Sen. Scott Jenkins of Plain City and Sen. Greg Bell of Fruit Heights round out the leadership team as the majority whip and assistant whip respectively.

The outcome of the Senate elections, along with the election loss of House Speaker Greg Curtis and departure of two Democratic leaders, means there will be new blood in each of the top legislative leadership positions from both parties.

The senators met in a closed-door meeting for about 90 minutes. When it became clear the direction the vote was headed, Valentine asked the group to approve the new leaders, and the motion was approved unanimously.

The Republican leadership team sounded a cautious tone at the economic peril Utah and the country are facing, but hoped to take steps to enable the state to emerge strong from the difficult times.

And they said they would take seriously the public's concerns about ethics reform.

"We have some concerns about ethics. We don't want that to be perceived that there are any unethical senators, but we believe the perception needs to be improved and to do that we need to be responsive to the needs of our constituents," Waddoups said.

He had in his pocket a list of 11 ideas that he said will be the starting points for a discussion of ethics reform.

Democratic senators, meantime, met Friday afternoon and chose Sen. Pat Jones of Holladay as their new minority leader to replace longtime Sen. Mike Dmitrich, who is retiring.

She is the first female leader of either party in the Senate in recent memory and may be the first ever.

Ross Romero was picked to serve as minority whip, while Karen Mayne was selected as assistant whip. Luz Robles, a newcomer to the Senate after winning her election Tuesday, was chosen as caucus manager.

The outgoing Republican leaders, Valentine, R-Orem, and Bramble, R-Provo, left through back doors after the caucus took its vote. Valentine has been Senate president during the past two sessions, helping to enact major tax reform and attempting to delicately handle a thorny episode involving racially insensitive remarks by Sen. Chris Buttars.

Waddoups said he doesn't think the handling of the Buttars episode played into the senators' desire for a change. Waddoups said it is rare for a senator to serve more than four years.

Bramble became majority leader in 2007 and ruffled some feathers with his brash style, including a well-documented run-in with a pizza delivery girl earlier this year.

Waddoups, who manages condominium complexes, had run for Senate president twice before, in 2005 and 2007, losing to Valentine both times. He was the majority leader during the 2003 and 2004 sessions.

Killpack, who had been assistant majority whip for the past two sessions, is vice president of Academica West, which builds charter schools.

"It was intense going through this process, but I think we have a good team to represent the views of the Republican caucus," Killpack said.

Waddoups said he wants to do more to help senators learn leadership skills and develop the next generation of leaders.

The House Republicans are scheduled to meet Tuesday to choose a new House speaker and leadership team. Current House Majority Leader Dave Clark, R-Santa Clara, is the most likely to replace Curtis.

The new leadership teams in both bodies could mean a new dynamic between the House and Senate.

"I hope it changes it a little," said Jenkins. "I don't worry about the governor's office, but we've had a little bit of an abrasive relationship with the House the last few years, and I'm so looking forward to the House this year. I hope we can work closer together."

Killpack said that, when he was elected to the Senate, he was cautioned to prepare for arm-twisting and intense pressure from Senate leaders. He said he never experienced that, and doesn't think any other senators need to worry.

"I can't even get my dog to obey in the house. I don't think we'll have much fear here," he said.