Ease Divisions.
Prevent Violence.
Solve Problems.
We formed UNITE in 2018 to find ways to help ease divisions in the country. In 2021, we began developing the Dignity Index, an eight-point scale for measuring how we talk to each other when we disagree. Our faith in the Index is grounded in a few core beliefs:
Contempt causes division; dignity eases division.
If we put a spotlight on dignity and contempt, we will use more dignity and less contempt.
If we show Americans how they can help ease our divisions, they will jump on it.
In October 2022, we publicly introduced the Index in Utah during the mid-term elections, scoring political speeches on a weekly basis. The Index was seen as reliable, fair, and intuitive. Voters from opposite ends of the spectrum were able to agree on scores, and the media covered the Index eagerly on TV, newspapers, and radio. In the Utah project and the response since then, we’ve identified three findings that give us confidence the Index can make a national impact:
THE ELECTRIFYING EFFECT
The Index triggers a striking demand among people for briefings, training sessions, public speeches, curricular materials, and workshops.
THE MIRROR EFFECT
At first, observers treat the Index as a tool for judging others, then find it is a mirror for seeing themselves.
THE AGENCY EFFECT
When people spend time with the Index, they discover that contempt is the problem, that they contribute to it, and they can take action to help solve it.
Our work to scale the Index relies on three core initiatives:
We are launching “Students for Dignity” groups at the nation’s universities, beginning with the charter group at the University of Utah. These groups will be a centerpiece of the effort to scale the Dignity Index nationally.
We are designing on-line training courses, workshops, materials and culture-change tools for individuals and groups who want to learn more about the Index and use it to help change behavior in their communities and families, and embrace a dignity culture in the workplace.
We are working with developers to create AI tools that journalists can use to score political speech, browser extensions that people can use to keep contempt out of their newsfeeds, and apps that can flag contempt in personal messages before users post them or send them.
THE NORTH STAR
Inside ten years, “dignity” will be seen as a winning strategy in politics and policy-making, and how we treat each other will be seen as a mark of patriotism, a measure of our well-being, and a key indicator of the future.
Our Team
TIM SHRIVER
CEO & Founder of UNITE Co-creator of the Dignity Index
Chief External Relations Officer
Co-creator of the Dignity Index
TAMI PYFER
TOM ROSSHIRT
Chief Strategist & Director of Research
Co-creator of the Dignity Index
Chief Operations Officer
ANDY FIELDS
SAMANTHA BALL
Research Director
Research & Program Evaluation
PRESTON BRIGHTWELL
Program Associate
Government & Corporate
Corporate Development & Training
ALICIA BURKE
IRADUKUNDA ESPERANCE
Program Associate
Communications
MADDIE HAIR
Program Associate
Social Media
Development and Grants
ANNALISA HOLCOMBE
MADELEINE JONES
Program Associate
Higher Education
JULIA MARTIN
Dignity Ambassador
Legal & Budget Management
DAN MCINTOSH
ALEXA MERRILL
Dignity Ambassador
KARREN PYFER-MINALGA
Senior Program Associate
K-12 Education
MEGHAN MONROE
Senior Program Associate
K-12 Education
SUSAN SAULNY
Communications Consultant
GERRI SLATER
Corporate Development & Training
KYLIE TINGEY
Dignity Ambassador
STEPHANIE WALLACE
Media Director
KATHY WHITEHEAD
HR & Office Administrator
DAVID WITT
Program Associate
Research & Program Evaluation
Pilot Advisory Board
MAURA E. CARABELLO
Founder & President, The Exoro Group
Former Governor of Utah
GARY R. HERBERT
PATRICIA W. JONES
CEO, Women’s Leadership Institute
President & CEO, Sutherland Institute
RICK B. LARSEN
BOYD C. MATHESON
Host, KSL NewsRadio’s Inside Sources
RICH MCKEOWN
Co-Founder, Leavitt Partners
President, Waves Enterprises, LLC
SHAWN NEWELL
HOLLY RICHARDSON
Editor of Utah Policy & Columnist, Deseret News
SAMANTHA BALL
Senior Research Associate, University of Utah
Senior Research Associate, University of Utah
DR. KARA BYRNE
DR. MORGAN LYON COTTI
Associate Director, The Hinckley Institute of Politics, University of Utah
Associate Dean, The David Eccles School of Business; Director, the Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute, University of Utah
DR. NATALIE GOCHNOUR
George S. Eccles Chair in Business Ethics and Professor of Management, Eccles School of Business, University of Utah
DR. JESSE GRAHAM
DIANNE MEPPEN
Director of Survey Research, University of Utah
JASON PERRY