2022 Stoddard Scholars Announced

PROVO, Utah – May 06, 2022 – 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.

The Stoddard Prize was established in 1985 by George E. Stoddard, a 1937 BYU alumnus. His numerous credentials include working as the senior managing director of W.P. Carey & Company, a leading global real estate investment firm in New York. He was a pioneer in the use of real estate transactions known as sale-leasebacks, which provide financing to companies struggling to gain access to traditional sources of capital. Before joining W.P. Carey & Company, Stoddard was also head of the multibillion-dollar direct-placement department of the Equitable Life Assurance Society of the United States.

The BYU Marriott School of Business prepares men and women of faith, character, and professional ability for positions of leadership throughout the world. Named for benefactors J. Willard and Alice S. Marriott, the school is located at Brigham Young University, the largest privately owned, church-sponsored university in the United States. BYU Marriott has four graduate and nine undergraduate degrees with an enrollment of approximately 3,300 students.

About the 2022 Stoddard Scholars

After Orem native Steven Bittner graduated in 2018 with his bachelor’s degree in business administration from the University of Utah, he became a supply chain intern for Traeger and then a demand planner for ZAGG Inc. before coming to BYU Marriott to pursue his MBA. While receiving his MBA, Bitter also worked as a finance intern for Stryker and as a finance track sherpa for fellow students. Above all else, Bittner is grateful to the MBA program for teaching him how to embrace opportunity and expand himself intellectually and spiritually. “It has been amazing to have the opportunity to work beside such wonderful people,” says Bittner. After graduation, Bitter plans on spending time with his wife, Eliza, and their son prior to beginning his new full-time position as a finance manager for Pepsi. When he has time to spare, Bitter enjoys water polo and water skiing.

Originally from Farmington, Utah, Spencer Farley graduated from BYU Marriott in 2017 with a bachelor’s degree in finance. Immediately following graduation, he spent the next two years working for Cardinal Health as a financial analyst and another year as a senior financial analyst for Advanced Drainage Systems. During his undergrad, Farley was copresident of the Corporate Finance Club and then vice president of the Graduate Real Estate Association and the Graduate Finance Association during his time with the MBA. Additionally, Farley has also worked as a teaching assistant for three separate finance classes. During the 2021 summer, Farley completed an internship with Lument as a summer associate and will return to the company in a full-time role as a production associate following graduation. Farley is grateful for the beneficial lessons he learned while attending BYU Marriott and for the opportunity to work alongside driven, faithful peers who have inspired him to be the best version of himself. Outside of school and work, Farley enjoys reading, traveling, and spending time with his wife, Janessa, and their three children.

An admirer of the great outdoors, dad jokes, and spicy food, Melissa Hilton finds ways to enjoy the little things in life. Originally from Temecula, California, Hilton made the trek to BYU Marriott and graduated with her bachelor’s degree in finance in 2018. Following her undergrad, she worked as an equity research analyst for Goldman Sachs before returning to BYU Marriott to earn her MBA. During her time at BYU Marriott, Hilton has served as the director of finance for BYU Cougar Capital, a vice president for the Graduate Finance Association, and a student mentor for finance, consulting, and Women in Management. Hilton has also worked as a teaching assistant for various classes in the finance program and completed an internship with the Cynosure Group, where she will return as a full-time associate following graduation. For Hilton, receiving her MBA was less about learning and more about advocating. “While I learned countless things during my time in the MBA program, the most important lesson can be summed up by a quote from a guest speaker my first semester, ‘The best way to advocate for yourself is to lift others,'" says Hilton.

CFO of the MBA Student Association, VP of the Graduate Finance Association, and father of a two-year-old, Spencer Van Leeuwen knows how to keep busy. Originally from Kaysville, Utah, Van Leeuwen graduated from BYU Marriott in 2018 with a bachelor’s degree in global supply chain management. He then worked as a client onboarding specialist for EasyPost for two years before beginning his MBA. Following graduation, Van Leeuwen is accepting a full-time position with Walmart as the senior manager of merchandising operations. As he prepares to leave the MBA program, Van Leeuwen is grateful for all the connections he was able to create over the past two years. “I have been so blessed to spend the last two years surrounded by an incredible cohort of future leaders and entrepreneurs. This program truly does shape us to be men and women of faith, intellect, and character, all of which are attributes demonstrated by the faculty and staff that have helped make this such a great program,” says Van Leeuwen.

