Senate committee forwards two Weber State trustee nominees to full Senate

The Utah Senate Education Committee on Thursday voted to forward two nominees for the Weber State University Board of Trustees to the full Senate with favorable recommendations. Brad Wilson, a Weber State alumnus with a career in finance and real estate development, told the committee he would use his governance experience to define institutional “lanes” between the Utah System of Higher Education and individual campuses and to ensure program approvals align with community and economic needs. Ally Isom, chief marketing and external affairs officer at Clyde Companies, described workforce alignment, student completion and behavioral-health supports as priorities she would bring from industry and her work chairing the Utah Behavioral Health Commission. The recommendations move to the full Senate after the committee recorded unanimous voice votes. The committee’s questions focused on the role trustees play in governance, how trustees should support presidents and how trustees can ensure institutions remain responsive to local workforce needs. Wilson said a good trustee provides clear expectations for an institution and then grants presidents and trustees authority to execute, noting recent shifts that moved program approvals closer to campuses. He told senators he wants Weber State and other institutions to “work well together” so the statewide system advances collectively and that his time as a student and as a parent of students currently at Weber State motivate his interest. Isom described her experience at Clyde Companies and in state government, and she highlighted work on the student-success playbook and efforts to transition technical-college students into four‑year institutions. She emphasized the prevalence of behavioral‑health and mental‑health needs among college students and said she hopes to identify ways the Utah Behavioral Health Commission and campus partners can better serve young adults. No public commenters addressed either nominee during the meeting. Committee Chair Senator Milner invited motions to forward the nominees; members moved and the committee voted by voice to send Brad Wilson and Ally Isom to the full Senate with favorable recommendations. The favorable recommendations do not constitute final appointments; each nomination now proceeds to the full Senate for confirmation.