Our Officers
CARALEE WOODS, CHAIR
Growing up in Texas, Caralee can’t remember a time when she wasn’t interested in politics. In college, she majored in Political Science at the University of Texas. After graduating, Caralee went to work in the college textbook division of Harper’s Publishing as an editor. In 2004, Caralee and her husband moved to Kane County, Utah from Ft. Worth, Texas. They brought five dogs and six cats with them, and began building—on their own!—a straw bale house. Caralee remembers, “It was a giant leap of faith for us, but the red rocks had captured our hearts and imagination years before.”
Since moving to Utah, Caralee has paid attention to Kane County’s governmental workings. Of her role as Chair of the Kane County, Utah Democrats, Caralee says, “My goal is to elevate our voice so that we become an integral part of Kane County’s political leadership.”
LATIMER SMITH, VICE CHAIR
Latimer lives in Kanab with his wife and two children. He was raised in Kane County and has called it home for almost forty years. He enjoys serving his community and has been involved for a number of years with coaching youth sports, and is also passionate about his leadership position with the local Kane County, Utah Democrats as Vice Chair. When time permits, Latimer likes to go hiking, backpacking, trail running, canyoneering, and river rafting. He’s most at ease when enjoying the outdoors with his wife and children.
Says Latimer, “I am inspired by the outdoors and all the unique public lands that surround us. One of my greatest hopes is that we will work together to preserve our environment as a whole, including all of the beautiful places surrounding us. The generations that follow are counting on us!”
ANTARIE HOVERMAN, SECRETARY
Antarie ‘Tarie’ has loved the outdoors, especially the West, all her life. She muses, “Southern Utah is astoundingly beautiful, rich in scenic vistas and cultural history.”
After high school, Tarie served 7 years in the USN Submarine Service as a nuclear power Machinist Mate. Upon receiving Bachelor of Science degrees in Range and Wildlife Management from Oregon State University, Tarie served as wildlife biologist, range conservationist, fire and fuels specialist, and wildland fire fighter for 30 years, serving on the Kaibab Plateau, and for the BLM.
Politically, Tarie shifted from the GOP to the Democratic Party during the Reagan administration, after witnessing his ‘trickle down’ economic plan fail to produce a better way of life for most Americans. The rise of the NRA as a militant, political organization was also an important milestone. Says Tarie, “I believe in law and order, but for everyone and on an equal basis… and not only when it suits you. I grew up believing in the lofty ideals expressed in the Preamble to the U.S. Constitution and the Pledge of Allegiance: ‘justice and freedom for all.’ Today, I’m convinced those words only apply to rich, white men. The rest of us not so much, and for black people, not at all.”
Tarie serves as the Secretary to the Kane County, Utah Democrats. She is alarmed by the current political situation and remembers a time when people were not afraid to aid those less fortunate and supported policies to do so. Tarie has said, “Our government is designed to function like a 3-legged stool, each leg a check and balance of the other two. In this moment, 2 legs have dry-rot and the other leg is AWOL!”
CHRIS MAXEDON, TREASURER
Chris was raised near St. Louis, MO, but relocated to New England after receiving a BFA from Southwest Missouri State University. After landing in Boston, Chris began exhibiting art professionally and ran his own business making furniture for the art market. In the mid-90’s, he returned to college and finished his graduate degree from the Massachusetts College of Art in computer arts and design.
But the southwest was calling. Chris and his future husband, Andrew, moved to Phoenix, AZ and for nearly 30 years called the southwest their home. In 2021, after Chris retired from the PetSmart Corporate Headquarters, he and Andrew relocated once again to Kane County, UT and its amazing landscapes.
As an out gay man in the conservative communities of southern Utah, Chris deeply understands the importance of empathy and the grace that comes from walking in the other guy’s shoes. Plus, hiking the canyons and mesas of the southwest affords fresh appreciation for our public lands and its peoples. Chris says, “Through participation in the Kane County, Utah Democrats as Treasurer, I now have an opportunity to advocate for progressive causes and help make positive change.”