Accountancy News 

While most high school seniors were writing yearbook messages, School of Accountancy alumnus Curt Haralson was writing a letter to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), inquiring about which majors might help him become a special agent. He chose the accounting program at BYU Marriott, a path that ultimately led him to the bureau and beyond.

Growing up, Zack Fox enjoyed spending most of his time on the football field. Although Fox’s football playing days are mostly behind him now, the lessons he learned on the field— especially the importance to always “show up”—apply throughout his life and in his new role as an assistant professor of accounting.

For School of Accountancy professor Brant Christensen, educating others and teaching younger generations is the family business. Understanding that life as a student can be challenging, Christensen earnestly mentors his students at the BYU Marriott as his predecessors mentored him.

After living and working in Seattle, New York, and Ohio, Jon Kerr—a brand-new School of Accountancy professor, tax law fanatic, and part-time beekeeper has circled back to BYU—the place where his family and his dreams of teaching began.

Beginning with the fall 2022 semester, BYU Marriott students graduating from the School of Accountancy undergraduate and graduate programs will receive a STEM designation with their degree.

From completing junior core projects together to sharing a one-bedroom apartment in New York City with two other girls and a Great Dane, Sara Sparhawk and Lyn Johnson have been through a lot together. Since graduating from the BYU Marriott School of Business, they have become cofounders of West Tenth, an online platform that enables women to easily market and sell their home-grown talents and skills. These 2004 School of Accountancy (SOA) graduates find joy in bringing entrepreneurial opportunities to women everywhere through their unique business model.

The BYU Marriott School of Business welcomed 12 new professors this fall.

This summer, four BYU Marriott School of Business students were paired with financial literacy startup FinLit for an internship. The partnership came about through a social impact project (SIP) at BYU Marriott’s Ballard Center for Social Impact, which provides students with opportunities to develop business and personal skills while applying social impact principles in real-world settings.

Almost half of American adults don’t meet recommended weekly physical activity levels, but new BYU research suggests a surprisingly simple way to help increase exercise time: just strap on an activity monitor.

Most 57-year-olds aren’t thinking about heading back to school and taking classes. However, Lyn Ellis, a 1985 accounting graduate of the BYU Marriott School of Business, found herself doing exactly that.

After initially attending Utah Valley University and Southern Utah University as an undergraduate in the early 2000s, Sara Hubbs felt prompted to transfer to BYU. That decision led to a fulfilling career that ultimately included returning to Provo as an assistant dean of finance and HR at BYU Marriott.

The call of free doughnuts can be powerful, and for BYU Marriott School of Business student Emily Holden, this call led to her major at BYU and her eventual career. A Yakima, Washington, native and a lover of the outdoors, languages, service, and yes, doughnuts, Holden is excited to use the accounting abilities she has gained from the School of Accountancy (SOA) to serve not only the business world but also the environment she loves and the underprivileged communities she aspires to empower.

When people think of accounting, an affinity for parties might not be the first thing that comes to mind. However, Brooke Bradford, the events and programs coordinator for the School of Accountancy (SOA) at BYU Marriott School of Business, says accountants are all for having a good time. As an employee for the SOA, Bradford organizes events that are not only for enjoyment but also allow connections to be forged between students, faculty, and alumni.

Mornings are when Joseph Appiah shines. As a young boy, he remembers waking up early, pulling on his worn slippers, and making his way to a busy highway between Kisi and Komenda, Ghana, to sell donuts before school. Although Appiah’s current routine is different from the donut-selling days of his childhood, he is grateful for the early mornings of his youth that helped him develop lifelong habits that lead to success.

Nine students at the BYU Marriott School of Business were recently honored as 2022 Bateman Award recipients for their excellence both inside and outside the classroom. The annual award, named for Merrill J. Bateman, allows each undergraduate program at BYU Marriott to select a 2021–22 academic year senior for recognition.

Although Mike Drake was raised in Nevada, he calls BYU home. He spent three years at the BYU Marriott School of Business as a student, where he made lifelong memories, including meeting his wife McKenzie, then returned to the school as a professor out of a desire to feel at home again.

When Carmela Bristain was 15 years old, she graduated from high school, which was normal in her home country of the Philippines. At such a young age, she wasn't sure what to study in college, but her mother, who noticed Bristain's knack for logic-based subjects such as math, suggested she pursue accounting. Bristain followed her mother's advice, which eventually led her to the Cardon International Sponsorship from the Whitmore Global Business Center at the BYU Marriott School of Business.

In a recent study, BYU Marriott professor Tim Seidel and colleagues at other universities found that those who worked at Arthur Andersen during the Enron scandal may be better off for the experience.

Troy K. Lewis, an associate teaching professor in the School of Accountancy at the BYU Marriott School of Business, recently received the 2021 Arthur J. Dixon Memorial Award in honor of his outstanding work as a certified public accountant (CPA) in the area of taxation.

During the fall 2021 semester, the global supply chain management program at the BYU Marriott School of Business recognized accounting alum Brian Hancock with the Global Supply Chain Excellence Award. Members of the BYU Marriott Global Supply Chain Advisory Board, students, and Hancock’s family gathered at BYU’s Gordon B. Hinckley Alumni and Visitors Center to recognize Hancock’s achievements as a successful C-suite executive, leader in supply chain management, and corporate mentor.