Governor appoints new chair of USTAR
Utah Science Technology and Research, or USTAR, will have its first leadership change in June. Current chair Dinesh Patel has been in charge since the beginning of USTAR in 2006. He will be replaced by former Lt. Gov. Greg Bell.
Bell will work with Patel for the next six months until Patel’s term ends June 30.
“Every new leader will bring his or her own new experiences and insights,” said Robert Behunin, vice president for advancement and commercialization at USU. “Greg Bell has great expertise in state government, and USTAR is a unique state program.”
USTAR was created in 2006 by Utah’s state legislature to fund investments and research at the University of Utah and USU. Its objectives are to strengthen and grow existing Utah businesses, increase innovation, entrepreneurship and investment, increase national and international business and prioritize education to develop the workforce of the future.
USU has its own branch of USTAR and may see a change along with the new leadership.
“Greg understands USU as a land grant institution and will have key insights to help develop USU’s USTAR program further,” Behunin said.
However, with the change, people at USTAR are taking time to reflect on the work of Patel.
“He is a highly respected business leader in Utah and one of the first people to step up and support USTAR,” Behunin said. “He had the right business ideas to get USTAR off the ground.”
“I greatly appreciate Dinesh’s service and accomplishments getting this exciting initiative off the ground and running,” said Gov. Gary Herbert, who appointed Bell.
USTAR also announced the resignation of Ted McAleer, executive director of USTAR. McAleer has also been a part of USTAR since 2006 and oversaw the construction of USTAR buildings at the University of Utah and USU.
“Mr. McAleer was instrumental in helping Utah State and the University of Utah get buildings up and operating,” Behunin said. “He allowed USU to grow its USTAR portfolio.”
“I am proud of our collective achievements, and as we close out year seven together, I think it is time to enable a new leader and leadership team to build on our accomplishments and accelerate USTAR’s next phase,” said McAleer in his resignation letter.
The overall feeling of USU’s USTAR branch is excitement about what the new change can bring, according to Behunin.
“Change is the only constant in the universe, and with change comes new opportunities,” Behunin said. “We’re looking forward to working with Greg Bell, and our USTAR
program is excelling very well.”
Many students work with USTAR at USU to further its research and get real-life experience.
“A lot of students both undergraduate and graduate are making a huge impact on USTAR,” Behunin said. “We are excited about our USTAR teams.”