“Being recognized as one of the 30 Women to Watch by Utah Business is humbling. Getting to know the other women and to be a part of that community is a recognition not only for me, but for all the strong and powerful women who came before me—like my grandmothers, mother and older sister.

My grandmother, who grew up in India, earned a master’s degree in English literature and moved to Japan to teach as a single woman—things that weren’t particularly common at the time. She modeled for me what it means to believe in yourself and to not let anyone else’s expectations stop you from achieving your dreams. I believe that we can all be successful and make an impact. I’m proud that our team at the Goff Strategic Leadership Center is specifically positioned to do just that—to help all in our community to make their impact.

At Goff, one of our six principles of strategic leadership is to identify and align resources to generate value. Now that I am a part of this Women to Watch community, I’ve instantly gained a community of powerful, engaged women already making a difference. These are people I hope to call upon (and who I invite to call upon me) as we seek to achieve our dreams.

At the end of the day, I truly believe in the power of our community to change the world.”

—Dr. Ruchi M. Watson, managing director of the Goff Strategic Leadership Center and assistant professor in the Department of Entrepreneurship & Strategy