{"id":404,"date":"2026-05-21T21:08:25","date_gmt":"2026-05-21T21:08:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/americanmovershub.com\/?p=404"},"modified":"2026-05-21T21:08:25","modified_gmt":"2026-05-21T21:08:25","slug":"president-chris-mallett-why-a-weber-state-wildcat-is-returning-to-his-purple-roots","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/americanmovershub.com\/?p=404","title":{"rendered":"President Chris Mallett: Why a Weber State Wildcat is returning to his purple roots"},"content":{"rendered":"<div>\n<div>\n<div>\n<div>KEY POINTS<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<ul>\n<li>Weber State alum Chris Mallett is named the school&#8217;s next president.<\/li>\n<li>The Weber job became available when its former president, Brad Mortensen, became the president of Utah State Univeristy.<\/li>\n<li>Mallett&#8217;s experience as a Weber State student was pivotal in his professional development.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>Wildcat Nation has a new leader.<\/p>\n<p>Chris Mallett was named president of Ogden\u2019s Weber State University on Thursday by the Utah Board of Higher Education (UBHE).<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/americanmovershub.com\/?p=402\">Scales might be tipping to favor Eli Lilly\u2019s newest experimental weight-loss injection<\/a><\/p>\n<p>The university\u2019s new chief won\u2019t need to ask for directions to find his way around the Ogden campus when he starts the new job Aug. 1. Mallett claimed an associate and bachelor\u2019s degree from WSU before continuing his graduate education at the University of Utah and Pepperdine University<\/p>\n<p>But Mallett and his family will likely need a bit of time becoming readjusted to northern Utah\u2019s altitude \u2014 and Mountain Daylight Time. <\/p>\n<p>He currently serves as chief administrative officer at Northeastern University\u2019s Roux Institute in Portland, Maine. There he connects higher education with community partners, donors and industry across The Pine Tree State and beyond.<\/p>\n<p>Prior to Northeastern, he spent 14 years at Western Governors University as part of the institution\u2019s founding team.<\/p>\n<p>There, according to UBHE, he helped pioneer online competency-based education \u201cand expand access to postsecondary education for hundreds of learners.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Mallett replaces former WSU president Brad Mortensen, who appointed Utah State University\u2019s 18th president last fall. Veteran administrator Leslie Durham has been serving as WSU\u2019s interim president. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cChris Mallett was selected from an outstanding pool of local and national candidates,\u201d said Amanda Covington, chair of the Utah Board of Higher Education, after making the selection announcement on Thursday. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe has deep roots here. Chris leads some of the nation\u2019s most innovative higher education initiatives. But long before helping lead higher education nationally, Chris first experienced the transformative power of higher education as a Weber State student.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Covington added Mallett\u2019s entrepreneurial leadership style, vision and record of advancing student opportunities and workforce readiness allowed him to stand out as a candidate.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHis experience building collaborative partnerships and advancing innovation in higher education positioned him as a compelling leader for Weber State University\u2019s future.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>During his remarks following his introduction, Mallett said he\u2019s eager to return to an institution that was pivotal to his professional and personal development.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI can\u2019t tell you how thrilled I am to be among you and to join this team to help take us to our next opportunity. I am so deeply honored and excited to be the next president of this incredible university.\u201d<\/p>\n<h3>A carpenter-turned-university-president<\/h3>\n<p>Mallett recalled being a 22-year-old carpenter, moving to Utah and meeting his future wife, Charlet, who was studying at WSU.<\/p>\n<p>At that point in his life, 30-plus years ago, he wasn\u2019t sure if he was a good fit for college. But Charlet inspired him to pursue higher education.<\/p>\n<p>So he enrolled at WSU, initially taking an American government course at Clearfield High School.<\/p>\n<p>It was a nervous moment.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBut a member of the faculty put me at ease immediately, welcomed me, and made me feel at home and like I belonged at this university,\u201d he said. \u201cAnd the rest evolved in ways that I couldn\u2019t have imagined.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Mallett called his WSU appointment \u201ca storybook situation\u201d \u2014 highlighting the existing programs and partnerships linking WSU students with industry and opportunity.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe are one Wildcat community and we can do these things,\u201d he said. \u201cYou\u2019re already doing these things. And I\u2019m humbled and honored to join you.\u201d<\/p>\n<h3>Mallett: WSU\u2019s students are \u2018capable and talented\u2019<\/h3>\n<p>Shortly after Thursday\u2019s announcement, Mallett spoke with the Deseret News about his leadership hopes at WSU.