Kerry Gibson is resigning as commissioner of the Utah Department of Agriculture and Food to make a bid to replace retiring Rep. Rob Bishop in Utah’s 1st Congressional District.
Gibson has been on the job for just nine months, since Gov. Gary Herbert appointed him last April. He announced his departure to staff at the department Tuesday morning.
During his stint with the state, Gibson’s department oversaw the awarding of licenses to grow medical marijuana for the first time.
Gibson had left a seat on the Weber County Commission to take the post as deputy director at the Department of Natural Resources in 2017.