Tim Bridgewater's name was posted Wednesday on the state Office of Education's latest political directory as Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr.'s interim deputy for education.

The listing is based on solid information, according to state office spokesman Mark Peterson.

"It was announced in an executive committee meeting at the state office this week," he said Thursday.

But Huntsman spokeswoman Tammy Kikuchi declined to confirm or deny Huntsman's choice, saying only "we're close" to making an announcement, possibly today, if not early next week.

When asked if the state office's directory was accurate, Kikuchi said, "Yes and no," but she refused to elaborate.

Other sources close to the governor said Bridgewater is Huntsman's choice.

Calls to Bridgewater, who was in Washington, D.C., on Thursday, were not returned.

However, he has committed to meeting weekly with representatives of the Utah Education Association - the state's largest teachers union - during the legislative session, according to UEA President Pat Rusk.

The UEA will weigh in, for example, on the best way to invest the $15 million that Huntsman pledged in his budget to attract and retain teachers.

The relationship between Bridgewater, who serves on the board for The Sutherland Institute, and the UEA is unusual.

"We seldom agree with The Sutherland Institute, but we're willing to work with him as an individual," Rusk said.

The Institute is a conservative think tank that, unlike the UEA, supports tuition tax credits, opposes compulsory education and endorses tax credits for parents who keep their kids home from kindergarten.

Bridgewater also sits on the boards of two charter schools, the American Preparatory Academy in Draper and Pleasant Grove's John Hancock School.

These education credentials are a departure from those of his predecessors.

The past two education deputies - Rich Kendell and Darrell White - spent much of their careers in the traditional public-school system, earning advanced degrees and rising through the ranks to district superintendents.

Kendell is now the commissioner of higher education for the Board of Regents, and White is the interim president of the Utah College of Applied Technology.

By contrast, Bridgewater's background is in business.

He is the founder and president of Interlink Management Corp., an international investment-consulting company. He also co-founded Ignite! Learning, an educational-software company.

Both ventures were in partnership with President Bush's younger brother, Neil, who was a director of the Silverado Savings & Loan when it crashed in the 1980s and bled taxpayers of more than $1 billion.

Bridgewater twice ran unsuccessfully for the Republican nomination for Utah's 2nd Congressional District seat. He lost in the Republican primary both times to John Swallow, who was defeated both times by Jim Matheson.

rlynn@sltrib.com

Tribune reporter Rebecca Walsh contributed to this story.