Anne Okerlund Leavitt
Co-Founder | Leavitt Group Enterprises
What are some of your greatest accomplishments?
I was a partner to my husband as he built Leavitt Group. He was a one-guy operation for a long time during those early years, and I took care of things at home. We raised six upstanding men: Michael, Dane, Eric, Mark, David and Matthew.
You are also a champion for education. What contributions have you made and why do you feel they are important?
We’ve always believed that, if you help young people get an education, you add to the community — and, hence, to the nation. As a family, we have a passion for giving scholarships to Southern Utah University (SUU) and other institutions. We’ve consistently given scholarships to SUU that have paid for the housing of many students.
I love the university, so when the president asked me to write “Southern Utah University: The First 100 Years,” I did. It was a natural passion.
What principles guide your approach to leadership and community building?
I have long said, “Kindness is a lovely force, but it can only be powered by people. For all our magical gadgets, no appliance, instrument, apparatus or device has the power to extend kindness to another human being. That power is vested only in people.”
