Board of Trustees
The Higher Education Act of 1969, as amended, created the Board of Trustees as an integral part of the Utah System of Higher Education. As provided in the Act, the State Board of Regents delegates to and vests certain powers in institutional boards of trustees.
Responsibilities and objectives of the Southern Utah University Board of Trustees:
* Facilitate communication between institution and community
* Assist in planning, implementing and executing fundraising and development projects aimed at supplementing institutional appropriations
* Perpetuate and strengthen alumni and community identification with the University’s tradition and goals
* Select recipients of honorary degrees
Dwayne O. Nielson, a native of Portland, OR, has been a member of SUU’s Board of Trustees since 2001, serving as chair since 2005. He earned his bachelor's degree in accounting and master's degree in tax accounting from Brigham Young University and has been an accounting instructor at Portland State University.As a CPA, he began his career at KPMG and is currently the founder and owner of an investment capital firm that provides angel investments and consulting.He was the president and CEO of Envirocare (now Energy Solutions), founder and president of the western region of NEXTLINK (now XO Communications), and spent 11 years at Sprint Corporation where he finished as the national vice-president of consumer marketing and operations in their local telephone division. The father of six children with his wife, Sandy, Dwayne also serves on the board of the Children's Justice Center of Utah County, founded and operates a public charity to assist victims of human trafficking, and is an avid gardener. He and his family live in Alpine, Utah.
Gayle L. Pollock is a native of Tropic, Utah, and was appointed to the Board of Trustees in 2005. He is a 1988 graduate of Southern Utah University where he received a Bachelor of Science in Physical Science and Geology. Since 1995 he has served as the executive director/CEO of the Bryce Canyon Natural History Association and previously worked for the Public Health Service and U.S. Geological Survey in Denver, CO. During his tenure at Bryce Canyon, Gayle has worked closely with SUU to establish annual scholarship and undergraduate research opportunities for students. The culmination of these efforts includes the 2006 signing of a formal partnership agreement between Bryce Canyon National Park and SUU, known as the Alliance for Education. Gayle currently serves on several community and state boards including the SUU Science Advisory Board and the Cedar Mountain Science Center. He is also a member of the Garfield County High Angle Rescue Team and Tropic Volunteer Fire Department. Gayle and his wife Marie are the parents of four children and currently reside in Cedar City.
Cody Alderson, the current student body president at SUU, comes to SUU from St. George, Utah, where he previously attended Dixie High School. After serving a two year religious mission in Venezuela, Cody began his studies at Southern Utah University and in May of 2009, graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Economics with minors in finance and chemistry. He is currently pursuing a joint MBA/MAcc graduate degree at SUU, with plans to attend law school once his time at SUU is complete. While at SUU, Cody has served as an ESL tutor at Three Peaks Elementary School, as the vice-president of advertising for the Residence Housing Association, and as the controller for the SUU Student Association. His post as student body president and leader of the SUU Student Association will run through mid-April of 2010. In his free time, Cody loves to travel, mountain bike, hike and play sports, especially golf.
Nina R. Barnes is a vital contributor to the Cedar City community. A native of California, she has served on the Cedar City council since 2005 and is a Southern Utah Foundation Board member. Nina is an active member of the Cedar City Rotary Club and serves on the Anne & Dixie Leavitt Foundation Board, the Veteran Park Steering Committee, the Cedar City Parks and Recreation Committee, and the Cedar City Trails Committee. Nina has also served as the Park Discovery general coordinator, president of the American Children's Christmas Festival, and was a board member of the SUU Master Plan Steering Committee. Previously, Nina was a founding member of the Cedar City Children's Justice Center Friends Board and a recipient of the Cedar City Chamber of Commerce Woman of the Year award. Nina holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Brigham Young University, and along with her husband, Keith, is raising five children in Cedar City, Utah.
