Episode 8: Past CEO Jeannie Gamble

September 9 update: after 2 months, Special Olympics Utah announced that Jeannie Gamble is no longer with the organization. SOUT subsequently retained Scott Weaver as its CEO effective December 1, 2020.


KatnNat talk with Jeannie Gamble, the new CEO and President of Special Olympics Utah. Jeannie has ambitious plans to grow programs and events over the next four years for the Utah charity. Jeannie plans to roll out introductions and her vision of the future with Special Olympics in 8 days of Town Halls that will take place across the state.

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You can watch the video of our interview below. Subscribe to our YouTube channel to be notified of new episodes when they are posted!

Special Olympics Utah will expand events to spring, summer, fall and winter; and plans to reintroduce nine sports over the next four years. There will be a focus on winter sports to prepare Utah as a host of future Special Olympics winter events.

Some of the highlights of the new plans in place:

  • Bocce, bowling and golf are first to return in July 2020; face masks will be provided for Athletes
  • Special Olympics Utah is adding pickleball, competitive bowling and volleyball this year
  • Growing online and virtual programs for games, trainings, healthy athletes and health communities
  • An evolving partnership to host a sponsored gaming and technology room in new offices
  • Winter sports focus (look forward to snowboarding, downhill, speed skating, ice dancing and ice skating)
  • A new Youth Leadership Conference in November
  • Expands: Outreach to schools and universities
  • Expands: the college rivalry series
  • Returns: a newsletter every 3rd week of the month
  • Tentative: Programs for business to adopt a sport, or adopt a team
  • Returns: School conferences in February
  • A new Volunteer/Sponsor/Donor recognition event in May

And now, here’s the good stuff about Jeannie Gamble:

Favorite Animal: a koala
Favorite Colors: purple, blue and green
Favorite Football Team: NY Jets
Favorite Other Kind of Football Team: Real Salt Lake
Favorite TV Show: The Blacklist (it used to be The Sopranos)
Favorite Actor: James Spader
Favorite Music Artist: Billy Joel (she recalls summers watching him rehearse for concerts at the YAP Inc training centers on Long Island)
2nd Favorite: Neil Diamond (she has see him in concert almost 200 times)

Trivia Time!

  • Jeannie owns 183 hats in 40 different styles. Her #1 hat is named “Angel” because she wore it during breast cancer treatments at the age of 22 in Peoria IL. Her #2 hat is a true Raymond Reddington black Fedora from the show The Blacklist. She mentioned a #3 hat but we didn’t learn what it was!
  • She was the first female owner of an indoor football team (Ogden Knights)
  • She loves Texas and the food that comes from there. We talked about Andouille Sausage and crawfish
  • As of this posting, she only follows 3 people on Twitter