Simmons follows France Davis in the role; Davis and four other Regents finish their terms on the Board
The Board of Regents has unanimously elected Harris Simmons to serve as Vice Chair of the Board of Regents at their meeting May 19 at Salt Lake Community College, South City Campus. He will be replacing France Davis, who has been Vice Chair since 2014 and whose term as Regent expires this year. The Board will hold elections for the position of Chair and Vice Chair in summer 2018 for the full two-year term.
Davis, a Regent since 2008, stated: “Higher education is a passion of mine, especially making higher education more accessible for all the citizens of Utah. It has been an honor serving on the Board and helping advance higher education in our state.”
Daniel Campbell, current Chair of the Board of Regents, said, “We are grateful for Regent Davis and all his years of service to higher education in Utah, and are pleased to welcome Regent Simmons as Vice Chair. He is a dedicated, longtime leader in our community and will continue to serve Utah and its citizens well.”
Several other Regents are having their final meeting today. Dr. John Zenger, appointed in 2007, is finishing his tenth year on the Board. Non-voting members Laura Belnap and Spencer Stokes (both representing the Utah State Board of Education), and Steven Moore (representing the Utah College of Applied Technology), will no longer be serving on the Board of Regents as a recent state statute change eliminated the Board’s non-voting positions.
Regent Davis is a former member of the Salt Lake Community College Board of Trustees and has served as pastor of the Calvary Baptist Church in Salt Lake City for over 40 years. He holds degrees from the University of California Berkeley, Westminster College, University of Utah and Northwest Nazarine University. He lives in Salt Lake City.
Regent Simmons was appointed to the Board in 2012. He is the chairman, president, and chief executive officer of Zions Bancorporation. He received a bachelor’s degree in economics from the University of Utah and an MBA from the Harvard Business School. He lives in Salt Lake City.
Regent Zenger is the co-founder of Zenger Folkman, a consulting firm that develops leaders and improves institutional effectiveness. He served as a trustee of Utah Valley University from 1997 to 2005 and as its chair from 2003 to 2005. He received a doctorate in business administration from University of Southern California.
