Tracey Dean - Chairwoman

“I still have nerve damage; I still have pain. But I am alive and I’m living the life I was meant to live.” Tracey Dean has defied every expectation - starting with her own. Today, she is the Chairwoman of the Utah LGBTQ+ Chamber of Commerce and founder of Tracey Dean Financial, where she dedicates herself to helping individuals, especially women and members of marginalized communities, gain control over their financial futures. But her path here was anything but direct.

Tracey grew up in Sandy, Utah, with a single mother who worked tirelessly to support the family. From a young age, Tracey was working, too. At sixteen, she took a night shift job in a dye plant and helped on her father’s mink ranch in Draper. "I didn’t do the nasty stuff," she said, referring to the more graphic side of the business, "but I helped clean the pens, took care of the babies, and worked the incubators. You never forget the smell."

Tracey’s teen years were rocky, and her twenties brought their own struggles. After short stints in college in St. George and Salt Lake, she moved to San Diego in 1997 on a whim - searching for change, for clarity, for a better direction.

Then everything changed. On September 1, 2000, while driving from San Diego to Lake Powell to visit family, she was in a horrific rollover car accident. She was not wearing a seatbelt and was ejected from the vehicle. Declared dead at the scene, she was airlifted to Las Vegas where doctors warned her mother she would not survive the night. But Tracey pulled through. She endured extensive surgery to repair internal injuries and nine pelvic fractures. The recovery took a year. “It made me stop and think about what I was doing with my life,” she said. “And it made me realize the power and importance of insurance—how it can save your life, literally and financially.”

Unable to work, Tracey returned to Utah and began to rebuild. She enrolled at Westminster University, becoming the first in her family to graduate from college in 2004. Her degree led her to an internship with Northwestern Mutual. “Without insurance, I’d be $750,000 in medical debt,” she said. “That reality sparked my passion for planning.”

Tracey launched her own firm, Tracey Dean Financial, in 2008. Though she took a break during a divorce in 2007, she reentered the industry in 2011 and has never looked back. Today, she works under the umbrella of The Benchmark Group, where she is an income specialist. Tracey Dean Financial now serves as the educational side of her services. “I help people understand how to transition their net worth into real income so they can actually live the life they want in retirement.”

Her planning approach is comprehensive: income planning, retirement strategies, disability and health insurance, life insurance, long-term care, and financial education. “Anyone can throw money into a 401(k), but that’s not planning,” she said. “I love to educate. Planning doesn’t need to be scary. It doesn’t matter how much money you have or don’t have - knowing where your money’s going and why is essential.”

She is particularly passionate about empowering women. “So many women rely on their spouse for financial decisions. I want them to feel confident making their own choices, to understand the big picture.”

That same spirit of advocacy and empowerment led Tracey to the Utah LGBTQ+ Chamber of Commerce. In 2018, she took over as Chair, working unpaid to rebuild the organization from a small networking group into a thriving, statewide resource. The turning point came in 2019 when the chamber joined the National LGBT Chamber of Commerce (NGLCC). “That gave us access to programming, grants, and scholarships. It was a game changer.”

Membership grew rapidly, even through the pandemic, when Tracey and her team pivoted to virtual events, education sessions, and Zoom bingo. Under her leadership, membership has grown from 83 to well over 300 businesses.

“I wanted to create something of real value to our queer and allied businesses,” she said. “Today, we’re doing that and more. I’ve just heard so many more people recently say, ‘I want to shop local; I want to shop queer; I want to shop Black.’ It’s about wallet activism. There’s a book called Wallet Activism that I love. It just makes so much sense. We can lift each other up when we choose where we spend our money.”

The chamber’s members are diverse and growing: caterers, restaurants, coffee shops, cider makers, wellness providers, consultants, real estate agents, mortgage brokers, financial advisors, and micro-businesses of every kind. “Most of our members aren’t huge corporations,” Tracey said. “They’re everyday entrepreneurs, many of them running micro-businesses. We also have wonderful corporate partners and nonprofits, but the heart of the chamber is small business.”

In 2022, the chamber hired its first CEO, Liz Pitts, through the chamber’s 501(c)(3) foundation arm, SafeZone Utah. Tracey stepped away for a time but returned in 2024 to serve another two-year term. Her goal now is to help guide the chamber into its next chapter - and one of its most ambitious projects yet.

The LGBTQ+ Visitor Center, slated to open in downtown Salt Lake City by 2026, will be a collaborative hub, housing the chamber’s offices, retail space for queer artisans, and an interactive app to help visitors discover LGBTQ+ businesses across the state. “We want people to walk in and feel connected to the community, to the stories, to the movement.”

