University Leadership

Cathy Anderson, CPA, is the Chief Financial Officer and Vice-President of Administrative Services for the University of Utah.  She assumed these roles in September 1, 2018 and July 1, 2020, respectively.

As CFO and VP of Administrative Services, Cathy is responsible for a variety of areas, including:  Budget and Planning, Auxiliary Services, Campus Planning and facilities management, Campus Safety, Investment Management, Treasury Services, Financial and Business Services, Internal Audit

As CFO, Cathy works in close partnership with the president and two senior vice presidents on the overall university budget, advising on strategies and actions that enable sound financial management and advancement of the entire University of Utah mission.  One of the key aspects of the role is carrying out the One U vision.

Cathy formerly served as chief financial officer for main campus; associate vice president for budget and planning and associate dean for finance and administration in the School of Medicine.

She was chief financial officer for Cimarron Software before joining the University of Utah.  She has also held several positions with the Utah State Auditor’s Office.

Cathy has a bachelor’s degree and an MBA from the University of Utah and is a certified public accountant.

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Lori McDonald, PhD, is serving in her third year as Vice President for Student Affairs at the University of Utah. She has previously served as Associate Vice President and Dean of Students from 2013 – 2019.

Credited with the capacity to build vibrant partnerships with major offices and academic units across campus, McDonald provides innovative leadership to a comprehensive Student Affairs Division that includes Housing & Residential Education, Student Development & Inclusion, Student Health & Wellness and the Office of the Dean of Students. As Dean, she served as the Student Affairs Administrator for Campus Emergency Management and as the Senior Deputy Title IX coordinator and now sits on the President's Cabinet and the Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs' Academic Leadership Team.

McDonald earned her doctorate from the University of Utah’s Department of Educational Leadership & Policy. She has a master’s degree in higher education and student affairs from The Ohio State University and a bachelor’s degree in biology, also from the U. This year of her tenure as Vice President marks the twenty-fifth year of service within the University of Utah’s Division of Student Affairs.

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Mary Ann Villarreal, Ph.D. is fueled by an unwavering commitment to ensure the doors to receiving a degree remain open and the table is set for everyone to participate. As the inaugural vice president for Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion at the University of Utah, she provides leadership and strategic oversight of diversity and inclusion initiatives across the University’s academic and health sciences campuses.

Through difficult and meaningful conversations with people representing a variety of perspectives and diverse communities, Villarreal aims to foster a shared commitment to cultural transformation in practice, policy, and processes at the U and in higher education. In doing so, she also serves on the Association of American Colleges & Universities’ Board of Directors and the executive committee of the Association of Public Land-Grant Universities’ Commission on Access, Diversity and Excellence.

Prior to her current role, Villarreal served as the associate vice president of strategic initiatives at California State University, Fullerton; the associate dean at Colorado Women’s College at the University of Denver; an assistant professor of history at the University of Colorado, Boulder; and an instructor as well as an assistant professor of history and ethnic studies at the University of Utah. She has authored articles and book chapters, and her book Listening to Rosita: The Business of Tejana Music and Culture, 1930–1955, won the South Texas College Américo Paredes Book Award.

Adopted and raised by her grandparents in a small Texas town at the junction of Texas Highways 239 and 35, Villarreal’s grandmother and sister worked extra jobs so that she could participate in extracurricular activities—a practice that made her a strong believer in creating equity in access to high-impact practices. Villarreal enlisted in the U.S. Air Force Reserves and became the first member of her family to earn a degree. She holds a bachelor’s in women’s studies from Mount Holyoke College and a Ph.D. in history from Arizona State University.

When not working, Villarreal enjoys the quiet moments of drinking coffee on the deck with her partner and the laughter when they play board games with their two children and her grandmother. She starts each day knowing she stands on the shoulders of brave and courageous mentors who set her on the path to learning and growing in social justice work and the field of oral history; this path has taught her to enter spaces with a responsibility to make room for others. She believes education can change the trajectory of a life—since it remarkably changed hers.

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In June 2021, Mark Harlan began his fourth year as director of athletics at the University of Utah. A veteran administrator with a deep history in the Pac-12 Conference, Harlan brought more than 20 years of intercollegiate athletics experience at five universities to Salt Lake City, including four years as director of athletics at the University of South Florida.

