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As a young college graduate, Barrett Slade wasn’t looking for a job in real estate. Now a professor of finance and real estate at the BYU Marriott School of Business, Slade strives to equip his students with practical tools to thrive in the “real world” of real estate.

Jay Meldrum, a principal at PwC and the recipient of the BYU Marriott School of Business 2024 Alumni Achievement Award, recently spoke to students about the power of transactions that transform—both business and everyday life.

In a US Air Force Pararescue selection course of 146 candidates, only a dozen completed the course—including Cameron Strawn, an assistant professor of aerospace studies at Brigham Young University.

As a former collegiate gymnast, Elaina Greco knows a thing or two about competition. But as a junior in the finance program at the BYU Marriott School of Business, Greco has learned that succeeding in the face of opposition stems not just from willpower or talent—true progress is often the result of mutual support and shared growth.

In a lecture hall packed with prospective and current business students, Sunrise Technologies Founder and President John Pence shared how saying yes early in his career eventually led him to start and run his own company.

On a ferry near the northern coast of France, Brigham Young University senior Joseph Ward imagined himself as a solider on the morning of June 6, 1944, preparing to invade Normandy. Ward, a member of the BYU Army ROTC, was touring the main locations of Operation Overlord—the campaign that turned the tide of World War II—and discovered a deeper understanding of leadership.

If there’s one word that alum Tyler Banks uses every day, it’s team. Whether he is with his coworkers at Alliant Private Client or with his family at home, Banks believes that teamwork is essential to make meaningful progress in life.

When Jeffrey Pickerd graduated from BYU Marriott, he knew he wanted to return as a faculty member someday. Now a new associate professor in the SOA, Pickerd has seen the Lord’s hand guiding his journey back to BYU Marriott as he continued forward in faith.

Last May, students from the Department of Experience Design and Management at the BYU Marriott School of Business showcased innovative, experience-focused product demos to FamilySearch executives, garnering high praise and paving the way for a promising long-term collaboration.

Writing speeches for the CEO of Microsoft, pioneering cloud services in China, and establishing generative AI technology are all responsibilities that Jared Andersen has taken on since graduating from the BYU Marriott School of Business. Although technical skills have been essential to his success, he has also found effective communication to be vital.

Around 2,000 cadets representing colleges across the nation applauded as Brigham Young University’s Bernard F. Fisher squadron won the Robert O. Thompson Heritage Award at the Arnold Air Society annual conference. This award and recognition are the culmination of the many ways the cadets were motivated to serve as they learned about their squadron’s heritage.

When an academic advisor counseled her to consider a different major, Perla Valdovinos knew she had to revamp her academic performance to achieve her goal of studying information systems at the BYU Marriott School of Business. So Valdovinos reworked her schedule, prioritized her studies, and stayed persistent in doing all she could to get into her dream program.

In 2023, associate professor of management Richard Gardner moved from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas to the BYU Marriott School of Business with his wife and child, who was only one month old at the time. “Everything was in transition, and there were a lot of balls up in the air to juggle,” Gardner says. He started teaching at a new university, in a new city, as a new parent—these challenges brought Gardner a chance to connect with his students and research in new ways.

For the Rollins Center for Entrepreneurship and Technology, celebrating a new office space meant music, free food, and an abundance of information for students interested in starting their own businesses. In September students at Brigham Young University were invited to attend a ribbon-cutting ceremony to learn more about the center’s new south campus space and its services for BYU entrepreneurs.

Christie Clark was used to writing stories for others. After double majoring in acting and communications with an emphasis in advertising in her undergrad years, Clark went to work at a local advertising agency in Salt Lake City where she consulted clients on a variety of projects but never got to make the final call. “I realized that if I wanted to be on the other side of the table, I would need an MBA,” says Clark. So she turned to the BYU Marriott School of Business to aid her in this pursuit.

In the last two years, five teams from the BYU Marriott Sandbox program have won the entrepreneurship lottery: half a million dollars and access to Silicon Valley’s network of startup elites. But the secret of the BYU Marriott’s Sandbox teams’ success wasn’t luck—it was a willingness to fail.

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.

Fortune 500 railway companies don’t often need to remove acres of rare palm trees from their properties, but when Union Pacific was faced with this issue, they turned the problem over to five pre-business students at the BYU Marriott School of Business.

Whether Ezra Nair is balancing Utah County's budget or arranging fire services for unincorporated counties, he draws on the skills he gained from BYU Marriott's EMPA program to manage and serve the county.

At the start of the fall semester, Brigitte Madrian, dean of the BYU Marriott School of Business, welcomed 11 new faculty members to the college. “At BYU Marriott, our faculty are dedicated teachers, exceptional scholars, and transformative role models. We are thrilled to welcome these new professors and know that their insights and experience will greatly enhance the educational experience of our students.”