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: 

Lightning bolt

THE ELECTRIFYING EFFECT

The Index triggers a striking demand among people for briefings, training sessions, public speeches, curricular materials, and workshops.

Mirror

THE MIRROR EFFECT

At first, observers treat the Index as a tool for judging others, then find it is a mirror for seeing themselves.

Person with speech bubbles

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

Project UNITE Board

TIM SHRIVER

Chairman

Vice Chair

BOB BROWN

CORINNE NEVINNY

Treasurer

Secretary

GREG CRAIG

TAMI PYFER

Assistant Secretary

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

Director, The Hinckley Institute of Politics; Vice President for Government Relations, University of Utah