30 Women to watch.

Utah Business has been celebrating the incredible women in Utah's business community for nearly two decades. These days, it's no longer unusual to find women at the helm of regional banks, government agencies and startup companies--or within the leadership of cutting-edge tech firms or on the frontlines of social justice efforts. What is unusual is the remarkable talent, passion and drive that our honorees bring to their work. Please join us as we shine the spotlight on 30 extraordinary women who are driving change in their companies and in our community.

VANESSA CLAYTON

Vice President of Legal, Homie

Accomplishments: Vanessa Clayton heads a team of real estate attorneys that ensures every Homie buyer and seller gets expert legal support in writing and reviewing their offers, addendums and purchase contracts. With a B background in human resources, Clayton also took over HR for Homie and B established employee benefits. "I also set up an external legal network to handle Homie's explosive growth, developed systems for evaluating and managing offers, and helped with mergers and acquisitions. The volume of work in my department has grown by a factor of five in the past two years, yet through systems and streamlined processes, my department has handled this increased workload with no additional head count."

Leadership philosophy: "I lead by staying open to new perspectives and insights. I am highly aware of my team's gifts and skills, and I actively look for opportunities that will help them both share and develop their strengths."

What she enjoys about her work: "I love solving puzzles, and each day at Homie brings a new challenge, from the National Association of Realtors (NAR) lobbyists to protecting the rights of Homie's clients. I love the energy of startups and Homie in particular attracts the most passionate, cheerful employees I've had the chance to work with."

"As you figure things out and move forward, not waiting for anyone else to give you permission or show you the way, your hard work and diligence will pay off."

ASHLEY COLLINS

Vice President of Marketing and Public Relations, USANA Health Sciences

Accomplishments: "Being able to motivate people into action with words and creativity is something I excel at and made me want to get into this profession," says Ashley Collins. Since she joined USANA 16 years ago, Collins has climbed the ranks and just last year was promoted from executive director of public relations and social media to her current role of vice president of marketing and public relations. She was also named a PR Executive of the Year by the American Business awards from 2012-2014.

Community involvement: "I am very passionate about supporting domestic violence victims and getting them the care and support they deserve. I want women to feel strong and confident, not vulnerable and afraid. I have such strong negative feelings about women being taken advantage of that I focus a lot of my time helping women who have experienced mental and physical abuse."

Leadership style: "I trust that people are going to get their work done and are going to do it well, but I will be available to help with anything whenever they need it. My door is always open and I want to create an environment where everyone is comfortable and feels like their ideas are going to be heard."

"The best way to combat any sort of liability based on gender is to always be yourself and be confident. Having that confidence is key and it will demand respect from those around you."

CRISTINA CORONADO

Partner, Ballard Spahr LLP

Accomplishments: The legal profession fascinated Cristina Coronado from a young age--her grandfather was a lawyer, and she says the job always intrigued her. In the last few years, Coronado has grown her practice tremendously, with both local and national clients, and she was recently involved with two significant client land-use and development deals. One was a $157 million financing deal for the Utah Red Hills Renewable Energy Park, a utility-scale solar power plant being developed by Scatec Solar North America, Inc. and its Norwegian parent company. Another was the greatly anticipated Harmons grocery store in Santa Clara. Coronado and her colleagues helped with financing, negotiated with neighbors for easements and property, and developed the covenants that govern the center and all future leasing activity.

On gender: "I think being a woman is an asset in commercial real estate because you can more easily be a sounding board or soft place to land for clients. I do think as a woman you have to work a bit harder to convince the client [or] other side that you know what you are doing."

Advice for real estate professionals: "You never know when folks will leave your world; take care to appreciate them during the deal."

"I enjoy growing and becoming an expert at my craft ... Don't quit when it gets hard. It gets better and you have to do it to learn."

ERICA DAHL

Vice President, Public Policy and Government Affairs, Vivint Solar

Accomplishments: Erica Dahl helped Vivint Solar create its government k affairs program from the ground up. In her role, she's been at the forefront of advocating for regulatory structures and rate designs that keep rooftop solar affordable for customers. "One example is in Utah," she says. "Rocky Mountain Power, the local utility, had proposed to increase electrical bills more than $31 per month for new solar customers, effectively eliminating the value proposition for rooftop solar and potentially devastating Utah's solar industry. I helped mobilize community support that resulted in Rocky Mountain Power agreeing to discuss alternative solutions to seek a win-win-win for consumers, the solar industry and the utility."

What drew her into public policy: "I loved the idea of sitting at the intersection of business and policy and working collaboratively to solve problems that impact people's lives for the better."

Community involvement: Dahl served on The Road Home's board of trustees for four years. She adds, "My husband and I also help fund the Dahl Family annual scholarship at the University of Utah School of Medicine to empower students in need of financial aid to attend medical school."

"Be open to all opportunities--if you have preconceived notions about how your career should unfold, you might miss out on something great."

HEIDI DUNFIELD

Co-owner, Fear Factory

Accomplishments: Heidi Dunfield co-founded the Fear Factory in 2011. Since that time, the company has tripled its annual attendance and revenue. Fear Factory has been named one of the scariest haunted houses in America by the Travel Channel and one of the scariest haunted houses in the world by BuzzFeed. Dunfield was also the events director at Salt Lake Comic Con, where she was instrumental in helping it become Utah's largest convention, the third-largest comic con in North America and the largest first-time comic con.

Motivation: "After each season is over, I love the feeling of how much got accomplished in the short time we have been open. We generally have about 135 hours to make all of our revenue for the year, so we have to be very adaptable and quick to change things that aren't working well in order to make our revenue goals."

Community involvement: "There are so many people within our community that are going without meals or don't have basic resources. With help from our amazing staff, we try and provide basics (like food and clothing) that underserved people need right away, while also offering a mentor program to introduce internal job and leadership skills that helps to benefit not only the individual, but also helps the community as a whole.

"I love working with the many layers of diverse staff and customers. It really feels like we're throwing a party every night."

ALEX EATON

Executive Director, The Community Foundation of Utah

Accomplishments: Alex Eaton spent 15 years of her career in high-net-worth investment management when she decided that she wanted "a return that was more than just a number." Eaton had run a nonprofit in Zimbabwe for several years and sought to rejoin the nonprofit industry. The Community Foundation of Utah was "the perfect home," she says, as it is a "complex financial institution whose portfolio is social good." Eaton helped bring in $22 million for the foundation last year and is proud of the passionate, nimble and creative team she has assembled there.

Leadership style: "I encourage transparency and direct communication--you can't fix a problem if you don't know it exists. I am collaborative and empower people to use their talent and their voice. We also laugh quite a bit and embrace the importance of a healthy balance of life outside the office."

What she wishes she'd known at the start of her career: "Don't borrow trouble--meaning, don't anticipate and experience the fear of failure unless something bad actually happens. It is a lot more fun to operate out of strength, rather than some self-perceived shortcoming."

"Jump into the deep end and don't be afraid to take chances. Everything that makes you who you are is good, even if some of the lessons along the way don't feel good."

NATALIE EL-DEIRY

Deputy Director, Development & Strategic Initiatives, The International Rescue

Committee in Salt Lake City

Accomplishments: Since the time Natalie El-Deiry joined the International Rescue Committee in Salt Lake seven years...