Ilene Steele was born and raised in Salt Lake City, Utah. She attended the University of Utah and earned a BA and law degree from the University of Wisconsin–Madison. She and her husband, Dave, have lived in virtually every region of the United States over the course of their lives together and they are now happily retired, and settled, in Las Cruces, New Mexico. They are currently the guardians of five wonderful and happy dogs. Two are elderly and three came to them through abandonment or injury. Ilene has an abiding love of all animals and volunteers with Animal Protection New Mexico/Animal Protection Voters to improve conditions for all animals in New Mexico. She also works with the Animal Advocates group in in her congregation. She has served on many church committees including Leadership Development and as President of the Board of Trustees. Ilene joined the UUAM Board in 2022.