Tracey emphasizes that the chamber is inclusive by design. “We’re here, we’re queer, we’re happy to be together, but you don’t have to be queer to be part of this. Around 60% of our members are allies. This is about creating spaces where everyone is welcome, everyone is supported.”

Tracey encourages people to explore Utah’s many diversity chambers - the Black Chamber, Hispanic Chamber, Asian Chamber - and connect with communities they may not yet know. “If you don’t have a gay friend or a Black friend or an Asian friend, come to these chamber events. Meet people. Understand where they’re coming from.

Tracey and her partner Sherri, a printed circuit board designer, have been together since 2006. They share a blended family that includes two daughters and a grandchild, Tracey’s pride and joy.

Tracey’s vision for the future is one of inclusion and sustainability - both financial and social. “When our businesses thrive, our communities thrive. This is financial planning at its highest level - helping people build the life they want and deserve.”

“We have more in common than we think,” Tracey said. “And when we come together, that’s where the real strength lies.”

Liz Pitts - President and CEO

“I’ve always just wanted to use my powers for good - and activism and volunteering have always been where I find my people.” Born in 1967 at LDS Hospital, Liz Pitts, President and CEO of the Utah LGBTQ+ Chamber of Commerce, grew up in Salt Lake City’s Avenues neighborhood, where childhood meant books, bikes, and wide-open days. “I read. I rode. I played baseball with the boys in Liberty Park.” At age eleven, she joined an all-boys Little League team after wandering into tryouts - borrowed mitt and all. She played right field the first year. By the second, she had promoted herself. “The coach asked what position I played, and I said, ‘first base.’ That’s what I wanted, and the spot was open, so I took it.” That same spirit - bold, self-possessed, and community-minded - has defined her ever since.

Liz was raised Mormon by two converts. Her mother, the daughter of a high-ranking military officer, had spent part of her childhood in post-war Japan. Her father immigrated from northern England at age ten after missionaries convinced his family to relocate to Utah. Her mother later worked as a genealogist at the Family History Library. “She was also a bit of a Bohemian artist,” Liz said. “When I told her I needed a glove because I’d made a baseball team, she just said, ‘Well, I guess you do.’”

By high school in the early 1980s, Liz had traded sports for speech. At East High, she joined the debate team and found her people. “Debate taught me how to use my voice. I learned to argue for what I believed in, and I’ve never stopped.” She came out to her friends in 1983 but waited until her early 20s to talk to family. “I’m lucky. My parents actually meant it when they said they’d always love me.”

At sixteen, Liz began visiting the University of Utah’s library, where she stumbled upon a meeting of the Lesbian and Gay Student Union. “I decided at that moment to walk in and be part of it. Most of them were older gay men, and they took me under their wing.” That moment changed her life. “I always say I was raised by Mormons and gay men, and it’s absolutely true, and probably explains a lot.”

Liz earned two bachelor’s degrees from the U - political science in 1990 and women’s studies in 1991 - before moving to Seattle to complete a master’s in library and information science in just eleven months. After returning to Utah, she spent the next twenty-five years in library automation technology, helping institutions modernize, from card catalogs to fully digital systems. “I worked in training, consulting, and sales. Most of it was in the private sector. I loved helping libraries function better, and I loved always learning.”

All the while, her activism never waned. Liz canvassed for candidates as a teen, volunteered with the Utah Pride Festival beginning in the early 1990s, and served on the board of the Utah Pride Center. “Even while climbing the corporate ladder, I always found time to try to make a difference.”

By 2016, Liz was ready to leave the private sector. “I realized I wanted the rest of my career to be about making Utah better for queer people.” She still lives in the Avenues, in a house she bought in 2000 “for $229,000 with a mother-in-law apartment,” just around the corner from the one she grew up in. She e-bikes up the hill now and works one day a week as a ski lift operator at Deer Valley. “Fourteen seasons in. It’s my side hustle and my mental health plan.”

In January 2020, Liz joined the board of the Utah LGBTQ+ Chamber of Commerce, founded in 2012 by Michael Aaron and Brad D’Iorio. At that point, the chamber had about 160 members. Today, it has more than 300 businesses statewide, with chapters in Salt Lake City and St. George. Liz became its first paid staff member and its President and CEO in November 2021. “I’ve worked in giant corporations and tiny nonprofits,” she said. “This is the first time I feel like I’m running a small business. And it matters.”

The chamber’s nonprofit arm, SafeZone Utah, offers free LGBTQ+ inclusivity training to businesses and organizations statewide. “It’s about equipping workplaces with the tools to be truly welcoming - not just tolerant,” Liz said.

In 2023, Liz pitched the board a new idea: Utah’s first LGBTQ+ visitor center. Inspired by a similar model in San Diego, she saw the potential for something uniquely impactful in Salt Lake City. “Tourism is a huge industry here, and queer people - whether visiting or relocating - need a place to land, connect, and feel seen.”

