Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr. filled a newly vacant position on the Board of Regents Thursday with the appointment of Scott Marquardt.

"Everything that's happening at a university has a tremendous impact on the state and local community, and it's fun to be a cheerleader and supporter in that process," Marquardt said.

Marquardt, president and CEO of Management & Training Corp. in Centerville, will join the board of 18 other leaders in higher education as they oversee and govern actions at Utah's 10 public colleges and universities.

"Scott brings great expertise and experience to the Board of Regents," Huntsman said. "He has displayed outstanding dedication to our students and to the educational process."

He will be replacing board member Patti Harrington, who was appointed as a regent last year. She submitted a letter of resignation to the governor earlier this month, stating that she wasn't able to serve the regents to her full ability.

"I can't really balance my own demanding job against an effective measure with the regents," she said Friday.

Marquardt, a University of Utah graduate, has long supported higher education and currently serves as chairman of the National Advisory Board of the David Eccles School of Business at the U. He served as a member of the board of trustees at Weber State University from 1996 to 2003 and chaired that board starting in 1999. He is also a member of WSU's National Advisory Council.

While a student at the U., Marquardt earned a bachelor's degree in management, an MBA and a law degree.

He will assume the six-year term as regent upon Senate confirmation later this month.

---

E-mail: wleonard@desnews.com