The Board of Regents has unanimously elected Harris Simmons to serve as Chair of the Board of Regents at its meeting today at Salt Lake Community College – South City Campus. He formerly served as Vice Chair and will be replacing outgoing Chair Daniel Campbell, who has served as Chair since 2014. Nina Barnes was also unanimously elected Vice Chair of the Board.
Simmons, a Regent since 2012, stated, “I am honored to be selected to serve the Board of Regents as Chair, and I thank Dan Campbell for his exceptional leadership for the last four years. I look forward to continuing the strategic work of the Regents to increase the educational attainment of Utahns to meet current and future workforce needs.”
Regent Harris Simmons is the chairman, president, and chief executive officer of Zions Bancorporation. Active in community and industry affairs, Simmons has served as chairman or president of Utah Symphony; Utah Foundation; Salt Lake County Zoo, Arts and Parks Campaign; and the Economic Development Corporation of Utah. He is president of the Shelter the Homeless Committee, and he serves on the boards of Pioneer Theatre Company, Utah Youth Village, and the Great Salt Lake Council of Boy Scouts of America. Simmons received a bachelor’s degree in economics from the University of Utah and an MBA from Harvard Business School.
Nina Barnes, also a Regent since 2012, said, “I am excited to serve on the Board in this capacity and will continue working to advance higher education throughout the state, particularly in the areas of college access and completion.”
Regent Nina Barnes served on the Cedar City Council from 2005–2013. She owns and operates several businesses and is involved in various community affairs, including Real Women Run and the Utah Summer Games. Nina previously served as a member of the Southern Utah University Board of Trustees, the Southern Utah Foundation, and the Anne & Dixie Leavitt Foundation. She received a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Brigham Young University and a master’s degree in Public Administration from Southern Utah University.
