Joel Ferry, Vice Chair

Governor’s Appointee

Brian Steed was appointed Department Natural Resources executive director in 2019 by Governor Gary R. Herbert, and reappointed in 2021 by Governor Spencer J. Cox. He leads an agency of 1,300 employees from seven divisions, including Forestry, Fire and State Lands; Oil, Gas and Mining; Parks and Recreation; Utah Geological Survey; Water Resources; Water Rights; and Wildlife Resources.

Steed previously served in Washington, D.C. as the Bureau of Land Management’s deputy director for policy and programs, exercising the authority of the director from 2017-2019. Before that, he served as chief of staff to Congressman Chris Stewart from 2013 to 2017. Steed has also served as the deputy county attorney for Iron County and taught political science and economics at Utah State University (USU).

A native of Logan, Utah, Steed attended USU, where he earned both a Bachelor of Arts and Master of Arts in political science. He also holds a Ph.D. in public policy with an emphasis in environmental policy from Indiana University Bloomington and a J.D. from 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 and reside in Davis County. Among his many interests, he enjoys hiking, biking, skiing, fishing and doing almost anything else outdoors.