<\/p>\n<p>No, he could not have imagined he would one day be hired as WSU\u2019s president when he enrolled in that initial government course. But his path to higher education emerged as he built confidence while studying and working alongside wise mentors and associates. <\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/americanmovershub.com\/?p=400\">Republicans\u2019 immigration bill falls apart after opposition to Trump\u2019s $1.8 billion \u2018anti-weaponization fund\u2019<\/a><\/p>\n<p>He\u2019s learned the importance of universities and faculties serving and empowering students eager to create better lives for themselves and their families.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat\u2019s been my North Star throughout my whole career,\u201d he said. \u201cAnd it\u2019s going to be so exciting to bring it back to a place \u2014 my alma mater \u2014 that\u2019s meant so much to me and gave me the foundation and the vision and the opportunity to now succeed with this next opportunity.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Mallett said his years as a WSU undergraduate helped him develop a curiosity and respect for people who held different views than his own. He also enjoyed opportunities to coach and mentor as a teaching assistant, building skills that have served him well across his career.<\/p>\n<p>The new president saluted his WSU predecessors \u2014 noting the momentum already found across campus.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s never been more important for a university to prioritize the mission that Weber State has always prioritized,\u201d he said. \u201cAmerican families are expecting universities to meet them where they are. To provide value. To provide return on investment \u2014 and not just their tuition investment, but their time investment.\u201d<\/p>\n<p> An advocate of experienced-based learning, Mallett said the time is right \u2014 across Utah\u2019s higher education system \u2014 to double-down on its efforts to partner with local communities and industries.<\/p>\n<p>Mallett added he has a message for the broad WSU community: \u201cOur students are capable and talented. Our faculty are world class. We\u2019re already working in service with partners of this region and of this organization. And we are so hungry to do more.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Utah\u2019s colleges and universities, he noted, are the envy of many states.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe have a lot of opportunities to have the wind beneath our sails and really do more on behalf of the learners and the families that we serve here throughout Utah, and especially here in northern Utah.\u201d<\/p>\n<h3>Utah legislative\/higher education leaders: \u2018Welcome home, President Mallett\u2019<\/h3>\n<p>Several state lawmakers and educators attended Thursday\u2019s announcement at WSU\u2019s Hurst Center for Lifelong Learning.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cCongratulations to Weber State University on the selection of Chris Mallett as its next president,\u201d said Utah Senate President Stuart Adams in a statement to the Deseret News.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWeber State plays an important role in preparing Utah\u2019s workforce, expanding opportunity and helping students build successful futures in communities across our state.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI look forward to working with President Mallett as the university continues to support student success, innovation and workforce development.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Added Utah House Speaker Mike Schultz: \u201cChris Mallett is an outstanding choice to lead Weber State at an important moment for higher education and for our state.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe are excited to welcome him back home to Utah \u2014 and confident he will help lead Weber State into a new era of opportunity, innovation and student success.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Javier Chavez Jr. is a Utah Board of Higher Education member who co-chaired the presidential search committee.<\/p>\n<p>Mallett, Chavez said, understands the importance of connecting higher education with industry and community needs.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHis experience building partnerships across higher education, industry and community organizations positions him well at Weber State University.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>During the hiring search, Mallett emerged as a collaborative, student-focused leader needed to accelerate WSU\u2019s impact, said Ally Isom, a school trustee and co-chair of the search committee, in a USHE release.<\/p>\n<p>\u201c(Mallett\u2019s) own journey as a Weber Wildcat demonstrates what is possible for students and our greater community.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/americanmovershub.com\/?p=398\">How social media reacted to \u2018Survivor\u2019 host spoiling the finale<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Utah higher education leaders say Mallett&#8217;s experience in preparing college students for the workforce was pivotal in his hiring.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":403,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[17],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-404","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-education"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.6 - 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