Presentation Summary

A Stimulating Discussion: The Federal Stimulus Package, Utah's State Budget and the Future of the Beehive State

By the year 2050, Utah's population is estimated to reach 5.9 million people. In the meantime, Utah State Government is facing difficult budget challenges. Mike Mower, Utah's State Planning Coordinator and an advisor to Utah Governor Gary R. Herbert, will address the impacts of the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act of 2009 on Utah. Mower was assigned by Governors Huntsman and Herbert to serve as Utah's ARRA Lead. His presentation will highlight challenges facing the state's current budget as how, despite the focus on the economy, Utah communities still need to prepare for the future.

Biography

Mike Mower is Utah’s State Planning Coordinator. Prior to this assignment, he served as Deputy Chief of Staff and Communications Director for Governor Jon Huntsman. As the State Planning Coordinator, Mower serves as a senior policy advisor to Utah Governor Gary Herbert and coordinates state planning and public lands initiatives and serves as Utah’s American Reinvestment Act and Recovery Act lead.

Mower is a graduate of Brigham Young University and the University of Utah College of Law. He also attended Utah Valley University, where he later served as a member of the Board of Trustees. He is a former aide to Provo Mayor Lewis Billings, Utah Governor Mike Leavitt and Congressmen Howard Nielson and Chris Cannon.

Mower was raised in Ferron, Utah where he worked for several years milking cows for Lemon’s Dairy. He and his wife, Liz, are the parents of a combined seven children and reside in Murray, Utah.