In his first three years at Utah, Harlan has overseen significant success in competition, in the classroom, in the community, and in fundraising, with marked improvements to the student-athlete experience. The skiing program has won two national championships (2019, 2021) and was the leader through two days of the 2020 NCAA Championships when the meet was canceled; the football program won back-to-back Pac-12 South championships in 2018 and ’19, and played in the Holiday Bowl and Alamo Bowl; gymnastics finished third at the 2021 NCAA Championships, advanced to the 2019 NCAA semifinals and claimed both the 2021 Pac-12 Championship and the 2020 regular season Pac-12 title; and the volleyball program has competed in three consecutive NCAA tournaments with a Sweet 16 appearance in 2019.

In addition, the men’s tennis, women’s cross-country and men’s golf programs have advanced to NCAA Championships competition as teams, and the Utes achieved their highest final fall ranking in the 2019 Learfield/IMG Director’s Cup, ranking 18th, third among Pac-12 schools. That 2019 fall sports season saw all four of Utah’s fall sports programs reach postseason play.

Academic achievement has risen to new heights under Harlan’s leadership, with Utah’s student-athletes posting the top three semester GPAs, including a program-record 3.57 in Spring 2020. In each of his three years at Utah, the Utes’ student-athletes have broken the previous record for full-year GPA, including a GPA of 3.407 in 2020-21. That topped the previous record of 3.387 set in 2019-20, which had eclipsed the previous best of 3.25 in 2018-19, Harlan’s first year at the U.

In addition, Utah’s 95-percent graduation rate, according to the NCAA’s November 2018 Graduation Success Rate report, was the highest in school history, and has been followed by back-to-back 94-percent rates in the 2019 and 2020 reports.

Harlan has spearheaded the development of the Ken Garff Red Zone at Rice-Eccles Stadium, which opened in 2021 and expands the stadium’s capacity to 51,444, while adding new team locker room facilities, club spaces and premium seating. Groundbreaking took place in November 2019, and construction on the $80 million expansion began in early 2020 on the project that will also fully enclose the stadium’s south end zone area. Harlan and University of Utah President Ruth V. Watkins unveiled plans for the project in November 2018, and in April 2019 announced the Ken Garff family’s $17.5 donation, the largest gift in Utah Athletics history.

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Jason Perry is the Vice President for Government Relations and the Director of the Hinckley Institute of Politics at the University of Utah.  Jason brings more than 25 years of experience working in the public sector, where he has worked extensively with policy makers at the local, state, and federal level.

Jason is a graduate of the S.J. Quinney College of Law at The University of Utah and began his career working for Attorney General Jan Graham. A passionate advocate for protecting children, Jason helped launch the Internet Crimes Against Children Taskforce and received the FBI Director’s Award for distinguished service to the law enforcement community. He also served as a Special Assistant U.S. Attorney.

Following his service in the Attorney General’s office, Jason became an Administrative Judge in Utah’s Department of Commerce where he quickly rose to the level of deputy director. While serving in this capacity, former Utah Governor Jon Huntsman, Jr. appointed Jason to serve as the Executive Director of the Governor’s Office of Economic Development. During his time leading GOED, he was instrumental in the recruitment and expansion of companies that bolstered Utah’s economy and helped the state receive numerous national accolades including one of the Most Business Friendly States, Most Dynamic Economy, and Best Managed State.  Most recently, Jason served as the Chief of Staff for Governor Gary Herbert.  Jason became Vice President for Government Relations at the University of Utah in 2011 and Director of the Hinckley Institute in 2016.

Jason makes his home in Salt Lake City with his wife Mary Catherine and their four children.

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Chris Nelson is the chief university relations officer and secretary to the university. Prior to assuming this role in August 2022, Nelson served as interim chief marketing and communication officer and the university’s communications director/chief spokesperson. Over the course of his 26-year career at the university, Nelson has held a number of senior roles in strategic communications, marketing and fundraising, including: assistant vice president for public affairs at University of Utah Health and executive director of the University of Utah Hospital Foundation. He holds a master’s degree in public administration, bachelor’s degrees in mass communication and political science, and a graduate certificate in integrated marketing communications—all from the University of Utah.

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Jeff Herring has served as the Chief Human Resource Officer at the University of Utah since 2013. Prior to the U, Jeff served on the Governor’s Cabinet as the Executive Director of the Utah Department of Human Resource Management for 12 years. In HR, Jeff has consistently focused on developing the organizations strategic efforts using principles of increasing customer service, efficiency and effectiveness, and leadership capacity.

Prior to his public service, Jeff worked as an attorney focusing in the area of labor and employment law.

Jeff earned his BA in History from the University of Utah. He then went on to earn his MBA with an emphasis on HR and completed his law degree from California Western School of Law in San Diego, California.

