THE CIRCLES SALT LAKE TEAM


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Ashley Hoopes

Director & Coordinator

Ashley@circlessaltlake.org

Ashley grew up seeing her single working mother struggling to make ends meet, and saw her neighborhood, ward, and extended family circle around them to keep them afloat. Years later, after graduating with a degree in social work, Ashley started a preschool program for the children living at The Road Home and quickly saw that many of the families living at the shelter lacked access to the friends and resources that had carried her own family through their tough times. She also did research that supported her suspicions that many of the families experiencing homelessness were survivors of past and current trauma.

Ashley went on to get a Master in Public Administration, from the University of Utah, while she operated a private support network for families experiencing homelessness. During that time she was introduced to the Circles model and became an instant fan. She worked with community members, businesses,The Safe Harbor Foundation, and Arrive Utah to secure funding for a Salt Lake chapter, and is excited, no, make that ecstatic about bringing Circles to families and community members.


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Kelli Parker

Outreach & Engagement Coordinator

Kelli@circlessaltlake.org

In 2008, Kelli found herself a single mother and knew that she wanted to make a change for her and her daughter’s life. She enrolled as a student at the University of Utah and graduated with her Bachelor of Science in Communications in 2012. While attending school she considered the for-profit and non-profit worlds and quickly found her passion was with non-profits. After graduation, she was fortunate to be able to work as the Volunteer and Events Coordinator at The Road Home. There she worked closely with various committees and Board members, oversaw and conducted the volunteer programs, coordinated large fundraising events and worked closely with the residents of shelter. During her time at the shelter she got married, had another child and decided to leave the workforce to become a stay-at-home mom. After her third child she realized that her passion was not only helping her own family but helping other families in need. She was introduced to Circles and quickly realized “This is the answer to reducing the number of families in poverty in Salt Lake City!” That with the support of the community and the organization of Circles we will be able to help families stay out of poverty. She is excited to join the Circles Salt Lake team and help families in Salt Lake City in such an inspiring and impactful way.


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Ryan Gregersen

Coach & Program Coordinator

Ryan@circlessaltlake.org

Ryan earned a B.S. in Sociology from Utah Valley University. He worked for many years as a mentor and residential manager for people with disabilities. Since moving from Utah Valley to Salt Lake City, Ryan has worked at community organizations serving many populations including people living with HIV, refugees, and vulnerable children. Most recently he served as Program Director at Kaiizen Foundation, organizing volunteer trips to El Sauzal Orphanage in Baja, Mexico. He also currently volunteers as an Assistant Coach for East High School Boys Lacrosse team.

Through his work with people from various different backgrounds, each with a unique set of challenges, Ryan has found a common thread that all people seem to need in order to be successful long-term--we all need a social support system. He has become passionate about the need for creating community support to help people succeed, especially when they are fighting an uphill battle against systemic barriers. Circles creates a community of volunteers, peers, and other community resources, which surrounds participants with support during their journey from poverty into stability. Ryan believes in the power that the Circles model has to impact generational poverty in the Salt Lake area, and is excited to be a part of bringing it to our community.


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Britanee Montano Irvine

Coach & Program Coordinator

britanee@circlessaltlake.org

Britanee grew up in Washington State and moved to Utah her sophomore year in high school. She is recently married and has 3 stepsons. Her passion for working in the human services field stems from having loved ones with intellectual disabilities, Autism, and mental illnesses. Her experiences in life directly motivated her to receive her bachelor’s degree in Social Work. Since finishing school, she has worked with adults with disabilities, children with Autism, families involved with foster care, and adolescents with substance use disorder and mental illness.  While working with adolescents, Britanee had an “aha” moment, where she realized no matter how hard the adolescents were working in their treatment programs, their success of not returning to the programs depended on their access to resources when they returned home, which was a direct result of their family’s income. Many families of the adolescents didn’t have access to adequate health care to support their youth (ongoing therapy, prescriptions) or a healthy supportive social network. Britanee is excited to be a part of the Circles Salt Lake chapter, because she loves how the Circles model connects families to positive support systems, networks with community resources to support families, and assists individuals in finding higher wage careers.