Board of Directors

Browse by last name: A - F G - L M - R S - Z

Kent B. Petersen | Board Chair
President, Morph2o Water Management LLC

Petersen received a bachelor’s degree in business management from the University of Utah and later went on to receive a master’s in dealership management from the Chrysler Institute. He worked for Petersen Motor Company for over 50 years, beginning as parts runner and eventually serving as president. He is past president of Petersen Leasing, Inc., and current president of Morph2o Water Management LLC, a company that markets water sensing technology to agriculture and turf-landscape customers. He has long been affiliated with Petersen Marine Supply Inc. He has been very involved in the community and has held extensive leadership positions on various boards, chambers of commerce, foundations, and committees.

Shane V. Argyle | Vice Chair
Businessman

Argyle graduated Cum Laude with a BA in Business Management from the University of Utah. He worked at IntegraCore, Inc. from 1989 until 2007. Argyle became an owner in 1993 and later served many years as CEO. Argyle continues as a small businessman. He has a passion for developing the self-reliance in all human beings.

Marcia C. Bean| Secretary
Board, Private Advisory Group

Bean earned her bachelor’s of science degree in Sociology from Brigham Young University. Upon returning from the partner foundations and clients in the Philippines, she said, "Impressed upon my mind are images of women who have found hope in their future, developed confidence, and improved their ability to provide for their families. Mentors’ clients are able to curb the cycle of poverty in one generation. I was amazed to see the impact Mentors' funds are making. It is true that ‘Nobody can do everything, but everyone can do something' and Mentors is providing us with an opportunity to do that something."

Bruce Bingham, Vice Chair

Bruce B. Bingham
Partner, Hamilton Partners

Bingham is a founding partner of Hamilton Partners with the responsibility for overseeing office, industrial and retail development in Salt Lake City and Utah. Bruce has been involved in the purchase of the Newhouse Building, the Boston Building, the Broadway Centre, and the development of the 222 South Main Office Tower. Bingham has served on the executive committee of the Salt Lake Chamber of Commerce, as chair of the Downtown Alliance, as president of the Days of ‘47 Pioneer Celebration and as president of the English Skills Learning Center.

Amy Cowley

Amy Cowley
Investor, Former Monavie CFO

Cowley graduated Magna Cum Laude in accounting from the University of Utah, where she was a 3-year starter in the College World Series and softball team captain. Along with other honors, she received the Fern Gardner award for Most Inspirational Player, the Bud Jack award for academic achievement, and the Occie Evans award for Outstanding Female Athlete. After also completing her MBA at the University, she worked at Pricewaterhouse Coopers in SLC, where she attained her CPA license. Cowley then left PWC to practice public accounting on her own for eight years while raising a family. A few years ago she joined a group of entrepreneurs to launch Monavie. It grew to revenue over $1 billion during her tenure as CFO.

Craig Earnshaw Craig W. Earnshaw
Startup Investor/Mentor

Craig graduated from BYU in Computer Science in 1977. He received his CLU (1981) and his ChFC (1983) professional designations. In 1978 he founded LifeLink Corporation to provide advanced sales life insurance proposal systems to financial professionals. He sold the company in 2004 and currently works as an investment consultant and an adjunct professor of entrepreneurship and technology at Brigham Young University. Craig and his wife Collen served as Mission President in the Puerto Alegre South Mission in Brazil from 2003-2006. They have four children and ten grandchildren.

Bill Gibbs

William G. Gibbs
Attorney

Gibbs received bachelor and J.D. degrees from the University of Utah. When he graduated he was a partner at Clyde, Pratt, Gibbs and Cahoon. Fifty years later, Gibbs practices law from his home. He specializes in financial institutions and insurance law. He has simultaneously served as a special assistant attorney general for the Department of Financial Institutions, for the State Insurance Department and for State Municipal Bonding. Gibbs has also served on many boards, chairing three banking institutions and two insurance companies. He has also served as chair of the Salt Palace Board, the Salt Lake County Fine Arts Board, the Convention and Visitors Bureau Board and the Bachauer Piano Competition Board.

Danny Gunnell

Daniel Gunnell
Manager, Rocky Standard Oil Company

Formerly the President/CEO of Liberty Pioneer Energy Source, Gunnell has extensive experience in the oil and gas industry; specifically, in Texas, Oklahoma, Louisiana, Wyoming, Colorado, and Utah. Gunnell has negotiated and/or participated in joint ventures with industry leaders such as Clayton Williams Energy, Inc. (NASDAQ:CWEI), Laddex Ltd, Petro-Hunt, LLC, Yates Petroleum, Armstrong Oil and Gas, and Ultra Oil and Gas. Gunnell was chosen by Brigham Young University as one of its most influential, where he was captain of the cheer squad and varsity wrestler while also receiving academic honors as he studied business and psychology. He has completed graduate-level geology coursework at BYU, specifically in petroleum systems and well bore analysis.

Ron Gunnell

Ronald C. Gunnell
Co-founder, The Paradigm Group

Gunnell co-founded Health Benefits America (HBA), which became the nations’ premier outsourcer of benefit management solutions. HBA provided services to over fifty Fortune 100 companies and represented over seven million employees in the management of their benefit options. In 1999, Gunnell co-founded the Paradigm Group, which provides venture financing and other financial services. Gunnell is also a founder of the Center for Entrepreneurship at the Marriott School of Management at BYU and is on the Board of Trustees of both Operation Kids and the Hale Center Theatre.

Norm King

Norman O. King
Co-owner & Co-manager, Cornerstone Property Service

Scott Petersen

Scott R. Petersen
Chairman, Health and Benefit Systems

Petersen is a long-time entrepreneur, having co-founded or partnered in building seven companies: Best Vinyl, LLC, Hardware Express, APU Solutions, Life & Safety Products, Inc., Regency II, Woodland Heights, LLC, and the Anniversary Inns. He was CEO of Best Vinyl, the largest nationwide installer of vinyl fencing and decking, for many years. Petersen currently serves as faculty advisor to BYU's CEO (Collegiate Entrepreneur Organization) chapter and is a business consultant. He serves on several boards assisting foundations that serve third world countries and other important causes.

Drew Smith

Drew Smith
Venture Capitalist

Smith began his management career in 1980 with Procter and Gamble. In 1986, he acquired partnership interest in Public Safety Equipment, Inc. The company was subsequently awarded the Missouri Quality Award and received a personal tour by a U.S. president in recognition of its export performance. Smith is now a partner in a venture capital group in manufacturing. Since 2005, Smith has devoted major time and passion to building the capacity of Christian-based organizations that impact the world’s poor.

Menlo Smith

Menlo Smith | Founder, Mentors International
Chair, Sunmark Capital Corporation

Smith is one of the principal founders of Mentors International. He is chairman of Sunmark Capital Corporation, a venture capital firm with interests in real estate, electronics, aircraft systems, industrial marking systems and other fields. He was founder and previously chairman and CEO of The Sunmark Companies, St. Louis, a group of companies operating internationally in snack foods and confectionery manufacturing and marketing, now a unit of The Nestle Company. He currently serves on a number of corporate and charitable boards.

Laurie Swim
Chair, GFC Foundation

Swim was born and raised in Provo, Utah and received an Associate of Arts from Brigham Young University. She is board chairman of GFC Foundation and serves as a trustee of Southern Virginia University. For six years she was chairman of the board of American Heritage School in American Fork, Utah. Swim has served as a board member of the Utah Chapter Freedoms Foundation at Valley Forge. She is the mother of five children and grandmother of fourteen.