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Dr. Erin Rothwell is the Interim Vice President for Research (VPR), Associate Vice President for Research (AVPR), Institutional Conflict of Interest Officer, and Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the University of Utah. Since joining the VPR Office in 2018, Dr. Rothwell currently oversees 18 research administrative units that support research compliance, regulation policies, and safety procedures across campus. In addition, Dr. Rothwell serves as the Interim President of the University of Utah Research Foundation that cultivates research innovation and technology transfer for university real estate prospects and industry partnerships.

Dr. Rothwell’s research is currently funded through the National Institutes of Health and is focused on ethical, social, and legal implications of genetic and technological advancements on individuals and families specifically within newborn screening, prenatal testing, and bio banking.

Educational Experience:

1. University of Utah S.J. Quinney College of Law, J.D., 1987 Order of the Coif (Top 2%) Utah Law Review, Articles Editor

Professional Experience:

1. Van Cott, Bagley, Cornwall & McCarthy, Shareholder
2. Utah Supreme Court, Clerkship with the Honorable Michael D. Zimmerman

Professional Associations and Community Activities:

1. National Association of College and University Attorneys (NACUA)
2. Past President Legal Aid Society of Salt Lake Board of Trustees
3. Past President University of Utah Honors College National Advisory Board
4. Utah State Bar, Ethics and Discipline Committee Member

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Heidi Woodbury has led Advancement at the University of Utah as the vice president for University Advancement since February 2019.  During her tenure, she has spearheaded several fundraising campaigns and led the university to exceed its $2 billion Imagine New Heights campaign goal. Since her appointment as vice president, University Advancement has developed campus-wide partnerships with a renewed focus on donor-centric fundraising and a One U approach to customer service and teamwork.

Prior to Heidi’s current position, she served in various leadership roles in the David Eccles School of Business from 1996 – 2019, most recently as assistant dean for external relations. Under her direction, financial support from private, foundation, and industry donors significantly increased; new academic centers and facilities were built to meet the needs of students, faculty, and our community’s business professionals; and alumni connections across the nation and world have flourished. Prior to joining the Eccles School, Heidi was the director of public relations for KUER-FM, the university’s public radio station. During her storied career, Heidi has been the recipient of many awards for her outstanding achievements, most recently the Patti N. Choate Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Fundraising Profession from the Utah Society of Fundraisers.

Growing up in rural Utah, Heidi’s post-high school vision was not to attend college. Fortunately, her academic counselor urged her to apply for the prestigious University of Utah leadership scholarship. The scholarship offered life changing opportunities, enabling her to graduate from the U with a degree in Social and Behavioral Science in 1989. Heidi has since dedicated her life’s work to paying it forward and facilitating more University of Utah chances for those who want to achieve higher education goals.

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As Chief Safety Officer of the University of Utah, Keith Squires is responsible for the oversight and coordination of all campus safety initiatives, as well as supervising the university's public safety divisions.

He served in Governor Gary Herbert’s cabinet as the Utah Commissioner of Public Safety, retiring in September 2018 after 31 years of service as a law enforcement officer. He served as the homeland security advisor for Governors Huntsman and Herbert. Keith has served the state in many other capacities, including as director of the State Bureau of Investigation, assistant superintendent of the Utah Highway Patrol, and director of Emergency Management and Homeland Security. Keith served as a state and local law enforcement advisor to U.S. Director of National Intelligence James Clapper.

He holds a master’s degree in homeland defense and security from the U.S. Naval Postgraduate School and a bachelor’s degree in administration of criminal justice. He is a graduate of the FBI National Academy and FBI National Executive Institute.

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Prior to his current role, Keith served as the U’s associate vice president for technology & venture commercialization and corporate partners. Since joining the U, Marmer has helped transform the culture of commercialization and rolled out three accelerators, a business incubator and a venture fund to support startup companies. Marmer provides more than 30 years of experience as an entrepreneur, executive and investor. He has personally launched and scaled four companies as well as helped entrepreneurs raise more than $1 billion in investment capital. During the course of his career, Marmer has overseen the creation of more than 140 companies.

Preceding his time at the U, Marmer was co-founder and managing director of SG3 Ventures, a venture capital firm targeting early life science investments with primary focus on fund creation, raising investment capital, sourcing deals, due diligence and portfolio management. Before SG3, Marmer served as chief business officer at the University of Pennsylvania’s Penn Center for Innovation and, while at Penn State University, held the roles of director of technology commercialization, associate dean for research innovation and associate professor. Marmer serves and has served on a number of boards and is a past entrepreneur-in-residence at Princeton University. Marmer received an MBA, Doctor of Physical Therapy, Master of Physical Therapy and Bachelor of Science in Health Sciences from University of the Sciences.

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