Gov. Cox names Aimee Winder Newton as senior advisor and director of new Office of Families

SALT LAKE CITY (Aug. 31, 2022) – Today, Gov. Spencer Cox named Aimee Winder Newton as a senior advisor and director of the new Office of Families. She takes on this new role effective Sept. 1, 2022.

The Office of Families aims to support Utah families through proactive rather than reactive strategies and policies. This includes promoting what already makes Utah the best place for children and parents to thrive as well as pursuing policies, legislation and innovation that will strengthen families at all economic levels. As Gov. Cox said in his 2022 State of the State address, “The purpose of this office is not to inject more government into families – it is the exact opposite – it is to make sure that government policies are not harming families and that we are coordinating government services to help parents and children succeed.”

“Aimee is an effective leader with an impressive track record of visionary thinking, influence, execution and public service,” Gov. Cox said. “I’m grateful she’s willing to take on this new responsibility to support and strengthen all families of Utah.”

Winder Newton has served on the Salt Lake County Council since 2014. In this position, she was the first woman to serve as council chair and has focused on additional mental health resources, criminal justice reform and budget accountability. She also created and chairs the Salt Lake County Intergenerational Poverty Task Force. She will remain in her part-time county council elected office during her employment.

Winder Newton served previously as a school district community council member, a city communications director, an executive for a biotech company, and on several boards including Prevent Child Abuse Utah. She’s been a small business owner for the past 20 years as a property manager, public relations strategist, and mortgage broker. She has been married to her husband, Matt Newton, for 28 years and they are the parents of four young adults.

“I’m grateful for the opportunity to work with the Cox-Henderson administration as we look for ways to strengthen families in Utah,” said Winder Newton. “We recognize families come in various shapes and sizes and our focus will be on ALL families – traditional two-parent families, grandparents raising their grandchildren, LGBTQ couples with children, foster families, single parent families, and more.”

Download a copy of this press release here.

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