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LEHI — Sen. Aaron Osmond, R-South Jordan, will resign from the Utah Legislature to lead the Utah College of Applied Technology, college leaders announced Thursday.
The college's board of trustees chose Osmond to become president of the parent organization for Utah's eight regional applied technology colleges. Osmond will replace Robert Brems, who is retiring this year. He will take over as president on Jan. 4 and is expected to resign from the Utah Senate the same day.
Osmond's selection is still subject to approval by the governor and the state Senate.
Osmond is currently vice president of global offering at Certiport, a company that provides performance certifications for academic institutions and IT professionals. He is a former CEO of WealthRock Real Estate Investor Education and a former vice president of Novell Education Division.
Osmond was appointed as a state Senator representing District 10 in 2011 and has most recently served on the appropriations subcommittees for public and higher education.
He was chosen from among four finalists and a larger pool of candidates that applied for the position. The board's decision between the four finalists also involved public comment.
"We have completed a long, comprehensive and deliberative process with our board of trustees," Thomas Bingham, chairman of the board of trustees, said in a prepared statement. "We believe that Aaron Osmond is the best choice to move UCAT ahead. He has great vision, great experience, and an enthusiasm and passion that is unequaled."
In a prepared statement, Osmond said he looks forward to helping educators at the eight campuses improve opportunities for students.
"I have dedicated over 20 years of my profession to the career and technical education industry on the private sector side," Osmond said. "I now look forward to giving my full attention and energy to working with our talented campus presidents in meeting the growing technical training needs of students and businesses via our public state-of-the-art applied technology schools across the state."
