SUU: Training Ground for Today's Leaders

A pair of 21^st century Southern Utah University graduates guide Iron County’s two largest cities, as new Enoch Mayor Geoff Chesnut has joined fellow Thunderbird alum and Cedar City Mayor Maile Wilson as vibrant and forward-thinking leaders well prepared for their respective mantles.

Geoff, who took office in January, graduated from SUU in 2003 with a degree in political science with a strong minor in criminal justice, went on to earn a law degree from Arizona State University, and is a partner in Red Rock Legal Services.

He has a vision of uniting the more than 6,000 residents of the valley community that, he says, has become “fractured.” The 39-year-old father of three says that through a number of civic projects designed to bring people together, that his children and all young families in town can become a more embraced and integral part of the historic town.

The eloquent mayor and his wife Dezaree, who earned a teaching certificate at SUU and is close to fulfilling requirements for a master’s degree in education, are parents to five-year-old Phoebee and identical twin boys, one-year-olds Greer and Chandler.

A Salt Lake City native and transfer to SUU for his sophomore year, Geoff found the University to be a fulfilling experience, serving on the SUUSA judicial council for three years, and as student director of what is now the Michael O. Leavitt Center for Politics and Public Service.

Maile, too, points to her SUU training as a key element in her success both as mayor and as an attorney with the law firm of Jones Waldo in Cedar City and St. George. She graduated in 2008 with a bachelor’s degree in political science, followed by a master’s in public administration, then went on to receive her law degree from Charlotte School of Law, in Charlotte, N.C.

The Cedar City native took office in January 2014 as the first female and youngest mayor in the history of the city. Maile gained valuable experience as a member of the University mock trial team and, as an SUU intern for the Washington City manager, gained insight into public administration. She credits SUU’s program of augmenting in-class instruction with real-world application as giving her a strong foundation.

She followed solid examples of her grandfather Loren Whetten who held the mayoral position from 1966 to 1974, and of her parents, Rich and Linda Wilson, who have long been stalwart civic contributors.

Halfway through her elected term, Maile, 29, led the process to develop Cedar City’s first-ever strategic plan and looks forward to its implementation in the coming months.

“It’s vital that we prepare for our future growth with a strong and wise plan,” she says.