The visitor center plan is ambitious. The center will serve as a visitor welcome hub, a business incubator, a co-working and training space, and a marketplace for queer makers. It will also host art exhibitions and showcase Utah LGBTQ+ history. “This isn’t just for visitors. It’s for our community - those already here and those still finding their way.”

Fundraising is underway, and the goal is to open the center by 2027. “Our target is to raise about $100,000 before we sign a lease. We’re around $7,000 in so far. Getting that first major donor is always the hardest step but we’re ready to move as soon as we do.” Liz is courting major sponsors, including Wells Fargo, to support naming opportunities for the Economic Empowerment Hub. “We know what we can build here. We just need a few funders to say yes.”

To Liz, queer-owned businesses are more than storefronts or LLCs; they are beacons of culture, care, and possibility. “Queer businesses show up for their communities in ways that go far beyond economics. They provide safety, representation, and innovation. They make spaces where we can be ourselves. When we help them thrive, we all benefit.”

And to those who assume a chamber of commerce must be buttoned up and boring, Liz is quick to correct the record. “We’re not just another chamber,” she said, grinning. “We have fun while doing great work and helping to drive the economy.”

Carlos Toledo - Member Engagement Manager

“I’ve always believed that if you’re given privilege, you need to use it to give back.” Carlos Toledo did not plan to build a life in Utah, but after a long journey across continents - and one pivotal week in which everything changed - he now stands at the intersection of community, culture, and progress. As Member Engagement Manager for the LGBTQ+ Chamber of Commerce, Carlos is doing what he has always wanted: helping others find belonging while staying true to his own identity.

Carlos was born in Utah but moved to Mexico as a toddler, and then to Brazil when he was seven. With family roots in Brazil, he grew up speaking Portuguese at home and attending English-language schools. He was immersed in an international education system, which led him to pursue a degree in strategic communication and public relations at the University of Utah. “I’ve moved around a lot,” he said. “But no matter where I land, I try to build community. That has always been my goal.”

When Carlos arrived back in Utah, it was not easy. “I moved here with barely anything,” he said. “I slept in my car the first night.” He worked in restaurants to support himself through school, refining his accent, learning how to navigate American service culture, and slowly building a network. “Working in service humbles you fast. It also makes you sharper - especially in communication. You learn how to be heard.”

After graduating, he worked in marketing for a health and wellness company and then briefly at Google, but a large-scale layoff left him unemployed for nine months. Just as he was preparing to move back to Brazil, two job offers arrived in the same week - one from Discovery Gateway Children's Museum, and one from the Chamber. “I had sold all my things, downsized to a single room, and told my parents I was coming home,” he said. “And then everything shifted.”

It was a turning point - not just professionally, but personally. The Chamber position allowed Carlos to finally align his career with his passion for advocacy. “Ever since high school, I’ve been involved in activism,” he said. “In Brazil, I volunteered with nonprofits supporting queer youth and refugee families. I always knew I wanted to give back, but I didn’t know how to make that my work.”

At the LGBTQ+ Chamber of Commerce, Carlos has found that path. As member engagement manager, he handles all communications, outreach, and member programming. But more than that, he is helping to shape a growing organization during a pivotal time. Founded over a decade ago, the Chamber is now expanding its presence and preparing to open a brick-and-mortar visitor center in Salt Lake - a space that will offer resources, visibility, and connection to both local residents and queer visitors.

“Until now, most of us working for the community have done it on our own time,” Carlos explained. “There are amazing people in Salt Lake - people building safe spaces, running inclusive businesses, supporting one another behind the scenes. The Chamber is becoming a place where all of that comes together, formally, and visibly.”

Carlos sees his work as part of a larger mosaic of grassroots leadership, especially in a state that despite its political conservatism, has quietly become one of the most welcoming cities for LGBTQ+ individuals. “Salt Lake City was recently ranked among the most queer-friendly cities in America,” he said. “It earned a perfect score on the Human Rights Campaign’s equality index. That’s not by accident. It’s the result of people showing up for each other over time.”

Still, he knows firsthand how difficult it can be. “When I came to Utah, I started at zero,” he said. “But I also came from a place of privilege growing up in Brazil. I had education, a strong foundation, and parents who, eventually, welcomed me back with open arms. I always felt a responsibility to use that position to help others.”

His journey has not always been smooth. Coming out as a teenager in Brazil was painful and isolating. He describes that time as formative - one that pushed him toward advocacy and a life of purpose. “At age fifteen, I remember wondering what I was supposed to do with this new part of my identity,” he said. “I wanted to find a way to turn that into something constructive. I started volunteering. I joined groups helping Haitian and Syrian refugees. I got involved.”

