MBA News 

In a one-of-a-kind event, the BYU Marriott School of Business, in conjunction with the BYU Sorensen Center for Moral and Ethical Leadership, hosted the inaugural Faith and Belief at Work case competition in February. The event hosted more than 50 students from 11 MBA programs across the country, marking the first-ever MBA case competition to deal exclusively with faith and religion in the workplace.

Whoever said “third time’s the charm” was obviously not an entrepreneur. There’s no magic number for successful business launches, but for Ben Miller, a BYU Marriott School of Business MBA alumnus, finding a profitable business idea took him four tries. He eventually cofounded SimpleNexus, a large, prospering mortgage industry platform that integrates multiple homebuying processes into a single system. In the midst of his success, Miller remembers the influence of the Rollins Center for Technology and Entrepreneurship and what he learned there about seeking and preparing for success.

Empowered by the BYU Marriott School of Business, MBA graduate Betsy Rose always strives for positive impact. In every capacity—whether she is working on human resources (HR) projects from a New York City office or cheering up the elderly by volunteering with her therapy dog—Rose is all about making a difference.

When Ronell Hugh worked as an account manager after graduating from college, he quickly realized he wanted to make decisions about products instead of simply overseeing customers using them. Hugh was told he would need an MBA for such a goal, which he earned in 2010 at the BYU Marriott School of Business. While the degree gave Hugh the career path he was looking for, other aspects of the program ended up being much more meaningful to him.

As a principal partner marketing manager at Adobe, Ivy Portwood oversees a group she calls her "dream team." Twenty years ago as a music major at BYU, Portwood never would have imagined she would be working in such a position, or even that she would earn an MBA from the BYU Marriott School of Business.

BYU Marriott executive MBA student JohnPaul Parraga's day usually starts at 3:30 a.m. with a morning workout. His dedication to his fitness goals is a reflection of his committed approach to life in general, including recently achieving a career goal he has worked toward for 25 years.

When he thinks about his future goals, Wilson Moreno hopes to become a leader who makes an impact—in his family, his community, and his local congregation of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Thankfully, Moreno's time spent in the Cardon International Sponsorship (CIS) program, run by the Whitmore Global Business Center (GBC) at the BYU Marriott School of Business, prepared him for these leadership roles.

Marcelo Souza always had a passion for education while growing up in Brazil. He set a goal as a teenager to earn an advanced degree from BYU, which he accomplished when he graduated with an MBA in 2005. The lessons Souza learned at the BYU Marriott School of Business not only helped him adjust to a new culture, they also helped him become a better businessman and reinforce his top priorities of family and religion.

When Brian Boyer was an undergraduate finance student at BYU, a pivotal conversation with one of his professors started him on the path to his future career. Now, as an associate professor of finance at the BYU Marriott School of Business, Boyer witnesses firsthand how his roles as a mentor and teacher can positively influence the direction of his own students' careers.

Ten BYU Marriott School of Business MBA students were recently named 2022 Eccles Scholars by the school's Whitmore Global Business Center (GBC). The Eccles Scholars award program provides up to $9,000 in scholarship money to 10 first-year MBA students who are enrolled in the Global Business Certificate program and show a dedicated commitment to international business.

The BYU Marriott School of Business MBA program has awarded nine second-year students with the 2022 George E. Stoddard Prize, an award given to BYU Marriott MBA students.

Ten 2022 MBA grads at the BYU Marriott School of Business have received the highest distinction given to MBA students at the school: being named Hawes Scholars. The honor includes a cash award of $10,000.

“Lift where you stand” is Eva Witesman’s life motto. This guidance directs her efforts, whether she is teaching classes at the BYU Marriott School of Business or helping businesses with their social responsibility efforts.

In the fourth grade, Miranda Barnard pulled out the typewriter she received for Christmas and started her own newspaper; she called it Vanishing Tracks. She distributed copies of the paper, which was about endangered animals, to her friends at school. From there, Barnard's love of storytelling grew, leading her to a career using communication to benefit others.

Nestled on the coast of a quiet inlet on the Myrtoan Sea is Nafplio, Greece. The town is home to two companies that currently have student consultants from a university on the other side of the world tucked on the side of the Wasatch Mountains. These student consultants from the BYU Marriott School of Business recently traveled to Greece to meet and learn from the business leaders with whom they are consulting during the winter 2022 semester.

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.

Shawna Gygi is a matchmaker at the BYU Marriott School of Business, but her efforts aren’t focused on pairings that result in weddings. As an assistant director for the BYU and MBA Career Management program, she is dedicated to creating business-oriented relationships by connecting MBA students with their dream jobs, a role she feels is particularly meaningful because she works in her own dream job.

Growing up, Shannon Peterson always wanted to attend BYU. However, finances prevented her from pursuing that option. Despite that, Peterson never gave up on her dream, which she is now fulfilling 25 years later as a student in the executive MBA program at BYU Marriott.

In a drawer in Mike Bond’s office are all the notes he took in training meetings during his 11 years as a brand manager. Bond, an associate teaching professor of marketing at the BYU Marriott School of Business, uses this two-feet-deep pile of notes to plan lessons for his students, who he hopes to prepare for success in the marketing industry.

With no experience in assisted living, starting a company in that field was a daunting task for Candice Rail and her husband, Andrew. Despite their inexperience, the two relied on each other and their faith to grow a thriving business. Rail is now working on her next big milestone: earning an MBA from the executive MBA program at the BYU Marriott School of Business.