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Gov. Gary Herbert on Wednesday formally appointed Don Ipson to fill a Senate vacancy left by the resignation of Sen. Steve Urquhart, and named Walt Brooks to take Ipson's seat in the state House.
Urquhart, who was best known for pushing through a statewide ban on housing and employment discrimination against gay and lesbian individuals in his final term, resigned Sept. 9. He had planned to finish his current term, but had moved to Salt Lake City to take a job as a global ambassador at the University of Utah.
Ipson has served in the House since 2009, including as House Assistant Majority Whip. He is chairman, president and CEO of DATS Trucking.
"Don is a good friend and a hard worker," Herbert said. "His depth of knowledge of both policy and business will be of great value as he continues to serve the people of our state in this new capacity."
Ipson's Washington County seat will be filled by Brooks, who is president of RxTrax, a software company specializing in tracking pharmaceutical deliveries.
"I am honored and look forward to this opportunity to represent the constituents of District 75," Brooks said. "I'm ready to hit the ground running."
Both Ipson and Brooks will serve through the end of the year.
Ipson is running for the Senate seat and is challenged by Democratic candidate Dorothy Engelman. Brooks is running unopposed for the House seat.