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  • From Social Projects to Passion Projects Thursday Sep 26 2024

    From running side hustles to recording podcasts, strategy student Talmage Morgan has worked to open many doors for himself. Through an on-campus internship with the Ballard Center for Social Impact at the BYU Marriott School of Business, Morgan discovered an interest in social impact and gained insights that will help him achieve his lifelong goal of starting his own business.


  • Gone to Ghana Monday Mar 11 2024

    Though she had never left the country in her life, Orem native Alyssa Minor took a leap of faith to travel alone to Africa. As a participant in the Ballard Center for Social Impact, Minor researched the humanitarian needs of the orphanages in Ghana, which propelled her to visit the country to help in her own way.


  • Unifying for a Higher Purpose Thursday Feb 29 2024

    Eva Witesman believes in creating a better world, and she works toward it through her position as a professor in the BYU Marriott School of Business’s MPA program. Teaching courses on statistics, social impact, and prosocial business strategy, Witesman emphasizes to students the importance of unity with one another and the organizations they will work for.


  • People Over Products Wednesday Oct 25 2023

    Following the mission of the Ballard Center for Social Impact to solve global and community problems, adjunct professor Brent Goddard encourages students to do good. Although Goddard did not set out to lead social responsibility efforts, he was willing to embrace the opportunities that converted a product manager into a social impact practitioner and instructor.


  • A Minor No Matter the Major Tuesday Sep 12 2023

    The global and community impact minor teaches students how to be a positive influence not only for the nonprofit, government, impact investing, and corporate social responsibility sectors but also for whatever professions students pursue. Through taking the 17 required credits offered by the Ballard Center for Social Impact, students learn ways to solve complex social problems and uplift their communities.


  • Three Siblings Serving Wednesday Aug 23 2023

    A surfer, a seamstress, and a storyteller. The three Putnam siblings diverge when it comes to their passions and strengths. But their interests align through the Ballard Center for Social Impact at BYU Marriott, where they’ve each found their own way to help businesses do good.


  • BYU researchers: How a switch to a 'growth mindset' is helping empower entrepreneurs in developing nations Friday Aug 11 2023

    Although millions are spent each year on entrepreneurship training that is intended to help alleviate poverty and elevate the quality of life of entrepreneurs in developing nations, these programs often fail to make an impact. BYU researchers and their colleagues have figured out at least one way to change that.


  • Ballard Center Student Wins National Business Ideation Competition Tuesday Aug 08 2023

    In a landscape defined by ever-evolving tech—social media, artificial intelligence, and virtual reality—it’s easy for women and men from older generations, frequently unfamiliar with those changes, to feel disconnected. Junior Emily Hooke is determined to change that.


  • BYU Marriott Names Eva Witesman as New Director of Ballard Center Monday Jul 10 2023

    BYU Marriott School of Business dean Brigitte C. Madrian has announced Eva Witesman as the director of the Ballard Center for Social Impact, effective July 1, 2023. She replaces Steven Fox, who had been serving as interim director since May 1, 2023, following the retirement of long-time director Todd Manwaring.


  • French Toast and Food Waste Wednesday Jul 05 2023

    Daniel Blake always knew he was interested in starting a business. He just didn’t know his journey would start with a plate of french toast at Magleby’s Fresh and end with one of the largest food waste recycling companies in the United States. Because of Blake’s experience, he now mentors entrepreneurs and students as an adjunct professor at the Ballard Center for Social Impact to create widespread, sustainable social impact.


  • Waste Not, Want Not Thursday May 25 2023

    Passionate about garbage and eliminating solid waste pollution in the developing world, Ryan Caplin, is not wasting his time. Now an Oxford Pershing Square Scholar, Caplin credits the Ballard Center for Social Impact at the BYU Marriott School of Business for giving him the tools to take on trash.


  • Social Impact and Second Chances Wednesday Feb 01 2023

    While it may seem risky to turn down a great job offer or leave graduate school early, Brian Hill doesn’t harbor any regrets. His drive to improve others’ lives has led him to start his own company, Edovo, with the sole purpose of helping those who are looking for a second chance—a passion he discovered through the Ballard Center for Social Impact at the BYU Marriott School of Business.


  • Passion for Purpose Thursday Dec 15 2022

    Ashley Wallace's passion for service and learning has led her from the cliffs of Ireland to the people of Madagascar. Now, as a senior studying entrepreneurship at the BYU Marriott School of Business, she knows the programs at the business school have prepared her to serve better and more responsibly.


  • Cashing in on Opportunity Tuesday Nov 08 2022

    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.


  • A Storyteller and a Strategist Wednesday Oct 26 2022

    At the Ballard Center for Social Impact in the BYU Marriott School of Business, students are learning how to solve the world’s most pressing social problems—tackling issues such as poverty, homelessness, environmental sustainability, and more. Jess Dansie Anderson, the center’s managing director of marketing and communications, is working hard to reach and inspire more students across campus to become changemakers.


  • Conflict, Consulting, and Change Friday Oct 07 2022

    The impact of growing up in Palestine sparked a desire in Zein Mosarsaa to work in healthcare. However, she did not decide which specific medical career to pursue until her recent student internship at the Ballard Center for Social Impact at the BYU Marriott School of Business.


  • The Practitioner Professor Thursday Sep 08 2022

    While on a business trip in Shanghai, Kurt Brown discussed business opportunities and social needs in the area with a friend. The pair recognized the potential to improve working conditions for local factory workers and realized they could start a business to help meet that need. Their idea blossomed into an impact investing venture, a topic Brown also teaches as an adjunct professor in the Ballard Center for Social Impact at the BYU Marriott School of Business.


  • Full STEAM Ahead Monday May 30 2022

    When Alyssa Asplund transferred to BYU from BYU–Hawaii in 2018, she knew she wanted to continue making a difference for those in need. Asplund found a way to do so through the Ballard Center for Social Impact at the BYU Marriott School of Business. In the process, she also discovered how to improve herself.


  • From SIP to Full-Time Job Saturday May 14 2022

    Meeting refugees during his mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Tokyo solidified Cade Hyde’s desire to have a career in social impact. His ability to pursue his goals increased through opportunities at the Ballard Center for Social Impact at the BYU Marriott School of Business.


  • From an Old Closet to 3,000 Students a Year Friday Apr 15 2022

    Eighteen years after being hired as the second student employee at the Ballard Center for Social Impact at the BYU Marriott School of Business, Aaron Miller now helps lead the center as an associate managing director. Through his nearly two decades worth of experience in encouraging and supporting students as they “Do Good Better,” Miller also spends his free time teaching others about the benefits of helping people.