Utah Gov. Spencer Cox has appointed—and the Utah Senate has approved—Karen Marriott to the University of Utah’s Board of Trustees.
A longtime community advocate and philanthropist, Marriott serves on the boards of her family’s J.W. and Alice S. Marriott Foundation and numerous community-building nonprofits in her hometown of Park City.
It’s that experience, Marriott says, which uniquely qualifies her to be a fiduciary for the university. “I’m not afraid to ask questions,” she said, in a hearing before the Senate Education Confirmation Committee on Feb. 13. “As a donor, I’m not afraid to hold people accountable. I understand how funds are given. They’re expected to be looked after and directed where they’re intended to go.”
One of four daughters of Richard E. “Dick” Marriott and Nancy Peery Marriott, Marriott grew up in Washington, D.C. with her three sisters. The family returned to Utah each winter to ski the slopes of Park City. While both her grandparents and her parents all graduated from the U, she enrolled briefly at Brigham Young University before transferring to UCLA. Marriott graduated in 1991 with a bachelor’s degree in sociology. In 1995, she moved to Park City with her two young children and met her husband, Nathan Rafferty, Ski Utah president and CEO. Together, they raised their three children in Summit County.
Over the past three decades, Marriott has dedicated her life to volunteerism and fundraising in Summit County. She serves on the board of GenerationAll, focused on breaking cycles of generational trauma, and on the National Advisory Board of the Christian Center of Park City.
A board member emerita of Peace House in Summit County, Marriott has long supported organizations advancing community mental health and serving survivors of interpersonal violence. She served on the board of the Park City Community Foundation from 2016 to 2021, strengthening the initiatives of Summit County’s Mental Wellness Alliance.
Marriott is also the founder of Serve Park City, which connects volunteers with local nonprofit projects and hosts Park City’s annual 9/11 National Day of Service and Remembrance. In 2020, she was named the Park City Rotary Club’s Volunteer Citizen of the Year.
In 2011, she founded the Marriott Daughters Foundation with her sisters. During her Feb. 13 confirmation hearing, she recounted asking her grandmother, Alice Sheets Marriott, how she would ever live up to the legacy her grandparents and parents built. “Her advice has stayed true: You take opportunities for service when they arise, and you will have a full body of work at the end of your life.”
The Utah Senate approved her appointment on Feb. 26. Marriott begins her term at the March 10 meeting. She fills a seat vacated by Maria Garciaz. Garciaz served nearly five years on the board.