Mary Lampman Chamberlain, a Cedar City native, is an alumna of the College of Southern Utah (now SUU) and graduated with a bachelor's degree in elementary education with a minor in child development. As a student, Mary was active in campus affairs and served as president of the Phi Rho Omega Sorority. Mary is a productive member of the community and has served in various organizations, including as president of the Cedar High School PTSA, as a member of the Iron County Foundation Board, as a member of the Braithwaite Gallery Committee, as president of the Utah Shakespearean Festival Guild and as a member of the Dixie State College Board of Trustees. Mary is also currently serving on the Southwest Applied Technology College Board. Mary and her husband, the Honorable Hans Q. Chamberlain, are the parents of four daughters and currently reside in Cedar City.
Lee Fife is an alumnus of Cedar High School, Southern Utah University, and Utah State University where he earned his master's degree. A Cedar City native, Lee served SUU as its student body president in 1972 and is currently a member of both the Board for the SUU Center at Dixie State College and SUU's Alumni Council. He is a former member of the Board of Governors for the Utah Shakespearean Festival, Cedar City Council, and is a former president of the Cedar City Kiwanis. He has also served as the executive director of the Cedar City Chamber of Commerce. With 30 years of experience in the banking industry, Lee is now the chief lending officer of Sun First Bank in St. George, where he and his wife, Colleen, currently live.
Jim Johnson has worked as superintendent of the Iron County School District since 2003. Prior to moving to Iron County, Superintendent Johnson served as the assistant superintendent in the Washington County School District for six years. With a total 32 years in education, Jim has been a classroom teacher, a coach, an assistant principal and a high school principal. Jim is currently serving as a member of the Board of Trustees for Southern Utah University, the Utah School Superintendent Association, and the Northwest Accreditation Committee for the Utah State Office of Education. He and his wife, Deb, now call Cedar City home.
Anne Judd is an alumna of the Branch Agricultural College (now SUU) and is a very active in her local community, Cedar City. She has worked as a volunteer coordinator for the Utah Shakespearean Festival for the past 21 years and has worked on the Iron County Cancer Board, the SUU Development Board and the Cedar City Music Arts Committee. She is also a former president of SUU's Alumni Association and a former member of the Cedar City Coordinating Council. Anne has also recently been honored as the Senior Citizen of the Year by the Cedar City Chamber of Commerce and was the hostess of the 24th Annual Iron Mission Days Celebration. With an obvious penchant for her civic engagement, Anne’s appointment to SUU’s board is not the first recognition she has received from the state; in 1999 she was recognized for her community service and citizenship as recipient of the Governor’s Silver Bowl Award.
William Mark Russell currently serves as president of Southern Utah University’s National Alumni Association. Following high school graduation in Rockford, IL, Mark returned to his native Utah to attend Southern Utah State College (now SUU). He obtained a bachelor's degree in business administration in 1974 and then went on to earn an MBA from the University of Utah in 1975. While attending SUSC, Mark served in student government as attorney general and was the recipient of the Outstanding Student in Business award. Mark currently serves as a member of the SUU Board of Trustees, and has served as a director and trustee on several other boards. He is a financial advisor with MetLife Securities and has earned his firm's Senior Financial Services Executive designation. Mark and his wife Jeri (an SUU alumna) have spent several years representing the University as admissions advisors, sponsoring open houses and assisting in student recruitment in the Salt Lake area. They are the proud parents of four children, all of whom have attended SUU.
Renn Zaphiropoulos is a successful businessman, engaged citizen and longtime friend to SUU. After earning an undergraduate degree in engineering physics and a graduate degree in physics from Lehigh University, Renn co-founded Versatec and pioneered the electrostatic writing technique for the production of hard copy. He has also held executive positions at Xerox Corporation and Varian Associates. A respected leader, Renn is a member of the board of directors for several companies, including SUU's National Advisory Board. Among his many accomplishments, Renn has been honored with honorary doctorate degrees in engineering from Rose-Human Institute of Technology and in humanities from SUU. With a deep affinity for SUU, Renn and his wife Ree established an endowment at SUU which provides scholarship assistance to 12 students each year. Avid livestock caregivers, the couple are also major supporters of the SUU Rodeo Team. In his leisure time, Renn enjoys sailboat racing, working with horses, gourmet cooking, painting, music, philosophy and woodworking.
