SALT LAKE CITY, Dec. 9, 2016 (Gephardt Daily) — Fillmore resident and businessman Mark Huntsman was elected Friday as the chair of the Utah State Board of Education for a one-year term beginning in January 2017.
According to a Utah State Board of Education news release, Huntsman, who was first elected to the State Board in 2014, will be joined by Terryl Warner, Brittney Cummins and Alisa Ellis as vice chairs.
Huntsman is a senior vice president of Sunrise Engineering, Inc., an engineering firm with offices in four states, according to the Sunrise Engineering website. He also co-operates a ranch in central Utah, the release states.
He has served as the vice chair of the board’s finance committee and led the board’s superintendent search committee earlier this year. Prior to his service on the board, Huntsman served eight years on the Millard District School Board.
“I am grateful for the support of my fellow board members and look forward to working with a unified board ready to take on the challenges of the coming year,” Huntsman is quoted as saying in the release. “I am very proud of the achievements of Utah teachers and students and will work with them and our other governing partners in the Governor’s Office, Legislature, districts and schools, to lay the groundwork to make our schools even better.”
Terryl Warner, who represents far northern Utah’s District 1, was elected as the first vice chair. The Hyrum resident was appointed to the board by Gov. Gary Herbert in early 2014 and won the seat in an election later that year. She works as a victim advocate in the Cache County Attorney’s Office.
West Valley City resident Brittney Cummins was elected as the second vice chair. She represents District 6, a pocket in west-central Salt Lake County. She was elected in 2014. Cummins is a trained secondary science teacher and holds a position on a charter school governing board.
Alisa Ellis of Heber City will serve as the third vice chair. Elected last month to the board, Ellis will represent District 12, which encompasses parts of Utah and Summit counties, and Wasatch, Duchesne, Daggett and Uintah counties.
The release states that Huntsman, Warner, Cummins and Ellis replace the outgoing leadership team of David Crandall, David Thomas, and Jennifer Johnson, who will not serve on the board after this year. In total, eight of the 15 members of the board will not return in 2017.
In accordance with board bylaws, the eight newly elected members were allowed to vote along with the seven continuing members for the upcoming year’s leadership team. Outgoing members did not vote.