That early momentum never left Carlos. As of the summer of 2025, he splits his time between engaging with the community, and empowering queer small business owners through the Chamber. “There’s something incredibly meaningful about being part of someone’s journey - a queer entrepreneur trying to build something in Salt Lake,” Carlos said. “All I’ve ever wanted is to help people feel seen. Now, I get to do that every day, and that’s everything I hoped for.”

Shannon White - Events Chair

“I learned everything from my mom." Shannon White, artist, event producer, and community builder, held both reverence and certainty in his voice. “It was in my mid-teens when I realized I was very different from others in my life. I didn’t see anything like everyone else, but she embraced me. She showed me how to interact with other humans simply by observing her own actions. She was joyful and had an incredible work ethic. She always knew how to solve her problems, and other people’s, too.”

Shannon grew up in Elkhart, Indiana - “absolutely nowhere in the middle of nowhere,” as he described it with a grin. From a young age, he was drawn to art. “At nine years old, I started going to a little studio around the corner where I learned to paint by copying Thomas Kinkade pieces alongside a bunch of middle-aged women. I loved every minute of it.” His mother recognized his talent early on and encouraged him to pursue it. “She said, ‘You should go to art school,’ and I thought, ‘Yeah, I should.’ That was just how she was - always ready to help me move forward.” He went on to study art and design in Indianapolis, but the seeds of something bigger had already been planted.

Shannon and a group of friends created a collaborative space in Indianapolis they called Amalgamation Studio - a name that housed their “wild art projects, events, installations, and anything else we dreamed up.” In 2016, Shannon and several of those same friends made the leap with Amalgamation Studio to Utah. “We were drawn by the beauty of the place. After college, a group of us moved here to keep making things together.”  

Soon after arriving in Utah, Shannon’s interests expanded beyond Amalgamation Studio, getting involved in several public art projects and exploring event production, eventually working with major catering companies including Cuisine Unlimited, Culinary Catering, Magleby’s, and Lux Catering. “That was kind of my entrance into the events world. I was helping with big production and planning.”

Then COVID hit. Everything paused. “It was during that time that I really leaned back into art fabrication: murals, backdrops, installations. All of a sudden, I was building again. That’s when I found Scenic Solutions, a massive studio out of Lindon, and I started working with them as a scenic artist.”

By 2023, Shannon knew it was time to shift away from “mass production” catering. “I wanted something smaller, more personal. Through networking and a little happenstance, I started working with local restaurants like Laziz Kitchen, Argentina’s Best Empanadas, and Sweet Hazel. I’d already been friends with some of the owners. One person asked me to help with catering, and then another, and suddenly I was managing events again - with people and businesses I truly love.”

It was while working at Cuisine that Shannon first encountered the LGBQ+ Chamber of Commerce. “I realized I had to get out into the community to find business. So, I started going to networking events, and that’s when I discovered the Chamber. It all began with curiosity.” It is also here that Shannon met Liz Pitts, the Chamber’s first hired employee and now CEO. “She’s incredible. I’ve learned so much from her. She and others in the Chamber became family to me.” Shannon joined the board in 2021 and now serves as the Event Chair. “It’s not just about business. It’s about building each other up. You walk into one of our breakfasts, and you’re immediately surrounded by people who are passionate, creative, and wildly supportive.”

Meanwhile, Amalgamation Studio had evolved from a collective to become Shannon’s own. “Now it’s just me - running the events, making the art, consulting on design. It’s this creative hub of solutions, whether that’s a mural for a local café or helping plan an eccentric art-centered experience.” This is where Shannon has finally found his happy place. He envisions Amalgamation Studio growing into a full-time venture. “I’m still figuring it all out - setting up the business side, handling taxes, tracking clients. But I always knew I would work for myself.” He smiled. “I’m not the best at receiving instructions. But give me a vision? I will make it happen.”

One of his proudest art projects to date is a mural on the exterior of Sugar House Coffee. “Emily, the owner, is on the Chamber board with me. She had this blank wall, and I had a vision. That’s what I love - collaborating with people, helping bring their spaces to life.”

What sets Shannon apart is not just his creativity but his clarity of purpose. “I’m proud of the fact that I have the ability to come to a project and see what the end should look like, and then I work hard to figure out how to get there.”

Shannon paused, thoughtful. “I’m thirty-three years old. It’s time for me to do what I want to do with my life.” Shannon knows that working with fabulous, creative people and doing things his own way is what works best for him. “I don’t want to have to fit into a mold or a traditional job. I have an idea of what this should look like. Now I need to see where this is going to go. “Let’s go all be wild together.”