Business Women's Forum 2026 | Leading Through the Storm: How Women Leaders Navigate Challenge and Change

As Executive Director of The Christmas Box International, Celeste Edmunds understands what the children she serves are going through. She went through it herself. Her biological parents were addicts, and her childhood was an ongoing cycle of police calls, fighting, and physical, sexual, and mental abuse. At age 7, Celeste was taken from her home and placed into a child welfare system, where moving every few months to a new environment became normal. By age sixteen, she had lived in more than 30 cities. 

Celeste views her childhood as a difficult but essential growing experience. There were terrible things, but there were also caring people along the way who did what they could to protect and nurture her. She was author Richard Paul Evans' assistant when he founded The Christmas Box International. She quickly became an integral part of its creation, helping to build and refine the original shelters for a decade before taking a new position in Corporate America. Working in the corporate world gave her valuable knowledge of a different kind, with experience in marketing, public relations, community giving, and team management. Combining her nonprofit and corporate experience, Celeste is uniquely fit to guide The Christmas Box International. Celeste is passionate about making a difference in the lives of youth and the child welfare system so that others may not have to go through the same experiences she had. 

The Christmas Box International celebrates 30 years of defending more than 185,000 children. That is enough to fill Madison Square Garden more than nine and a half times. 

Celeste believes that The Christmas Box International is more than a place–it is a concept where community, government, and nonprofits come together to bring the resources to children that they need. As a child who grew up in the system, Celeste understands the importance of providing these youth the opportunity for a better life by providing them with safety, dignity, and hope. Her goal is to give these beautiful children everything she wished for as a child, including hope for a better future. 

An award-winning leader, Celeste has been recognized as the Utah Nonprofits Association Nonprofit Executive of the Year, Utah Business Magazine Marketer of the Year, and has received the Outstanding Service to Children and Families award from the Utah Association of School Psychologists. Her expertise in overcoming significant trauma and thriving is reflected in her memoir, Garbage Bag Girl, which explores themes of resilience and hope. Additionally, Celeste is a seasoned speaker, having conducted hundreds of media interviews and spoken to audiences across various platforms. 


Michelle Flynn, Executive Director, The Road Home

Laura Klarman's first job with Intermountain Health was at Cottonwood Hospital in Food Services, where she was responsible for mopping floors. She graduated from the University of Utah with a communications degree, then served a church mission to Italy for 18 months. She's worked for the Utah State Department of Health, where she supported worksite health programs and promoted healthy lifestyles during the 2002 Olympics. In December 2002, she came back to Intermountain Health to work in HR communications, then served as an event coordinator at St. George Regional Medical Center. In March 2013, she accepted a promotion to become the PR Manager at Riverton Hospital. 

Laura actively pursues community partnerships, serves as Chair of the Women in Business Committee of the South Valley Chamber of Commerce, and is the Past President of the Public Relations Society of America's Utah Chapter. She was selected as "Business Woman of the Year" in 2015 by the Mountain West Chamber. She earned her accreditation in public relations (APR) from PRSA in 2016 and graduated in 2020 with her Masters at WGU in Business Management and Leadership. She was the recipient of the Women in Leadership scholarship. 

Laura is married to her prince, Doug, and has four children. She loves salsa dancing, reading, traveling, and spending time with her family. She's passionate about women's and children's health and volunteers with her church. And she's still drawing on her experience of mopping floors every day – which makes her life a true Cinderella story!