About Tech-Moms

Natalie Birrell

Senior Vice President of Product Engineering at AMH, brings over two decades of leadership experience across diverse organizations, from startups to multinational corporations. She focused on shaping AMH's product engineering into a global powerhouse, overseeing Product Management, Software Development, Quality Engineering, Design, Business Intelligence, and Data Engineering. Beyond her professional achievements, Natalie is a passionate advocate for diversity and inclusion in tech, serving on local women-focused organization boards. She holds a bachelor's degree in economics from the University of Utah and is a proud mother of five.

Alison Lutjemeier

Allison is the Head of Global Customer Feedback Programs for the Experience Cloud at Adobe. She has been managing Customer Feedback Programs for twenty years and has worked with thousands of global enterprise companies, bringing new innovations to enhance digital marketing solutions. Alison was one of the founding members of the Adobe for All council, where she engaged Adobe’s diverse community of employees to scale and accelerate company growth and drive high-performing teams. During her tenure, she had the privilege to work with many nonprofits throughout Utah. Currently she sits on the Advisory Board for Women Tech Council and was a finalist for the Women in Tech award in 2017.

Nubia Peña

Ms. Nubia Peña is the Senior Advisor on Equity and Opportunity to Governor Spencer J. Cox and the Director for the Utah Division of Multicultural Affairs, where their mission is to promote an inclusive climate for Utah's growing diverse community through training, outreach, policy and research efforts, and youth leadership development. She is also a 2023 Presidential Leaders Scholar. During the past 20 years, she has worked as a community organizer, ally for underrepresented populations, and policy advocate. Ms. Peña has the great opportunity to facilitate dialogues amongst local and national leaders on complex topics of inclusion and justice working to create access for historically underserved communities.

Dr. Kyle A. Reyes

Is a tenured Associate Professor of Education at UVU and has taught courses in Multicultural Education, Family and Community Partnerships, and Arts-based Integration. His research focuses on arts-based student empowerment, leadership for equity and access, and institution-wide inclusion and diversity strategic planning. He has given more than 550 presentations over the past 17 years on issues of diversity, inclusion, art, cultural competence, voice, identity, multiculturalism, and leadership. He is currently finishing a 4-year book project entitled, Lenses of Humanity. Kyle received his Ph.D. in Educational Leadership and Policy from the University of Utah and was the recipient of the Bennion Morgan Fellowship.

Sam Gardiner

A partner in the Salt Lake City office of Mayer Brown and a member of the Emerging Companies & Venture Capital, Mergers & Acquisitions, and Capital Markets practices. Sam is also part of the Life Sciences and Technology industry groups. For over 24 years, he has been a trusted advisor to his clients in a full range of transactional matters. His M&A experience includes counseling buyers or sellers in financial or strategic transactions involving private or public companies in a wide variety of industries. In just the last decade, Sam has assisted clients in more than 100 mergers and acquisitions, financings, or similar transactions. Clients value Sam’s counsel on corporate governance, securities regulation and other issues. 

Gonzalo Peña

An innovative thought leader and storyteller. Gonzalo started INNOLATINO PODCAST & NEWSLETTER to inspire communities to adopt attitudes and mindsets that will help them succeed and grow in strength. He’s had roles in the international arena and his experience covers everything from Wall Street to the FBI, to the Utah Opera. In addition, Gonzalo is a super connector who believes in the power of community and culture to help its people grow and prosper. He treasures his Latin American heritage as something from which he can draw strength and knowledge, and help others find strength in their roots. He relies on values, history, heroes and culture in his content, so organizations can draw power from it and be successful.

Danette Pulley

A passionate community builder that connects people and causes for powerful outcomes to make a difference. After 20 years as a marketing and operations consultant, she turned her past experience as a champion for community into a career and works as the Vice President of Community Growth at MarketStar and the Executive Director of the MarketStar Foundation. In this role, Danette connects resources to create growth that strengthens communities through collaborative impact programs that expand education, empower self-reliance, and build communities. As a Mom of two daughters, the most important work is the daily empowerment of potential through education, extracurricular, social and family activities.