Wes Curtis is the executive director of Regional Services at Southern Utah University. He is also the director of the Utah Center for Rural Life and the Utah Rural Development Council, both of which are housed at SUU. Wes has a long involvement in numerous rural issues and in working to improve rural economies. Wes served as senior staff to Utah Governors Michael O. Leavitt and Olene Walker, in charge of rural affairs, and also as State Planning Coordinator. Some of the programs initiated by Wes while in the Governor’s office include the Utah Smart Sites Initiative, which helped bring 1400 technology based jobs to rural Utah; the County Resource Management Plan Toolkit, helping rural counties address resource management issues on federal and state lands; and the 21st Century Communities Program – dedicated to encouraging and supporting rural communities, counties, and Indian Tribes in meeting the challenges, changes, and opportunities of the 21st Century through local planning. Over 100 rural communities participated. In his role as Director of Regional Services, Wes is dedicated to engaging SUU as a partner and a resource to rural businesses, communities, and governments throughout the state through such means as the annual Utah Rural Summit, the SUU Business Resource Center, and various region-wide economic development, outdoor recreation and natural resource planning partnership activities.Wes is actively involved with numerous boards and organizations, including the Governor’s Rural Partnership Board, the Utah Economic Council, the Envision Utah Executive Committee, Co-chair of the Southern Utah Planning Authorities Council, the RUPRI State Policy Council, and Vice-president of Partners for Rural America.