Robert McKinley Elected as Chair of Utah Transit Authority

Sept. 29, 2016
The Utah Transit Authority (UTA) Board of Trustees welcomed a new member and elected three new officers. Former Lt. Governor Greg Bell was appointed to the board by Governor Gary Herbert and was sworn in.

The Utah Transit Authority (UTA) Board of Trustees welcomed a new member and elected three new officers. Former Lt. Governor Greg Bell was appointed to the board by Governor Gary Herbert and was sworn in. Current board member Robert McKinley will serve as chair, and board members Jeff Hawker and Sherrie Hall Everett will serve as board vice-chairs, leading the agency’s 16-member board of trustees who are appointed by local and state elected officials throughout UTA’s service area.

Bell served as Utah lieutenant governor from 2009 to 2013. He was a member of the Utah Senate from 2003 to 2009 and served as the mayor of Farmington from 1994 to 2002. Bell has also chaired Envision Utah, a nonprofit organization designed to promote sustainable growth along the Wasatch Front. He currently works as president of the Utah Hospital Association.

McKinley has served on the UTA board for two and half years and represents municipalities within Salt Lake County and the municipalities of Grantsville and Tooele in Tooele County. He will serve as board chair for the remainder of his term, which expires in December 2017.

McKinley replaces H. David Burton, who will not continue to serve as chair, but will remain on the board until Utah Governor Gary Herbert appoints a new representative. Burton was recently appointed as chair of the University of Utah Board of Trustees.

McKinley is a longtime labor and employment attorney at Kirton McConkie and Fellow, College of Labor & Employment Lawyers and has held numerous civic positions.

Chair McKinley says he is looking forward to continuing down the path of change and reform that was started by outgoing Chair Burton. “The board has made a number of significant changes and reforms in the past two years, reducing executive compensation following an independent total compensation survey completed last year, and implementing new policies on travel, especially international travel. The board is currently in the process of redesigning its governance and meeting structure in a way that ensures communication and dialogue among all board members and increases public access and transparency,” McKinley said.

“Our focus on increasing service, improving operational efficiency and debt restructuring have saved taxpayer money and demonstrate that the board and leadership team are diligently working to make this already fine transit agency even better,” McKinley said.

Newly elected co-vice chair Jeff Hawker represents the same geographical area as Chair McKinley and Vice Chair Sherrie Hall Everett represents municipalities within Utah County.

Hawker’s professional experience includes working as assistant city manager for Riverton City and serving as rail projects coordinator for West Valley City. His career also includes working in executive management of insurance companies.

Hall Everett is a former member of the Provo Municipal Council. She is founder of Creative Stream, Inc., a full-service agency that started as a “Mom with a Mac” in 1998. She now designs and executes highly effective marketing and online strategies for businesses and organizations in the healthcare, media, technology, homebuilding, community and political fields.