Natalie Gochnour

Natalie Gochnour serves as an associate dean in the David Eccles School of Business and director of the Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute at the University of Utah. She is also the chief economist for the Salt Lake Chamber. In these roles, she provides policy leadership that helps Utah prosper.

Natalie’s experience includes a diverse mix of public service and business experience. During her public service, she advised Utah governors Norm Bangerter, Mike Leavitt, and Olene Walker. She also served as a political appointee in the George W. Bush administration, serving as an associate administrator at the EPA and counselor to the Secretary at the US Department of Health and Human Services. For seven years, she led the public policy business priorities of Utah’s largest business association.

Natalie has authored over 250 published columns in Utah Business magazine and the Deseret News and co-hosts the weekly public radio program “Both Sides of the Aisle” on KCPW.

She has been recognized by the Downtown Alliance, YWCA of Salt Lake City, South Valley Chamber, Friends for Sight, Girl Scouts of Utah, and Salt Lake Chamber for her service and example in the community. Natalie is a gubernatorial appointee on the Utah Olympic Legacy Foundation and Utah Transportation Commission boards and serves on the O.C. Tanner, Altabank, and Primary Children’s Hospital boards. She is also vice-chair of Envision Utah and World Trade Center Utah.

Natalie has both an undergraduate and master’s degree in economics from the University of Utah and specializes in public finance. She is married to a furniture maker and a proud mother of two remarkable children.