Lieutenant Governor | State of Utah

“I’m not one to sit still and tackle the easy issues,” Utah Lt. Gov. Deidre M. Henderson says. “I tackle the issues that really matter to a few people whose voices haven’t been heard.”

From creating returnship programs to decriminalizing polygamy and supporting Utah’s eight different Native American tribes, Henderson has tackled a lot of sticky issues during her political career, but there is no one better suited to be a representative to Utah’s underserved communities. 

After marrying at 18, Henderson dropped out of Brigham Young University to support her husband while he studied physical therapy. She’d worked multiple jobs and had five children by age 28. When her youngest started school, she looked for opportunities to get involved in her Spanish Fork, Utah community.

“I felt really lost because I didn’t have a college degree,” Henderson says. “Then, in January of 2008, I happened to meet someone running for congress.”

While she’d always been interested in politics, she’d “never done anything more than vote.” But she was willing to learn and was soon running a successful political operation out of her laundry room. 

In 2012, Henderson became one of the few women to be elected to the Utah Senate. She served there for eight years, building a reputation as a champion for women and families, before joining then-Lt. Gov. Cox in his bid for governor. On Jan. 4, 2021, she became Utah’s ninth lieutenant governor and the second woman to hold the position. Around the same time, she also graduated from BYU with a bachelor’s in history. 

Of her many skills, Henderson says her superpower is bringing people to the table. “I had a way of looking at things in a bit of a different light. … I knew I didn’t have all the answers.”

While in office, Henderson created Return Utah, a first-in-the-nation state program for Utahns who have been out of the workforce for an extended period; worked closely with Utah’s eight federally recognized tribal nations on infrastructure, education, health care and economic development issues; served on many public boards and commissions that collectively impact all Utahns; and led the charge on live-saving reform concerning how law enforcement responds to domestic violence incidents. 

After her cousin was a victim of domestic violence, the Lt. Gov. visited stakeholders across the state and championed legislation to provide better resources to law enforcement, survivors, victim’s services, judges and more. 

“It wasn’t a good thing that started it all, but it was really healing and meaningful for me and my family to make something good come from that situation,” Henderson says. “In this role, I’ve relished visiting every corner of the state and seeing where we can do better. … We have to expand who we are looking after in our state. We need to make sure we are not leaving anyone behind.”

Connect with Deidre M. Henderson on LinkedIn.