Utah Commissioner of Higher Education Geoffrey Landward Joins WICHE Commission

BOULDER, Colo. – Geoffrey Landward, Utah’s Commissioner of Higher Education, has been appointed to the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education (WICHE) by Gov. Spencer Cox.

Landward joins Utah Commissioners Patricia Jones, CEO, Women’s Leadership Institute; and Ann Millner, Senator, Utah State Legislature. Landward, Jones, and Millner are three of the Commission’s 48 total commissioners from the 15 Western states and the U.S. Pacific Territories and Freely Associated States. The Commission guides WICHE’s direction and assures the Western Regional Education Compact is carried out for the benefit of the West, as it has done since 1953.

“I wholeheartedly believe in the power of higher education and the impact it has on students in Utah and beyond,” Landward said. “I am inspired by and look forward to contributing to WICHE’s work as we advocate on behalf of students and their families, especially as we face unprecedented challenges to postsecondary education.”

Landward was appointed commissioner of the Utah Board of Higher Education in March 2024 after serving as interim commissioner since September 2023. He previously served as deputy commissioner and secretary to the Board. In addition to over a decade of public policy work, Landward has extensive executive leadership experience and 20 years of legal expertise in administrative law, education law, and employment law.

“Commissioner Geoffrey Landward’s experience in public policy and with the Utah Board of Higher Education make him a great addition to the WICHE Commission,” said President Demarée Michelau. “The Commission’s mission to expand educational access to all residents of the West aligns with Landward’s passion for the future of higher education, and I am confident in his ability to contribute to that goal.”

Landward is a graduate of Brigham Young University (BYU) J. Reuben Clark Law School. He engages in freelance writing and editing and has four children, including two who are applying to college this year.