Zeke Dumke IV
SKC Chairman
Mr. Dumke is an experienced financial and legal professional, with an expert understanding of family office investing, impact investing, private equity, and venture capital. Previously, Mr. Dumke founded and managed Reddo Capital Partners, a social impact investment firm and has worked with his own family office. While managing Reddo, he focused on real estate finance, private credit, consumer lending, and private equity. Mr. Dumke served as finance chair for a respected philanthropic foundation for a decade and is backed by a successful career as an attorney specializing in civil litigation and intellectual property, admitted to the Bar in the states of California, Texas, and Utah. Mr. Dumke has lead microfinance projects in Southeast Asia, where he was able to fuse his passion for social impact with his professional expertise. He is the founder and managing editor of Business Law for Managers and Entrepreneurs, in conjunction with the Business Section of the Utah Bar. He holds a BS in Business and Economics from Westminster College, an MBA from Bond University in Australia, and a JD from the University of San Francisco.
Amber Wakem
Co-Chairman | Executive Director | Founder
SKC Founder, Amber Wakem, doesn't have a claim to fame. You won't find her name on the big screen, featured in books, or known around the world---yet. She is simply a woman who set out to change the way we look at education.
After her bubbly daughter shut down in kindergarten and was later identified as being dyslexic, once teacher shifted her views on how to best support her daughter after she watched her started a business at the age of eight. Quitting her job to start a non-profit, Amber sees entrepreneurship as a way to not only empower students with learning differences, but equip an otherwise unprepared generation with the crucial life skills they will need to succeed beyond the classroom.
Kelly Bethke
Cultivation Chair
Kelly has an MBA in Sustainable Systems with a focus on organizational leadership and social impact finance. A passion for healthy people, planet, and profit is the driving force behind the work she does. As a mother and nature enthusiast, Kelly works to create healthy, balanced enterprises which will support a prosperous future. Collaborating with StartUp Kids engages her love of local community and the unique energy that comes from entrepreneurship.
Michele Sweeten
Finance Chair
CPA, founded the Sweeten CPA accounting firm in 2002 as a one-woman operation. Since then, she has grown the firm through her hard work and vision to a staff of 29 CPAs, accountants, and bookkeepers, with clients in a wide array of industries including construction, retail, professional services, and education. She is dedicated and loyal to her clients, and now more than 400 individuals and small businesses rely on her for the trusted relationship, intelligence and responsiveness they have come to know and expect. In addition to delivering high quality and cost-effective bookkeeping and tax preparation services, Michele also prides herself in connecting dedicated professionals with each other in order to reach their goals and grow their businesses through involvement in various networking groups, business coaching, and leadership services.
Shalana Poole
Sara Wadud
Stephen Stearman
Abhi T.
Sidney Hollingsworth
