Board of Directors

Farm Camp at the Staheli Family Farm June 2021

Susan Ertel, President

Susan Ertel came to Southern Utah in 1999 to teach English at Utah Tech University. She and her husband Phil and their daughter Margaret have called Southern Utah home ever since. Susan has a bachelor’s and master’s degree in English from the University of Central Arkansas and studied higher education leadership at Grambling State University.

Susan’s passion for the work of the DOVE Center was born out of family tragedy. She hopes to continue the work of the DOVE Center to be an invaluable resource for people who are in crisis and to educate the community about DOVE’s services and programs.

Joelle Jacobsen, Vice-President

Joelle Jacobsen was born in raised in St. George and holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Nursing and Masters of Business Administration. She currently works as the Administrative Director for Intermountain St. George Regional Hospital where she feels it is an honor and a privilege work with the wonderful caregivers and help patients in our community. In her director role, she oversees the operations for the behavioral health programs for the hospital. Joelle is married with 3 children who keep her busy between 4-H, sports, and dance events. She loves spending time with her family enjoying the beautiful outdoors of southern Utah whether it by hiking, horseback riding, or ATV riding. Joelle loves the community and is excited to serve and support the mission and vision of the DOVE Center

Maureen Minson, Secretary

Maureen Minson is a family law attorney at Bangerter Frazier Group in St. George. Through her work, Maureen became familiar with the services provided to the Southern Utah community through the DOVE Center. She believes that the services offered by the DOVE Center are of paramount importance in ending the cycle of abuse. Having seen the tremendous impact that the DOVE Center makes everyday in the lives of survivors of domestic violence and sexual abuse, Maureen is honored to serve on the DOVE Center Board of Directors.

Ross Johnston, Treasurer

Ross Johnston is a Certified Public Accountant who holds a Doctor of Business Administration in Advance Accounting, a Master of Science in Accounting, and a Bachelors of Business Administration in Finance, he is currently an Assistant Professor at Utah Tech University. He has 22 years of accounting experience in private industry, including 13 years as a controller. His accounting passions exists around budgets, forecasts, what if scenarios, compliance, and sustainability. He worked as a financial manager for the State of Utah, Department of Human Services for over 4 years. Ross is married with four grown children and nine grandchildren. He currently lives in Toquerville, Utah. He enjoys family activities, reading, outdoor activities including hiking, running, and biking. He believes that all have a right to be protected and given an opportunity to be empowered. Individuals should not only live in a community but should serve and become an active part of their community.

Jon Bacon

Jon Bacon grew up in Toronto, Canada, and moved to the USA for college, receiving his degree from BYU. Currently he works as the Vice President of Marketing for SureCall, a Silicon Valley based consumer electronics company that manufactures cell phone signal boosters for residential, commercial and vehicle applications. In his role, Bacon oversees the companies strategic branding and marketing direction while working with an excellent team of professionals. He’s excited to be part of the Dove family, to help grow such an amazing and inspiring organization.

Janice Brooks

Janice, CEO of Jan Brooks Synergies, has more than 35 years’ experience in public affairs, corporate social responsibility (CSR) analysis, and organizational development. Janice received a bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice from Arizona State University and a master’s degree in Public Administration from University of Nevada Las Vegas. She held a “Q” top secret clearance and was a security specialist for the Department of Energy for nine years. For her dedication and service to the Las Vegas community, “Janice Brooks Bay” — a 100-unit affordable housing development — was named in her honor. For over a decade, Janice was a freelance columnist covering Southern Utah’s social, artistic and cultural scene.

Marjorie Lisi

Marjorie Lisi is a retired financial advisor who holds a M.A. degree in Business Management and a B.S. degree in Business. She has 10 years of experience with personal estate and retirement planning, business succession planning, executive benefits, and non-qualified/qualified retirement plans. She also has 25 years of healthcare experience, working as a Diagnostics Imaging Director, overseeing Radiology, Computerized Tomography, Nuclear Medicine, Ultrasound, and Magnetic Resonance Imaging modalities. Originally from northern Wisconsin, Marjorie and her husband Pat have enjoyed the past 18 years living in the scenic desert landscape of Ivins, Utah. As a survivor of domestic violence and sexual abuse, Marjorie understands how important it is to break the silence, bear witness to someone’s story, and help stop inequality and injustice. Marjorie believes the more informed we are about domestic violence, the more we will realize the power we have to make a difference. Never underestimate the power of humanity.

Sara Gallo

Sara Pfeifle Gallo holds an MFA degree in Dance: Choreography and Performance from California State University Long Beach and a BFA degree in Dance from the University of Montana. While pursuing her graduate degree, she had the pleasure of dancing with Southern California based choreographers Cyrus Parker-Jeannette, Keith Johnson, and Holly Johnston. Gallo’s own work has been presented in concerts and festivals in San Francisco, Los Angeles, San Diego, Chicago, and numerous other cities throughout the Western United States. Additionally, she has choreographed dances for the American Ballet Theater’s Summer Intensive Program and AMDA Los Angeles. Gallo currently serves as Dance Program Director and Chair of the Department of Theatre, Dance, and Digital Film at Utah Tech University. As full-time faculty, she also regularly teaches technique, theory, and creative based courses, and works with various UTU Dance Program performance groups.

Vicki Reese Wilson

Vicki Reese Wilson holds a Bachelor degree in Communications from the University of Utah and an MBA with an emphasis in Healthcare Administration from the University of Colorado. Vicki is originally from Salt Lake City, but relocated to St George in 2000 when she accepted a new assignment with Intermountain Healthcare. She spent the next 18 years as a Human Resources leader for Intermountain’s Southwest Region. Vicki has over 35 years of experience as an HR leader, which has allowed her to focus on not only HR functions, but leadership development, employer-sponsored childcare services, volunteer services, education and wellness. She served on Utah Tech University’s board for eight years and was Vice Chair. Vicki is married and has three adult children who have given her the beautiful gift of grandchildren. She wants to use her experience to help others succeed in their careers and life.

Kurt Ivie

Kurt grew up and has lived in St. George and Washington his entire life. He graduated from Southern Utah State College with a bachelor’s degree in geology/education. He also graduated from Utah State University with a master’s degree in Utah Studies. He then completed doctoral graduate classes at Weber State University.

He is passionate about honoring and supporting our military, veterans, and city heroes. As a Washington City Councilman, he is familiar with politics within the area and strives to advocate for the greater good. Councilman Ivie wholeheartedly believes in transparency and an open door policy. He encourages citizens to reach out with concerns, and ideas for improvement or compliments. He truly enjoys meeting the residents and will make himself available in serving the citizens of Washington City.

Keli Peetz

Keli Peetz grew up in Washington County, and recently moved back to Southern Utah from Arizona with her husband and son. She is currently the operations manager at Altabank here in St. George, and has been in banking since 2001. Her hobbies include: spending time with her family, cooking, baking, quilting, hiking, and home improvement projects. Keli is really excited to be involved with DOVE center, and hopes to be able to make a difference. She believes that helping to stop the cycle of abuse by providing services to those in need saves lives, and that everyone should have a safe place to turn.