Who are we?
We are a team of policy experts who understand that in order to have the healthiest, most equitable communities, we need to start farther upstream. We do this through forward thinking policy. We have expertise in research, policy development, strategy design, coalition building and the legislative process and we are really good at what we do, especially when it comes to public health.
Carrie Butler, Executive Director
Carrie Butler is a graduate of the Public Health and Public Policy programs at the University of Utah. She has a background in data analysis and research, including contributing to cancer research at the Huntsman and coordinating the CDC funded biomonitoring program with the Utah Public Health Lab. She has spent the past six legislative sessions working as an advocate for healthcare, air quality, education and a variety of other issues critical to public health. Carrie is passionate about the places that all policies intersect with safe and healthy communities.
Carrie has supported the development, drafting and policy advancement for over 100 bills in the Utah State Legislature and with our congressional leaders in Washington DC. She understands the funding appropriations process, non-profit and advocacy challenges, and she has strong relationships with media partners throughout Utah.
You can reach out to her anytime at carrie@getupstream.org.
She’d also love to receive a text message or your favorite Spotify jam at 801.347.6739
Jenn Oxborrow, Field Expert
Jenn has lived in Utah for over 15 years, and has worked extensively as a leader in state government, the non-profit sector and with multiple local and national media agencies. She has assisted in bill development, appropriations requests, media messaging, and hosted numerous community forums so people can come together to find solutions and collaborate on key issues including homicide prevention, gun safety and justice reform. She is a graduate of the University of Utah where she completed her graduate degree in Forensic Social Work and supported research about the quality of life in older adults who are living with serious, persistent mental illness. Since 2010, Jenn has worked as a clinical mental health therapist in private practice serving adults and children with a history of trauma, victimization and serious behavioral health disorders. Jenn is available for technical assistance on program and initiative development, stakeholder engagement, and policy strategy. She is an active volunteer with the statewide Crisis Intervention Stress Management team, debriefing first responders after traumatic incidents. She shares a love of the outdoors with her partner and two children and they have too many pets to count on one hand.
Give her a call or send her a message any time at 801.232.4441 or jenn@getupstream.org. She’ll call you back as soon as she gets off her bike or the river.
Michael Hendricks, Project Manager
Originally from the East coast where he studied Community, Environment and Economic Development at the Pennsylvania State University, Michael loves the Utah wilderness and is passionate about supporting our communities. He’s working hard to bring stakeholders together to develop vocational training for youth in custody, increasing awareness of the importance of active transportation, and engaging the private sector in labor and philanthropic opportunities. Michael is a master at pulling all of the details together on complex projects and fostering teamwork. If you have an idea for a meaningful project in your community, especially if it involves bikes or outdoor recreation, Michael can help you turn your idea into a reality.
Give him a call or send him a message any time at 703.343.0034 or michael@getupstream.org. It might take a minute for him to get back to cell coverage, but he’ll get back to you as soon as he does.
