Our Leadership

About Our Leadership

Every two years the republican party convenes at a state organizing convention where party leadership is elected. Candidates spend two months campaigning across the state of Utah in an effort to win the votes of state delegates.

Four positions are elected to lead the party – Chair, Vice Chair, Secretary, and Treasurer. This team works in conjunction with the State Central Committee to unify the party, manage party finances and craft a statewide strategy.

Derek Brown

Chair

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Aaron Starks

Vice Chair

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Kendra Seeley

Secretary

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Mike Bird

Treasurer

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(801) 533-9777

15 W. South Temple, Ste 250, SLC 84101

Derek Brown

As a constitutional attorney, member of the Utah House of Representatives, senior legal advisor to three United States senators in Washington and in Utah, and Vice President of Government Relations for a billion dollar corporation, Derek’s breadth of experience in law and government relations arena is truly unique.

After clerking for the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit, Derek practiced constitutional and appellate law with the international law firm of Sidley & Austin. He then served as Chief Counsel to Senator Robert F. Bennett (R-UT) in Washington, D.C. After moving with his family back to his home state of Utah, Derek spent several years as counsel to Senator Orrin Hatch (R-UT).

In 2010, Derek was elected to the Utah House of Representatives, where he served as Vice Chair of the Rules Committee, as well as on the House Business and Labor Committee, House Judiciary Committee, House Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice Committee, and Higher Education Appropriations Subcommittee. He also served as Co-Chair of the Occupational and Professional Licensure Review Committee.

Derek left his position in the House when his former law firm associate (now Senator) Mike Lee asked him to serve as his Deputy Chief of Staff and Utah State Director. In this position, Derek flew from Utah to Washington countless times, and also put thousands of miles on his car while interacting with virtually every elected official in the state of Utah on Senator Lee’s behalf. Derek later served as Vice President of Government Relations for a billion dollar corporation with almost 1000 employees. In this position, he managed the company’s government relations in Washington, DC, interfacing with members of Congress, lobbying federal agencies, and managing the company’s nationwide lobbying effort in over a dozen states.

Derek currently serves as the Chairman of the Utah Republican Party, being elected in May 2019. He is very active in his community, having taught communications law as an adjunct professor at Brigham Young University for over a decade. He also serves on the Advisory Board for Intermountain Homecare and for the Hale Centre Theatre.

Derek, and his wife, Emilie de Azevedo, have four remarkable (and somewhat exhausting) children and loves spending his free time biking and being in Utah’s great outdoors. Because in a previous life Derek was a professional pianist and opted to leave a career in music for something his parents told him was more “practical,” you’ll also hear him occasionally riffing on jazz chords in his spare time.

Aaron Starks

In 1990, my parents purchased an old, blue farmhouse in rural Huntsville, Utah - also known as Ogden Valley. To this day, the valley boasts more cattle than people and is free from traffic lights, sidewalks and movie theaters. It remains my home and a place where many of my favorite memories come from.

I attended Weber High School in North Ogden and later went on to complete my education at Salt Lake Community College, The University of Utah and later Duke University’s Fuqua school of business.

I am the proud husband of a beautiful wife and an excellent Mother who has blessed us with two special children. I work for a company with Utah roots and international ties – FranklinCovey. Our organization produces some of the finest content in the areas of Leadership, Success and Communication available worldwide.

I was hired to start and grow a new division within the company focused solely on education and family consumers. For six years, I have traveled throughout Asia growing our business in countries such as Pakistan, Hong Kong, Myanmar, and Thailand, among others. I have led our expansion from just a few countries to 17 in total throughout Asia.

Our family recently completed a three-year stint with FranklinCovey in Tokyo, Japan. As the Country Executive, I led our corporate efforts to open a new market, hire competent staff members and collaborate with the government to integrate our content into the public and private school systems throughout Japan.

With staff in each of these countries that vary in language, culture and ethnicity, I have come to understand how vital clear communication and strategy is within an organization. A strategy is key in managing and guiding an people – it ensures that all decisions fit together.

I believe my experiences abroad and domestically in the private sector qualify me in organizing a strategy that will ensure our success for years to come.

Kendra Seeley

Kendra Seeley is the current Secretary for the Utah Republican Party. Before being elected secretary, she was the Chair for the Republican party in Carbon County for four years. She was instrumental in helping several key republicans get elected to office. Carbon County is now fully republican in part to her leadership. As chair, she was devoted to fundraising for the party, campaigning for candidates, and increasing voter registration and participation. Kendra has been a huge advocate for rural Utah—always working to make sure that small communities stay relevant and have a seat at the table. Kendra Seeley was raised in rural Utah where she lives with her husband and four children.

Mike Bird

Mike Bird is currently the State Party Treasurer and is responsible for overseeing the revenue and distributions of the parties funds. He is a member of the State Central Committee, State Executive Committee, and the Budget Committee.

Born and raised in Utah, Mike has grown to love the variety this great State has to offer. He grew up in Heber City and enjoyed everything that came with a small town living. While in high school he moved to Murray City and though he had to adapt to the busy city life, he is grateful to now call this place home. After returning from serving an LDS mission in Sacramento, California, Mike married the woman of his dreams and together they have 4 beautiful children who fill their life with love and the occasional chaos.

Mikes political involvement started while serving as the Student Body President for Salt Lake Community College. He worked closely with local and state leaders on various initiatives and was successful in leading the State by enrolling over 10,000 students in the Education First campaign. This resulted in organized caucus trainings which eventually lead to hundreds of students getting elected as State and County delegates. He also served as a state and county delegate for 4 years following these trainings.

He attended the University of Utah and obtained his Bachelor’s degree in Business and a Masters in Finance. Through the Hinkley Institute program at the University he was able to serve on Senator Orrin Hatches health policy team in Washington D.C. This experience steered him in the direction of healthcare administration where he currently works for University of Utah Health overseeing the Dermatology specialties at the main hospital.

Sports and the outdoors have been a huge part of his upbringing and after 3 years of collegiate soccer he still manages to play any chance he can get. It also might be an understatement to say that he loves fishing.

He is excited for this opportunity to serve the party and couldn’t think of a better time than now to get involved. Though financial transparency is a big focus these next 2 years he is equally focused on educating and training our younger generation of current and future Republicans.

Our Leadership

About Our Leadership

Derek Brown

Aaron Starks

Kendra Seeley

Mike Bird

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Derek Brown

Aaron Starks

Kendra Seeley

Mike Bird