Kristan Norton-Ipson is a lifelong resident of Southern Utah. She attended Washington County School District schools and then graduated from Dixie College. She eventually obtained both her bachelor’s degree of science and master’s degree in education from Southern Utah University. She recently retired from her teaching career with twenty-nine years in the classroom.
Most recently, Kristan served as an elected representative on the Utah State Board of Education. Her district consisted of eight Southern Utah counties. For the majority of her time on the board, she served as the chair of the USBE Finance Committee, overseeing the multi-billion dollar public education budget and implementing legislation into public education policy.
This strong background and belief in the benefits of higher education will be an asset that Kristan will bring to the Utah Tech Board of Trustees. She has seen first-hand the perseverance and resilience these rural students exhibit and will work to provide smoother bridges for both high school seniors and adults returning to higher education.
Along with her career in education, Kristan worked a dual career at SkyWest Airlines. She has worked for the regional airline for almost four decades and boasts an employee number of 071. Her early years were spent working as a utility employee performing tasks such as hand writing tickets, loading baggage and then guiding the plane out to the runway. Currently, she is a financial auditor.
Kristan is serving on the board of directors of both the Governing Group, a Utah PAC, recruiting, supporting and retaining quality elected officials as well as Utah Loves Public Schools, working to raise awareness of the strong system of public education that Utah has developed. She is the mother of Presten, two grandchildren and was recently married to Don L. Ipson.