OREM, Utah — R. Duff Thompson, managing general partner of EsNet Management Group, was named chair of Utah Valley University’s Board of Trustees during a  meeting Tuesday on the Orem campus. James Clarke was appointed as the first vice chair, and Jill Taylor was named second vice chair.

Elaine Dalton has served as chair since June 2015, and will remain a member of the board until her term ends in 2021. The second vice chair, Jack Sunderlage, will complete his service on the board on June 30, 2019.

“I wholeheartedly support UVU’s integrated dual mission and am honored to be selected by my peers to chair UVU’s Board of Trustees,” said Thompson. “In following the accomplished, remarkable footsteps of Elaine Dalton, I am committed to continuing the positive trajectory of one of the most exciting places in higher education in this country.”

“I celebrate UVU and the way the administration, faculty, and staff engage students with hands-on learning,” said Dalton. “It has been a privilege to get to know and observe committed individuals who are not only experts in their fields, but are laser-focused on individual students, and helping them succeed not only in their academic pursuits, but in their personal lives and families. This spills into our community who are also to be commended for their support of all we are doing at UVU. I can’t praise these individuals enough, and thank them sincerely for their vision and dedication to educational excellence.”

Duff Thompson was appointed a member of the UVU Board of Trustees in July 2013, and most recently served as the board’s first vice chair, as well as audit committee chair. Professionally, he has worked in technology, and has been the managing general partner of EsNet Management Group, a Utah-based private investment firm. He holds a bachelor’s degree in economics, an MBA, and a Juris Doctorate from Brigham Young University.

Each trustee is appointed to serve a four-year term by the governor and then confirmed by the Utah Senate. Trustees can be reappointed for a second four-year term. The Board of Trustees oversees UVU curriculum, policies, degrees, facilities, and bylaws.

“We’re grateful for the dedicated service of Chair Dalton and Second Vice Chair Sunderlage, and the personal sacrifices they have made to serve on the board,” said UVU President Astrid S. Tuminez. “We thank them for their inspired leadership, and how they have provided exceptional care and accountability, helping us to achieve greater results. I look forward to working closely with Duff Thompson, James Clarke, and Jill Taylor to provide continued excellence in engaged teaching, services, and scholarship.”
 

James Clarke

 

Jill Taylor