Meet our new Executive Director

When Reed Price, previous Ex. Director of the Utah Lake Commission, announced he would accept a new role working with Orem City, the Commission’s Board advertised the vacancy hoping to fill the big shoes left behind. After an extensive search and interview process, Eric Ellis was selected from 41 qualified applications to fill the position. Upon considering the education, experience, character, vision, and other qualifications of the candidates, the Selection Committee recommended Mr. Ellis be appointed as the second Executive Director of the Utah Lake Commission. The appointment was approved by the Commission’s Governing Board on April 2^nd, 2015.

Mr. Ellis comes to the Utah Lake Commission with a well-rounded mix of education and experience. He completed an ASc in Business Administration from Utah Valley University and a BA in Marketing Communications from Brigham Young University. He worked for a few years in the marketing industry for a boutique publishing company developing visitor publications for the Salt Lake Convention and Visitor’s Bureau.  Mr. Ellis pursued a graduate degree in Public Administration and was accepted into the University of Utah’s program where he graduated with an MPA emphasizing in local government management.

After completing his graduate studies and while interning with Salt Lake City’s budget management office, Mr. Ellis was hired as a special assistant in the Lt. Governor’s Office. He was quickly promoted to be the Advisor to Lieutenant Governor Greg Bell. Following his time with the Lt. Governor, Mr. Ellis was hired by the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources within the Department of Natural Resources as a Policy Analyst to implement Governor Herbert’s Conservation Plan for Greater Sage-grouse. Working with Sage-grouse took Mr. Ellis all over Utah where he met with State and Federal Biologists, County leaders, land owners and other individuals interested in conserving the species and their habitat. Over the last few years the effort for sage-grouse conservation has been monumental both in Utah and the neighboring States.

Like the Sage-grouse, Utah Lake has a great deal of potential and Mr. Ellis is honored and excited to help realize that potential. He knows it will take the collaborative efforts of many local, county, and state leaders to get the job done, but looks forward to facilitating that work so everyone surrounding the lake can enjoy all that it has to offer. Over the next few years, expect to see great progress on the lake’s trail system, improvements to the many access points and beaches as well as increased water quality. All these improvements will make Utah Lake a focal point in the County, don’t be surprised if we see a huge increase in activities on and around our beautiful lake resource.