Board of Trustees
Jonathan Ruga, Esq., MBA, CPA
Founding Trustee and Board Chair
Jonathan has a long history of community involvement in education, health and human services, and defending democracy, having served on the boards of the S.J. Quinney College of Law, The Road Home, St. Mark’s Hospital, and Alliance for a Better Utah. As CEO of Sentry Financial, he is primarily responsible for establishing Sentry’s strategic direction and co-leading the Equipment Financing Division (in addition to overseeing the two other divisions: Real Estate and Private Equity). Upon graduating from the University of Utah’s S.J. Quinney College of Law in 1982, where he was a member of the Utah Law Review, Jonathan worked with the law firm of Parr, Brown, Gee & Loveless, where he specialized in the areas of financing and leasing, federal taxation, and real estate and business law. Jonathan and his wife, Tina, have three grown children and live in Salt Lake City.
Scott Young, Esq.
Founding Trustee
Scott is passionate about creating a better social system where the chances to succeed are shared equally by all. When not working on Lightspark initiatives, Scott co-leads Sentry Financial’s Equipment Financing Division, including establishing and maintaining Sentry’s equipment finance programs and its relationships with participating financial institutions. Prior to re-joining Sentry in 1998 after co-founding it in 1986, Scott was a partner with the law firm of Parr, Brown, Gee & Loveless, where his practice emphasized commercial litigation and the areas of equipment financing and general business and corporate law. Scott graduated from the University of Utah School of Business with an undergraduate degree in finance, and obtained a law degree from the University of Utah College of Law, where he was a member of the Utah Law Review. He and his wife, Carolyn, have four kids and live in Salt Lake City.
Jared Ruga, JD, MBA, MFA
Founding Trustee
JARED RUGA is an Emmy-winning producer, writer, director, and “creative suit” who helms Vavani Productions, a socially conscious media production company he founded in 2017. With three documentaries in distribution (including Sundance premiere QUIET HEROES), two in production, and a slate of scripted films and series in development, Jared’s goal is to build community by making content that engages and entertains while “sneaking in the vegetables” of prosocial impact. His thematic areas of focus are gender equity, LGBTQ equality, climate justice, and democracy. With an educational background that spans JD, MBA, and MFA degrees from the University of Utah and BBA and dual-BA degrees from the University of San Diego, Jared's network of memberships includes NEXUS Global Impact Society, TED, the Television Academy, and Film Independent Arts Circle. Aside from serving on the Lightspark board, Jared is also the Co-Founder and President of the Impact Guild and Co-Founder of KaleidoCollective. He has previously served in various leadership and advisory capacities at the Sundance Institute, Voterise, Equality Utah, Restore Our Humanity, and both of his alma maters, including creating and teaching undergraduate courses. Jared lives in Los Angeles with his two pups, Tucker and Daisy.