SCENIC UTAH BOARD

COLLEEN BLISS is a Utah native and a Bluffdale resident since 1987.  She received her Bachelor of Education at the University of Utah, and her master’s degree in Instructional Technology at Utah State. She is a retired educator and Canyons District Education Technology Specialist. She became interested in Planning and Zoning issues regarding trails and open space in her community when Bluffdale was still the “final frontier” of the Salt Lake Valley. She served on Bluffdale’s Planning Commission for eight years and was then elected to the Bluffdale City Councill, where she worked on ordinances to preserve open space and create the Jordan River Parkway and other trails. 

JOHN HUEBNER (Emeritus) was born in Michigan and spent much of his career in Greenville, South Carolina. Motivated by billboard blight and the increasing power of the outdoor advertising industry, he co-founded Scenic South Carolina in 2001. In 1987, he founded Mor-Lite, a company that pioneered energy-efficient lighting technology in Greenville. Since then, Mor-Lite technology has been installed in thousands of industrial plants, distribution centers and retail stores throughout the U.S.  John earned a degree in urban planning from the University of Mississippi, and later worked as an urban planner in Greenville. He also served as President of Greenville’s Beautification Commission; in that role he wrote the city’s first sign ordinance. He was Chairman of Leadership South Carolina, where he met scores of people across the state who shared his passion for scenic preservation and limiting visual blight. Not long after back-to-back hurricanes in 1985 thwarted his plan to sail around the world, in 1999, John married the late Deedee Corradini, former Salt Lake City Mayor (1992-2000) and moved his company to Utah to be closer to Deedee and her family.  After many years in Park City, he recently moved to La Jolla, CA, where lower altitude helps combat the effects of a lung disease. Thanks to remote-meeting technology and John’s ongoing commitment to protecting Utah’s natural beauty, he remains an honorary member of the Scenic Utah Board. 

DOUG MORTENSEN is a Salt Lake City trial attorney. Recently retired from day-to-day practice, he is currently involved in a number of community projects. He is an Honorary Lifetime member of the Utah Association for Justice. An active member of Rotary International, he and his wife Vicki spent several months in Santa Cruz, Bolivia with Ascend Alliance working on programs to help people ascend out of poverty. Doug is an adjunct professor of business law and ethics at Westminster College and a certified masters swim coach. He has explored and appreciated many of our region’s scenic wonders – beginning with his early adventures in the Uinta Mountains and at Lake Mead and Lake Powell, and has enjoyed climbing several of Utah’s majestic mountains, including King’s Peak, Lone Peak, and Mount Nebo. 

MICHELLE ORTEGA is a professional voice-over artist and Chief Marketing Officer at Hispanic Marketing Factory, helping clients become more competitive and inclusive. She began her radio and TV career at age 16 in her hometown of Tegucigalpa, Honduras. After moving to the US in 2003 to complete a degree in Broadcast Journalism at BYU, she worked as TV and radio host and producer for Alpha Media in Salt Lake City. She later worked as Multicultural Marketing and PR Coordinator for Zions Bank, overseeing multi-media campaigns and community events. In 2010, she was named Miss Utah Latina, a role that strengthened her sense of community and social responsibility. She served as Volunteer and Community Outreach Coordinator for The Children’s Center, a Utah-based non-profit providing mental health services for underprivileged children, and in 2020, she received the ‘Voice Arts Award’ from the Society of Voice Over Arts and Science for Best Spanish Performance in the category of Outstanding Spoken Word or Storytelling. She is thrilled to join Scenic Utah’s efforts to preserve our state’s natural beauty and unique scenic resources.

 Kara grew up in Northern California and moved to Utah shortly after earning her undergraduate degree in Religious Studies and Women’s Studies from Arizona State University.  She then worked in public broadcasting in fundraising, outreach, and local on-air hosting.  Her interest in public life, current events, and social justice led her to graduate school at the University of Utah, where she earned a master's degree in Public Policy.  Since then, she has worked in nonprofit outreach and communications, and public policy research.  Since childhood, Kara’s love of camping and backpacking has inspired a deep appreciation for exploring remote parts of the Intermountain West and enthusiastically advocating for the protection of places in the natural and built environment that make us feel at home in the world.