Devin Wiser appointed USU VP of Government and External Affairs
Utah State University selected Devin Wiser to be the new Vice President of Government and External Affairs.
In this role, Wiser will help the university coordinate between all statewide campuses, “working a lot with our state legislators, federal delegation, kind of with everyone else, mayors, county commissioners, kind of every level of government.”
When Wiser starts his new position on Sept. 21, the first thing he wants to do is add a new perspective.
“I want to get to know the university through this new set of eyes,” Wiser said.
Along with getting to know the university again, he will work closely with USU President Noelle Cockett and other leadership of the university to kind of determine the trajectory they want the university to go in.
Other job duties include lobbying in the government to secure funds for the school, advocate for or against administrative legislative initiatives, strategically improve and protect the school from policy and work on policies with third party and international agencies.
According to Wiser, one of the main goals of this job is to inform the political and governmental world about USU’s goals and ambitions.
In an interview with USU News Director Emilie Wheeler, President Cockett said, “Devin has a stellar reputation for his exceptional knowledge of the political landscape at both the state and federal levels. His intensive experience combined with his strategic intelligence and integrity make him an effective leader, and we are excited to have him here at USU.”
Before coming to USU, Wiser was the executive director of government relations and the executive director of the Walker Institute of Politics and Public Service at Weber State University.
Wiser explained that although he learned a lot in those roles, he saw this as an offer he couldn’t pass up.
Wiser is a Cache Valley native, growing up in Logan and attending USU. He believes that this is one of the best roles in Utah government and politics.
And having his family here in Cache Valley is also a perk of the job.
“It truly is like going home for me,” Wiser said.
Wiser said he is excited to be in a position to help the university achieve its goals. He is especially excited to work with the Institute of Government and Politics because that is what changed his life when he was attending USU as an undergraduate.
USUSA Student Advocate Ethan Conlee said the person formally in the role, Neil Abercrombie, would give advice about how to go about certain challenges that came up while running student advocacy.
Conlee’s idea of the role includes, “funding things specifically in the legislature and keeping a good rapport with national leaders.”
And although Ethan is new to his collaboration with Wiser, he is excited to work with him in the future and thinks he will be able to accomplish what it takes to succeed.
“Honestly, I am just thrilled to be back at Utah State and in this position,” Wiser said.
-Jack.Johnson@usu.edu
Featured photo from Utah State Today