Former lieutenant governor and Weber State University alumnus Gregory S. Bell will receive an honorary degree and speak during WSU’s 150th fall convocations Dec. 15. He will receive the degree and speak live to graduates in the College of Social & Behavioral Sciences at 3:30 p.m. in the Dee Events Center. His pre-recorded remarks will be played at the other college convocation ceremonies held throughout the day.
Bell has dedicated his life to serving in both the public and private sectors. A former lieutenant governor for the state of Utah, he is currently the president and CEO of the Utah Hospital Association, an organization dedicated to furthering dependable health care policy and advocacy. He also was just elected as the new chairman of the Utah Transit Authority Board of Trustees, a position he will assume Dec. 13, 2017, after being appointed to the board in 2016.
Bell graduated from WSU in 1972 with a Bachelor of Arts in political science, after receiving a degree from the University of Utah’s S.J. Quinney College of Law, Bell built a successful law and real estate development career. He was a partner, Board of Directors member and vice president for Kirton & McConkie (now Kirton McConkie). At that firm, he was head of the commercial real estate and transactions section as well as outside general counsel to large corporations.
Bell has spent more than two decades in public service. From 1990 to 2002, he served as mayor of Farmington City. His contributions to the public sector expanded when he was elected to the Utah State Senate in fall 2002. During nearly seven years there, he served as assistant majority whip, chair of the Judiciary Committee, co-chair of the Higher Education Appropriations Subcommittee and on the Judicial Confirmation Committee. Bell’s Senate term came to an end when Gov. Gary Herbert selected him to be Utah’s seventh lieutenant governor. In that role, he chaired or participated in more than 20 committees or working group assignments. He also served as Herbert’s legislative lead.
In addition to holding elected office, Bell has participated in various boards and community leadership roles. He has served with the WSU Alumni Association, Wasatch Front Regional Council, Envision Utah, USTAR Governing Authority, Coalition for Utah’s Future, and as president of the Boy Scouts of America’s Farmington Bay District. Bell and his wife, JoLynn, are the parents of six children and have 24 grandchildren.
