Brett Garner

House District 31

West Valley City, Taylorsville

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I am a fifth-generation Utahn, descended from Utah pioneers in many ways.  My grandmother was a public school teacher in Farmington for decades, and her sister, my great aunt, Lucille Reading, was among the first women on the Davis School District board.  My mother taught kindergarten for nearly 40 years.  My father is an Air Force Vietnam veteran, and they both instilled in me a desire to serve our community.  I grew up helping out in my mother’s classroom, at home cutting out laminated pictures, and our fall break always included going to the UEA convention.

My wife Shannon teaches special education resource at Taylorsville High, her alma mater. She has also taught elementary special education at a charter school and the Granite School district for most of the past 15 years.  We are the proud parents of two fantastic boys and one beautiful one year old girl.

I’ve worked to improve educational opportunities and fought against threats to our students’ success.  In 2007, I worked with Utahns for Public Schools, gathering signatures on college campuses in our successful referendum to repeal school vouchers.  Later that year, I started work at Utah Heritage Foundation (now Preservation Utah), helping to preserve, protect and promote Utah’s historic architecture.  I worked to make our curriculum-aligned educational materials more available online and coordinated school tours for thousands of Utah students. I also coordinated advocacy work to protect historic district designations that were under attack at the legislature.

In my spare time, I’ve worked hard to elect progressive leaders in our state.  I’ve managed campaigns, knocked on doors, made phone calls, and given advice and funds to great business and education leaders.

My career also took me to work at an internet start-up furniture company and outdoor recreation fields.  In 2018, we moved to West Valley and, shortly after, I began a new job: stay-at-home dad.  I’ve tried to stay involved in my community and neighborhood, especially through leadership positions in the PTA and other community organizations. I’m not afraid of doing the hard work of talking to people, asking for their help, and working to ensure everyone gets what they need. I hope I can represent our broad, diverse communities across district 31.