News Releases 

Four professors from the BYU Marriott School of Business received awards at BYU’s 2025 University Conference. John Bingham, Michael Drake, Melissa Larson, and David Wood received awards in recognition of their contributions to BYU.

From the time that Matthias Dunn was a high school senior to the day he returned from his church mission to Córdoba, Argentina, and Lansing, Michigan, his plan was simple: play football at Brigham Young University. But that plan was put on pause when Dunn was cut from the team in March 2022—and he says it’s the best thing that could have happened to him.

Google Search processes 16 billion searches per day—and Joshua Lyman’s job is to ensure that no harmful or misleading ads slip through to search results pages. But before landing his role as a software engineer for Google, Lyman developed a skillset in the information systems program at the BYU Marriott School of Business that has since propelled him through diverse career opportunities.

To help accounting students bridge the gap between theory and practice before they hit the workforce, David Wood has worked with student employees at BYU to build the EYARC Experience platform. The educational platform is funded by the EY Foundation, which sponsors the creation and distribution of educational materials to accounting programs worldwide.

What started as a four-month internship for Jenifer Greenwood has turned into a career of 29 years and counting. Throughout her career, Greenwood has relied on trusting in God for guidance to help her find opportunities for growth, including completing the executive MPA program at the BYU Marriott School of Business.

Scott Murff’s circuitous journey to becoming an associate teaching professor of strategy at the BYU Marriott School of Business has surprised him. Looking back, Murff has seen how a series of experiences, jobs, and even failures continually prepared him for the next steps in his journey.

For Brigham Young University Army ROTC cadets Joseph Macfarlane and Alissa Reno, the ROTC program has tested their endurance and strength: “It’s tough physical training, and it would be easy to just call it quits because it’s hard,” Reno says. But despite the physical difficulty, neither cadet has given up—and they’ve seen how ROTC events and training have not only strengthened them but also increased their ability to lead and their potential to serve.

When Veronica Stoltz was a student at BYU, she didn’t think she was a likely candidate for a study abroad—she grew up in a single-parent home where money was tight, so she had few opportunities to travel. Despite her challenges, she decided to apply for a program, and her experience abroad sparked a passion for travel and learning that she now channels as the international program coordinator at the BYU Marriott School of Business Whitmore Global Business Center.

Forging strong relationships and authentic connections in global diplomacy is often not easy, but when Jeff and Cheryl Flake spoke to students, staff, and alumni from the MPA program at the BYU Marriott School of Business, they shared why they feel fostering meaningful bonds in public service is worth the work.

Since the pandemic, Zoom classes—often filled with muted participants and blank screens—have been a new part of the classroom experience. But for students at the BYU Marriott School of Business who are part of the Silver Fund class, a Zoom discussion featuring 65 BYU–Pathway Worldwide students in 18 different countries provided inspiration and connection.

Ten BYU Marriott School of Business student volunteers headed to the World Experience Summit in London with a full agenda, including setting up chairs and hosting rooms for dozens of sessions featuring CEOs and experience design professionals. By the end of the first day, though, one more item was added to the students’ itinerary: presenting a panel about their experiences in BYU Marriott’s experience design and management program.

Armed with his faith in God and dream for a better world, Salvador Torres Dávalos has made it his life mission to relieve suffering. In recognition of his contributions to that cause and for his many years in management in the public sector, Dávalos was awarded the 2025 MPA Administrator of the Year Award by the Romney Institute of Public Service and Ethics at the BYU Marriott School of Business.

In the inaugural Big 12 Healthcare Leadership Case Competition, student teams from across the Big 12 competed for the chance to win up to $10,000—but there was one catch. Students had to build connections outside of their own majors in order to find solutions.

Every year the Whitmore Global Business Center at the BYU Marriott School of Business honors first-year MBA students with the Eccles Scholars Award, which includes $9,000 to support students with a strong interest in and commitment to international business. With hometowns ranging from Orem, Utah, to Paraná, Brazil, and speaking languages like Tagalog and Italian, this year’s recipients were chosen for their academic performance, prior international experience, second-language fluency, and focus on developing an international career in business.

The skills that Stephanie Goldbaum and Michael Nichols learned in the marketing junior core classes didn’t just help them on tests and assignments: Their knowledge propelled them into the Arizona Collegiate Sales Competition.

BYU Marriott will welcome Colonel Trigg E. Randall as the new chair for the Department of Aerospace Studies and head of BYU's Air Force ROTC, effective July 14, 2025, following the retirement of Colonel Jonathon Creer.

Brigitte Madrian, dean of the BYU Marriott School of Business, has announced the appointment of David Matkin as the new director of the Romney Institute of Public Service and Ethics. Matkin will be taking over for Robert Christensen on July 1, 2025.

Brigitte Madrian, dean of the BYU Marriott School of Business, has announced the next School of Accountancy director: Melissa Larson, the E. Dee and Patricia Hubbard Professor, will be taking over for Doug Prawitt on July 1, 2025.

Brigitte Madrian, dean of the BYU Marriott of Business has announced the appointment of Michael Drake as a new associate dean for the college. Drake will be replacing current associate dean Bonnie Anderson on July 1, 2025.

Growing up, Ryan Sommerfeldt wanted to be a high school math teacher. Now, he is teaching accounting with the aim of helping students progress both spiritually and intellectually.