Chris Mallett, a former carpenter who climbed his way into higher-ed leadership, has been named the next president of Weber State University. The Utah Board of Higher Education announced his selection Thursday at a press event on the Ogden campus, formally ending a stretch of interim leadership at the school. Mallett has been serving as chief administrative officer at Northeastern University's Roux Institute and is also a Weber State alumnus.
As reported by The Salt Lake Tribune, the Utah Board of Higher Education confirmed Mallett's appointment and highlighted his uncommon path to the presidency. The Roux Institute's staff profile lists him as chief administrative officer and outlines his work building industry-aligned graduate programs and partnerships in Portland, Maine, as well as earlier leadership roles at Western Governors University.
“I never thought a university experience would be right for me,” Mallett told The Salt Lake Tribune, which reported he once worked as a carpenter before returning to school. That arc from trades work to first-generation college student to campus chief is now central to the story of his selection.
Weber State has been under interim leadership since Brad Mortensen left to become president at Utah State University, according to the Utah System of Higher Education. Interim president Leslie Durham took over in November and has been steering the campus through the presidential search, per Weber State's communications office.
From Carpentry to Campus Leadership
Mallett's résumé blends access-focused work with institution-building. The Roux Institute biography notes that he helped scale graduate programs, entrepreneurship initiatives, and industry partnerships, and that his earlier tenure at Western Governors University included leadership of enrollment and faculty divisions. That combination of workforce-facing program development and online education experience is expected to shape how he approaches the presidency in Ogden.
What It Means for Ogden Students and Employers
Weber State is in the middle of a multiyear fundraising push to expand student opportunity, with a recent report noting the campaign has already secured major gifts toward a $200 million goal. As the university pursues deeper ties with local employers and works to translate philanthropic dollars into training and job pathways, Mallett’s background in industry-aligned programs will be closely watched.
More details on Mallett’s official start date, his transition team, and his early priorities are expected from Weber State and the Utah Board of Higher Education in the coming days.
