Utah House of Representatives
A Utah native and a graduate of Bingham High School, Rebecca holds a B.A. in Journalism and Mass Communication and a Master of Public Administration degree, both from the University of Utah. Her experience in nonprofit public relations and marketing over the past 24 years includes positions with Centro de la Familia de Utah, Utah Public Employees’ Association, Girl Scouts of Utah, Hal Gardiner Public Relations, and the Utah Museum of Natural History.
Rebecca has also cultivated another “career” as an activist and a volunteer with myriad local nonprofit groups, including Intermountain Healthcare, YWCA, KRCL Community Radio, Planned Parenthood Action Council, Utah State Democratic Party, and the United Way of Salt Lake. Rebecca’s pedigree for social justice advocacy and desire to develop progressive public policy was forged in the multicultural community of Bingham Canyon where her parents met. Her late father, Carlos Chavez, a Mexican immigrant from Michoacan, was a 40-year employee of Kennecott who also owned a produce farm in Riverton. A one-time bilingual aide for the Jordan School District, Rebecca’s mother, Katherine Valdez Chavez, instilled a strong passion for learning among her three sons and two daughters. Rebecca’s unwavering aspiration for a top-rate public educational system, as well as her compassion for the less fortunate, was undoubtedly shaped by her mother’s influence.