Christena Huntsman Durham | Most Influential Women 2024
EVP | Huntsman Family Foundation
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Christena Huntsman Durham grew up watching her father, Jon Huntsman Sr., give back to the community faster than he could make money. “His drive to make money was to give it away,” she says. “He wanted to make a difference because he saw all the good that came from it.”
Huntsman Sr. was part of the original The Giving Pledge with Bill Gates and Warren Buffett, and his generosity made a difference in countless lives. Those early lessons in giving back stuck with Durham as she raised her seven children. When Huntsman Sr. passed away, his foundation was turned over to the next generation. Durham and her siblings were tasked with finding the “cancer of their generation” — and they chose mental health.
“Mental health is so different than cancer,” Durham says. “You keep it close to your heart because the stigma is so great. You don’t share what you’re going through.”
The result was a $150 million pledge to the Huntsman Mental Health Institute, a first-of-its-kind facility dedicated to researching the genetic links to suicide and substance use. “We are proud to raise our hand and say, ‘This is in our family. This has been generational,’” Durham says. “We want to give people hope. We want them to know there are treatments and cures. … I think at some point in all of our lives, we will be touched by mental health. We will either be picked up off the floor ourselves, or we’ll pick somebody else up off the floor.”
Durham is passionate about eliminating mental health stigma and ensuring everyone has access to the care they need. She urges every Utahn to download the SafeUT app, which provides 24/7 access to crisis counseling, and she’s working to bring that model to other states.
Durham serves or has served on the boards of numerous organizations, including the National Ability Center, Catholic Community Services, The Road Home, the John A. Moran Eye Center, and the Jon M. Huntsman Family Community Shelter. Looking ahead, she is focused on making the Huntsman Mental Health Institute a nationally recognized mental health research and treatment center.
“We don’t have 30 years to figure this out. We are in crisis mode. Suicide is the No. 1 cause of death for our youth in this state. … Until we look at mental health and substance use as a brain disease, that’s not going to change,” Durham says. “It’s behind every door in America, but no one wants to talk about it. We want everyone to feel like the brain they have is beautiful, and they are worth something.”