Andrea Pitts
Andrea Pitts is serving her first term as a CAT Committee member. She has a physical disability herself and has been an active advocate for persons with disabilities for 16 years. She has served on the Utah State Independent Living Council and the Utah State Rehabilitation Council. She uses UTA as her primary source of independent transportation and is excited to represent the riders of UTA.
Leisa Bolander
Leisa Bolander is a resident of Utah County and is serving her first year of her first term on the CAT Committee. She represents the disability community as a liaison between UTA and non-profit service providers for individuals with intellectual disabilities. Leisa works for TURN Community Services as a Director of Program Services where she advocates for the individuals served by TURN in Utah county and state-wide. Leisa joined the CAT committee to advocate for increased UTA services for those people living with and without disabilities in Utah County.
William Black
William Black is serving his first term as a CAT Committee member. He is the current Chapter President of the Weber/Davis Chapter of the National Federation of the Blind (NFB) of Utah. Willie has been an advocate for people with disabilities for many years. He believes that obstacles are just waiting for solutions to be found. Willie is legally blind from birth due to Albinism and has Glaucoma. Willie is proud of his accomplishments as a husband, father, and business owner who just so happens to be blind! He is truly living the life he wants.
Kati Lewis
Kati Lewis is serving her first year on the CAT committee. She currently lives in Davis County and has worked for the Davis School Districts transition program helping students 18-22 years of age with disabilities become independent adults for over 15 years. Kati does a variety of things for the school, one being UTA transportation. She coordinates bus schedules for over 300 students to and from work and community outings. Kati work with individuals with disabilities every day to increase their independence on the UTA.
Ron Nelson
Ron Nelson is on the second year of his first term as a CAT Committee member where he services on the Planning & Community Outreach sub-committee. Ron is Deaf and works for the State of Utah’s Division of Services of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing (https://jobs.utah.gov/usor/dhh). Ron represents and advocates for the Deaf community in Utah. Ron previously served as President of the Utah Association of the Deaf for 3 terms of 2 years each.
Finau Conklin
Finau Conklin completed her Master of Social Work (MSW) degree at the University of Utah in 2008. She is serving her first term as a CAT committee member and is founder and Executive Director of Destination Services Inc (DSI), a non-profit transportation service that helps to connect senior citizens and people with disabilities with essential services. Her passion for equity, diversity, and social justice motivated her to found DSI. She has extensive social work experience in our community, including in the public schools, residential treatment, and non-profit work. For the past 8 years, she has worked in Early Intervention and Early Head Start (EHS) program. She served as EHS Manager and later as Director. In this capacity, she helped to connect children with disabilities and their families with supportive services and resources. She has served on the Board of Directors for the Utah Head Start Association and the Interagency Coordinating Council for Infants and Toddlers with Special Needs.
Sandra Curcio
Sandra Curcio is serving her first year of her first term as a CAT Committee Member. Sandra is the Executive Director of Ability 1st Utah Center for Independent Living in Provo UT. She has worked for the independent living program for 33 years and has advocated for systems changes for individuals with disabilities in accessing vital community resources such as transportation, housing and many other community resources to remove barriers for individuals with disabilities. Sandra has personally utilized UTA services for 18 years and has also assisted many individuals with disabilities in learning how to access and use public transportation services. Sandra joined the CAT Committee to increase transportation opportunities in communities that have little or no public transportation and to advocate for accessible & affordable transportation for all riders.
