We can’t disagree better if our environment scares people away from political discourse entirely.

Teaching youth about healthy conflict is crucial for the future of our nation. We were pleased to be joined by top experts including John Tomasi of the Heterodox Academy, Kim Willingham of the Boston Debate League, Norm Ornstein of the Matthew Harris Ornstein Memorial Foundation, Jeffrey Rosen of the National Constitution Center, Julia Dhar of Boston Consulting Group and many others  who taught us ways to foster open dialogue in K-12 and higher education. We saw these principles in practice at a Braver Angels debate at the University of Denver and appreciated the students’ ability to disagree civilly. 

Another key aspect of disagreeing better is service. We were joined by First Lady Abby Cox and volunteers in Colorado to interact with Unified Sports athletes and put together food boxes for college students in need. Serving together is one small way we can depolarize our communities!

Finally, we enjoyed a great exchange with Gov. Polis and Colorado State University President Amy Parsons. Thanks for having us!

All in all, it was a terrific few days combining the theory and practice of disagreeing better. Learn more about our NGA Disagree Better initiative here.

Democracy and depolarization at Colorado State University

While in Colorado, we stopped by Colorado State University for an armchair discussion on democracy and depolarization with our National Governors Association vice-chair, Democrat governor of Colorado, Gov. Jared Polis. 

Gov. Polis and I disagree on a variety of issues – including which state has the better skiing (Utah). But we can disagree without hating each other. People with political differences can debate vigorously and remain friends, Gov. Polis and I are from two different political parties and are an example of this and so are many other governors throughout the country. It starts with listening and respect. Click here to check out the most recent #DisagreeBetter video from Gov. Parsons of Missouri and Gov. Kelly of Kansas. 

Thank you for having us, Colorado State University!

Visiting Southern Utah University

Lt. Gov. Henderson spoke on campus at Southern Utah University this week. We love visiting the future leaders of our state. Thank you, SUU leadership, for the warm welcome. And thanks to Tyler Stillman, director of the Larry H. And Gail Miller Center for Entrepreneurship, for the invitation!

Governor’s Award for Excellence Highlight

Each week, we’re highlighting a state employee who was recently awarded the Governor’s Award for Excellence. This week we are recognizing Abdul Baryalai with the Utah Department of Workforce Services! 

As a result of the emergency evacuation of Afghans, Utah’s refugee resettlement system needed to quickly adapt and improvise to meet the immediate needs of the incoming Afghan population. In Utah, few individuals had a larger impact on the success of this group than Abdul. Abdul quickly took to identifying and responding to the needs of these individuals and families. Much of his immediate work revolved around coordinating with the resettlement agencies, nonprofit partners, Afghan community leaders, and volunteers to ensure services were delivered and outstanding issues resolved. Abdul’s work primarily focused on connecting individuals to housing resources, legal support and leading out on coordination with critical situations. Of the nearly 1,500 Afghans who recently arrived in Utah, Abdul has, in some way, worked with nearly all of them. Abdul has been invaluable to the Refugee Services Office, the Department of Workforce Services, and all Afghans resettled to Utah.

Thank you, Abdul, for your dedication to the state of Utah. Keep up the great work! To read about the Governor’s Awards for Excellence, click here.

ICYMI

• We’re grateful for Brad Wilson’s service as the Speaker of the Utah House of Representatives. In recognition of his tireless efforts to preserve the Great Salt Lake, we named an airboat in his honor. Read more about “Wilson’s Water Warrior” here. 

• This week Lt. Gov. Henderson welcomed both the Ambassador of Côte d’Ivoire and the Consul General of Austria to the Beehive State. We value our many international partners!

• Check out our op-ed with Colorado Gov. Polis about our Disagree Better Initiative here. There is a healthy way to debate, and we need to remember that there's a lot more that unites us than divides us.

   

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