FARMINGTON—Jodi Lunt is often referred to as the Energizer Bunny because she has always worked tirelessly for the children of Davis County. They have been her top priority for the last 36 plus years she has been an educator. Lunt is retiring at the end of September and takes her expertise to the private sector but she leaves an indelible mark on Davis County. 

“It’s been a good, long, fabulous ride in public education,” said Lunt. “I’ve loved every minute of it.”

Lunt is currently the Executive Director of the Davis Education Foundation but started her career as a teacher at Ogden High School in 1989. “After Ogden High I did an exchange at the Utah State Office of Education with some federal grant writing with the school to careers initiative with some of the work in health sciences,” she said. “I was there for about three and a half years and after I did some work with them I was offered the opportunity to come back to Davis School District and I worked in the CTE department with health sciences and work-based learning. Then I did some personal development with student teaching and later over secondary science.”

After that Lunt said she came to the Foundation. “So I just kind of had a series of different responsibilities within the district.”

Looking over her time with the Foundation, Lunt said the pinnacle of the work has been the Teen Centers and the Teen Living Center. “The opportunity to partner with our community in making a difference for our students who often don’t have a voice or position or place in the community in order to make the changes.”

It’s just been incredible to watch the generosity and the compassion of the community to meet students directly where they’re at, she said. “To assist them with their progression and become their best selves.”

Lunt said short of her time in the classroom, the Foundation has been the best place to conclude her career. “There’s nothing that replaces direct work in the classroom. The one-on-one day-to-day opportunity to see the light in their eyes as they realize ‘I’m smart.’ Those were incredible years.”

Her work on the Teen Centers was initially spurred on when she was assigned stewardship over the McKinney-Vento Federal Program (students experiencing homelessness) about 10 years ago. “I didn’t realize how many services weren’t making it down to the end of the road,” Lunt said. “I wanted to know how we could better serve them. When I found out we had more than 1,200 kids that were homeless I thought, "What can we do?’”

It became like a calling, she said. “I have the true belief that Davis County has generous, compassionate people who if they knew there was a need they could make a difference in changing the life of a child. I’m grateful that this community went on this ride with us and helped us do really good things.”

The first Teen Center opened at Clearfield High School in 2021, now there is a center in every high school in the Davis School District. The Teen Living Center opened last year and provides students a temporary place to stay while giving them the resources they need to make it to graduation.

“It’s exciting,” said Lunt. “Not only has it changed Davis County but there are 70-80 centers in some form across Utah that are engaged and our district initiated it.”

Lunt credits her team and the district for the success of the Foundation. “I have an incredible team that I get to work with,” she said. “Collectively the district has leaned in.”

It’s taken tenacity, said Lunt. “You have to set your compass to your true North then be relentless, and consistent. It really does take a village to make things happen. People who work together with a shared interest and values – that’s what makes the magic. It’s not even magic – it's miraculous.”