On Monday, the University of Utah announced Kirk Jowers is the institute's fourth leader since it was founded in 1956.

Jowers is a 1992 political-science graduate who went on to Harvard Law School. In private practice, he specialized in political law and founded the Campaign Legal Center, an advocacy organization based in Washington, D.C., with ties to the U.

Political law includes advising clients on effective and ethical interaction with elected officials, as well as representing public officials.

Why would Jowers leave a client list that includes computer maker Dell, Verizon Wireless and nonprofit agencies such as the Coalition to Stop Gun Violence and the NAACP? Technically, he isn't. While the director is a full-time position, Jowers will continue to work with his Washington, D.C. law firm.

At the same time, Jowers said he wanted to come back to Utah to help the organization that started his career.

"[Time working with the institute] was by far the most important aspect of my college career," Jowers said Monday. "It all started with what the Hinckley Institute offered."

Through the institute, he served internships in Salt Lake County and state governments and at the federal level, including an internship in the U.S. Department of Justice.

He said the institute has become more and more appealing recently - particularly with the creation of the Institute of Public and International Affairs. That's an organization that will be centered on the Hinckley Institute, but will be broad enough to include all aspects of the univer- sity's academics and research.

Jowers succeeds Ted Wilson, a former Salt Lake City mayor who resigned in 2003. Jowers begins his job in August.

jsantini@sltrib.com