When he isn’t working, Oak Ridge, Tennessee, native Brian Low can often be found outside rock climbing, mountain biking, or playing at the park with his wife, Ashley, and their two young sons. Low graduated from BYU Marriott in 2017 with a bachelor’s degree in recreation management and then worked for ShopHero Inc. as a client manager and Blue Raven Solar as an operations manager before returning to BYU Marriott to receive his MBA. During his time in the MBA program, he has served as the director of business development for the Cougar Strategy Group and as a mentor for those on the finance track. After graduation, Low will be working for Medtronic as an investor-relations senior associate. While Low is appreciative to the BYU Marriott MBA program for the many technical skills he has acquired, he says he is most grateful for the confidence the program instilled in him to switch career paths and pursue the right opportunities.

Madhavan Padmanabhan, a native of Chennai, India, is excited to take the knowledge he has gained from BYU Marriott back to his homeland as he strives to elevate transparency and ethical leadership among entrepreneurs. Prior to receiving his MBA, Padmanabhan received his bachelor’s degree in accounting from the University of Madras and then became a licensed chartered accountant. After working as a partner at B. Thiagarajan & Company in Chennai for five years, he came to BYU Marriott to pursue his MBA. Padmanabhan has kept busy while in school, serving as a mentor for first-year MBA finance students, a teaching assistant, an equity research analyst, and vice president of the Graduate Finance Association. Outside of school, he enjoys spending time with his wife, TJ; keeping up his karate skills; and teaching yoga. Following graduation, Padmanabhan will work for Bank of America as a strategy and management associate and is looking forward to employing the ethical leadership skills he learned at BYU Marriott. “I will use the knowledge, skills, and expertise I have gained during my time at Brigham Young University to contribute to my community after graduation,” he says.

Great Falls, Virginia, native Dillon Redd says that, for him, the MBA program at BYU Marriott has been a “transformational experience.” After receiving his bachelor’s degree in economics from BYU in 2017, Redd worked at Capital Children’s Healthcare developing processes to improve customer experience and company cash flow for two years. In 2020 he began the MBA program and kept busy with classes and being president of BYU’s chapter of the Adam Smith Society and vice president of the Graduate Finance Association, in addition to serving as a mentor for first-year students. “I have learned new skills throughout the MBA program that have enabled me to make a significant career change. I’ve been given many leadership opportunities that have helped me grow,” says Redd. In his spare time, Redd spends time with his wife, Megan, and enjoys snowboarding, making art, watching films, and playing innertube water polo.

After graduating from BYU–Idaho in 2018 with a bachelor’s degree in accounting, Pavel Semenenkov worked as an international financial analyst for wellness company Melaleuca before beginning his MBA journey at BYU Marriott. Originally from Kaliningrad, Russia, Semenenkov had the opportunity to intern for FTI Consulting as a senior associate and then began working for GPS Capital Markets as a financial analyst after coming to BYU Marriott. When he wasn’t in class, Semenenkov was serving as the vice president of the Strategy and Consulting Club and as an equity analyst at BYU Marriott’s Silver Fund. Semenenkov enjoys hiking, trying new food, and spending time with his wife, Rachel, and their young daughter. After graduation, he will be working as a senior management consulting associate for PwC and hopes to consistently put himself in situations where he can learn, grow, and improve. While he is grateful for the technical training, he received from the MBA program, Semenenkov is most thankful for the people he met while attending BYU Marriott. “I enjoyed associating with accomplished and smart people on a daily basis while I was a student here. I undoubtedly learned a lot from my professors, but I learned even more from many of my classmates, many of whom will become my lifelong friends,” he says.

Of his six siblings, Kaysville, Utah, native Matt Smith is the only one to graduate from BYU. He graduated in 2016 with bachelor’s degrees in business management and French Studies as well as a global management certificate. In the same year, he also won the Miller New Venture Challenge and the Utah Entrepreneur Challenge. As a market research consultant for Qualtrics, founder of Vizi Social, and an associate for the Kickstart Seed Fund, Smith has used his entrepreneurship skills and business knowledge in a variety of ways. In his free time, Smith can be found cycling, playing soccer, trying new restaurants, or wood working. Following graduation, he plans to continue working for the Kickstart Seed Fund. Smith is grateful for how the BYU Marriott MBA program refined him and led to meaningful connections with wonderful people. “The MBA program has allowed me to work with some of the best people I have ever met. I will use my MBA experience as a stepping stone to build creative and impactful businesses as both an investor and founder,” says Smith.