He's an Arizona native, but former U.S. Ambassador Jeff Flake's Utah ties run deep

Jeff Flake is an Arizona native, born in the small community of Snowflake, and whose roots in the Grand Canyon State can be traced back to his great-great grandfather who helped found the town in the 1870s that, in part, bears the family name.

Flake would go on to represent his home state as a Republican member of Arizona’s delegation to the U.S. House of Representatives for six terms followed by a one term as a U.S. Senator. Later, he would accept an appointment by President Joe Biden to serve as the U.S. ambassador to Turkey.

But Flake’s myriad and long-running ties to Utah, decades of public service and deep international bonafides make one of his latest endeavors — taking on the post of board chair for World Trade Center Utah — feel like a fait accompli.

Flake said initial conversations about the position were posed during separate visits by WTC Utah executives, including current president and CEO Jonathan Freedman and Freedman’s predecessor Miles Hansen, while Flake was still serving his diplomatic mission in Turkey, which concluded earlier this month.

Then, during a trip back to the states over last year’s holiday break, Flake met with Freedman and former Utah governor and three-time U.S. ambassador Jon Huntsman Jr., who was serving as WTC Utah’s board chair at the time. While Flake initially balked at the idea, he said last winter’s pitch by Freedman and Huntsman was a clincher.

“We were back home from Turkey for Christmas, spent some time in Utah and went to meet Jonathan and Jon and they pitched the idea,” Flake said. “These are guys that are tough to say no to.”

But while the job offer was recent, the work and mission of WTC Utah had long been on Flake’s radar, thanks in part to his friendship with organization co-founder and former WTC Utah president and CEO Lew Cramer, who Flake met during his Beltway days. Huntsman recruited Cramer, an international business consultant and former U.S. Department of Commerce official, to help found WTC Utah in 2006. Adding to the network of connections, the Flake and Huntsman families are longtime friends as is Zions Bank veteran Scott Anderson, who was a founding member of WTC Utah and served as board chair for over a decade.

Huntsman, who over his career has served as U.S. ambassador to Singapore, China and Russia, said Flake’s combination of political and diplomatic experience made him the perfect candidate to head WTC Utah’s board.

“Having served in both the U.S. Senate and as ambassador to Türkiye, Jeff Flake brings unparalleled expertise in global policy and economic diplomacy,” Huntsman said in a statement. “His deep understanding of international relations and proven ability to foster cross-border partnerships will be critical as we continue to position Utah as a leader in global commerce.”

World Trade Center Utah is a private, nonprofit organization that works to accelerate growth for Utah companies through global networks, programs and services. Its stated mission is to “make Utah the crossroads of the world, one business at a time.”

Flake said his experience as a diplomat heightened his appreciation of the importance of international partnerships. He touted U.S. Commercial Services, a federal agency previously headed by Cramer, that carries out work similar to WTC Utah, but on a national scale.

“This is an agency that’s championing U.S. businesses abroad … advocating for relationships and connections all over the world,” Flake said.

Flake earned undergraduate and graduate degrees at BYU, which is also where he met his future wife, Cheryl. Their time in Utah also seeded their love of the state. All five of their children have attended the school and the family has owned a home in Provo for nearly two decades. Flake said they plan to split time between Utah and Arizona, where Flake may also be teaching part time at Arizona State University.

Flake is an investor in and consultant for multiple Utah-based businesses and has strong ties to the state’s tech sector.

In 2019, Flake made his fourth “Survivor” style trip to deserted islands in the Marshall chain with a group of executive’s from Utah tech innovation company, Podium.

Flake’s first was a solo foray in 2009 when he spent seven days and seven nights alone on tiny and uninhabited Jabonwod Island in what he called “an exceptional experience,” even though it included fending off sharks as he spear-fished. He would go on to take three more trips, one with his teenage sons in 2013, in 2014, when he made it a duo with Democratic Sen. Martin Heinrich of New Mexico, and the later trip with the Podium team.

The sojourn with Heinrich was intended to show that the growing political divide could indeed be bridged.

“We wanted to prove that Republicans and Democrats could get along,” Flake said in a 2019 interview. “I think we were both just getting disgusted with the partisan divide and … an environment in which we couldn’t even have lunch together.”

For the 2019 expedition, Flake, Podium founder and CEO Eric Rea and five other company leaders tested their collective mettle on Biggarenn Island without food or water and only a small selection of basic tools, hammocks and a desalinator in a test of tenacity and collaboration, according to Flake.

Flake said the series of survival adventures was inspired by a childhood book.

“This all started way back when I was a kid,” Flake said. “Growing up on a dry dusty ranch in Snowflake, I read a sailing book called ‘Dove’ about a kid that circumnavigated the world.

“I read more sailing books and survival stories and just always wondered if I were marooned on a deserted island, could I survive?”