Great Salt Lake Commissioner
State of Utah
Bio:
Brian Steed is the Executive Director of Utah State University’s Janet Quinney Lawson Institute for Land, Water, and Air and the Inaugural Great Salt Lake Commissioner appointed by Governor Spencer J. Cox. Brian began his position at USU in July 2022, with a goal of connecting USU researchers and programs with government and public partners to address concerns on natural resource issues. As GSL Commissioner, Brian serves the governor and state of Utah in conjunction with his position at the institute.
Prior to his current roles, Brian served as the Executive Director of the Utah Department of Natural Resources, heading that agency after his appointment in 2019 by then Governor Gary Herbert.
Brian also served as the U.S. Bureau of Land Management’s deputy director for policy and programs and exercised authority of the director from 2017-2019. He was the chief of staff to Utah Congressman Chris Stewart from 2013-2017. Steed also previously served as the deputy county attorney for Iron County and taught political science and economics at USU.
Returning to USU as Executive Director for the JQL Institute for Land, Water, and Air felt natural to Brian. Hailing from Logan, Utah, Steed first attended USU where he earned both a Bachelor of Arts and Master of Arts in political science. He earned a Ph.D. in public policy with emphasis in environmental policy from Indiana University Bloomington and a J.D. from the S.J. Quinney College of Law at the University of Utah, with a certificate in natural resources and environmental law.
Steed and his wife, Leslie, have three children. He enjoys almost any outdoor activity, including hiking, biking, fishing, camping, and skiing.
Established in 2021, the Janet Quinney Lawson Institute for Land, Water, and Air connects researchers from Utah State University with problem solvers and decision-makers around Utah. The institute envisions a state with a high quality of life for our citizens that values and optimizes our state’s shared resources while managing continued growth. We value data-driven decision-making, shared partnerships, and a non-partisan perspective as we share the latest land, water, and air research.
For more information on the Institute for Land, Water and Air, please visit:
Institute of Land, Water, and Air | USU
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