Utah Valley University MBA Program professor and local investment firm CEO Jim Mortensen has been named the new vice president of Finance. He succeeds Linda Makin, who retired last week.

As vice president of Finance, Mortensen will oversee the university’s budget, PBA process, procurement, accounting, and asset management. In addition, he will have oversight for UVU’s executive and continuing education programs. Mortensen will begin his new role this week.

“Jim Mortensen is a great addition to the university’s leadership team,” said Wayne Vaught, acting president and provost of UVU. “He was selected from a strong field of candidates and brings a vast amount of experience and expertise in strategy and finance. Jim’s skills are essential as we work towards the university’s Vision 2030. He will focus on ensuring we have the resources we need to fulfill our student-focused mission and continuing to be wise stewards of the funds we receive from the state.”

In nearly 30 years of management consulting, Mortensen has specialized in helping organizations reposition themselves to successfully thrive in today’s market. His consulting engagements include Fortune 500 and national ministry-level clients, where he has worked on human capital, national preparedness, and international business issues.

Mortensen is the founder and CEO of Idyllwood Investments, LLC, which oversees a major real estate development project in Wasatch County. Since 2013, Mortensen has also been a member of the Woodbury School of Business MBA Program, teaching courses in strategy and consulting. He was also instrumental in creating a partnership with Silicon Slopes.

Additionally, Mortensen has facilitated strategic planning and training sessions for the Utah Highway Patrol, the Mighty Five Parks, Davis County, the Human Resource Association of Central Utah, and other organizations. He was an adjunct professor of economics, statistics, leadership, and project management at Brigham Young University for seven years. Prior to that, he was a consultant at Booz Allen Hamilton. In 2019, he received the Ian Wilson Community Engagement Award from the Woodbury School of Business.

Mortensen holds a Master of Public Administration from BYU, a Master of Science in human development from Virginia Tech, and a bachelor’s degree in business administration from BYU.