News Releases 

BYU Marriott School of Business student Dave Anderson has found that in life, just like in the accounting systems he studies, “There’s always something that can be improved,” he says. “I just have to look in the right places.”

For the first time, the BYU Marriott School of Business hosted NAC Connect, an event that joins students with business professionals, including members of the school's National Advisory Council (NAC), through keynote speakers, breakout sessions, and networking opportunities.

Creighton Hansen’s path to the BYU Marriott School of Business was anything but short. Standing at 6’6”, he played basketball at two different colleges before choosing to pursue a career in law. Although it meant parting with the sport he loved, Hansen says, he felt he could make a greater impact by committing to a new goal: “I felt I needed to be in the BYU Marriott School of Business.”

Bill Hulterstrom, recipient of the 2026 BYU Marriott School of Business Honored Alumni Award, began his message with a simple observation: “At three months of age, a baby notices if you’re looking at them or not.” His message centered on the importance of seeing others. “We—the human creature—never outgrow the need to be seen.”

Charlie Koelliker, his brother Will, and their siblings keep a list of places where their late father, David, promised they could feel his love after he passed away. One of those places is the baseball field, and another is Kore Baseball, the company that David founded. Now, with support from the Rollins Center of Technology and Entrepreneurship at the BYU Marriott School of Business, Charlie says they are continuing their father’s legacy and finding purpose in pain as they grow their business.

Rather than practicing Arabic primarily at shopping centers and tourist attractions, Kiki Aldridge talked with local Moroccans as an intern with a pediatric oncology clinic. At the clinic, she found that her connections, both foreign and domestic, were key to achieving her goals to make a difference.

After twenty years of being a stay-at-home mom, Janae Ricks had no plans to get a master’s degree. But receiving unexpected inspiration led Ricks to apply to the MBA program at the BYU Marriott School of Business, and she says the network she has built has influenced not only her life but also her family.

Paden Howard was serving a church mission in Brazil when COVID-19 forced him home for 19 months. Four years after he received his mission call, he completed his service; but Howard says the longer-than-expected journey helped him develop a deep love for service that led him to join the BYU Army ROTC program. And a focus on serving others, Howard explains, has helped him become a better and more Christlike leader.

Changes in plans are part of the adventure, says Sara Bowman, the Business Fundamentals in Europe study abroad coordinator for the Whitmore Global Business Center (GBC) at the BYU Marriott School of Business.

When Tavita Fewell chose his first major, he says it was mostly to get rid of the glaring "Major: undecided" line on his online student portal. But taking classes at BYU Marriott led him to a people-first career in marketing that he says he feels passionate about.

For the past year, information systems (IS) students from the BYU Marriott School of Business have been researching how artificial intelligence (AI) can help increase access to mental health care. For the students, this research project has been more than learning about AI and mental health: It’s been an opportunity to explore what they’re capable of.

By the time entrepreneurial management student Katherine Kimball was 10 years old, her parents started charging her every time she baked because of how expensive her hobby had become. Now, with the support of the Rollins Center for Entrepreneurship and Technology at the BYU Marriott of School of Business, Kimball charges others for her desserts. But establishing her own business, she says, required more than improving her recipes—she first had to learn to be confident in herself.

When Daniel Lacey came to Brigham Young University, he joined a family legacy of athletes and expected his college experience to be centered on playing football. But when an injury ended his playing career, Lacey redirected his time and energy toward business and marketing—a pivot that would eventually land him on the Forbes 30 Under 30 list. And from there, Lacey has continued to learn through failures and triumphs.

Miriam Szendre is a sixth-generation Brigham Young University student. But, she says, that wealth of family history at BYU didn’t mean a wealth of financial support. Despite the stress she often feels about finances, the senior in the BYU Marriott School of Business human resources management program says she leans on her faith to overcome life’s barriers.

When BYU Marriott School of Business alumnus Brandon Camp saw his twin sons, both on the autism spectrum, spend their senior year applying and interviewing for jobs without success, he made a decision: “We can complain about the problem, or we can do something about it.” So Camp and his family created Gotta Play Games, a board game company designed to provide work experience for his sons while strengthening family relationships.

This year, 14 new faculty members joined the BYU Marriott School of Business. Brigitte Madrian, dean of BYU Marriott, shares, “We are extremely grateful for the talented individuals who have joined our faculty. They lead with and through the light and power of Jesus Christ and are deeply committed to our guiding principle of being centered on students.”

BYU Marriott School of Business dean Brigitte C. Madrian has announced entrepreneurship professor Trent Williams as the next director of the Rollins Center for Entrepreneurship and Technology effective September 8, 2026. He replaces Mike Hendron who served as the center’s director since 2023 and has served in an administrative role with the center since 2017.

When Audrey Vengesai took her first accounting class at 13 years old, she fell in love with solving complex puzzles of information. As she continues her studies with the support of her family and professors, Vengesai says she has seen how moments of her life connect and build upon each other.

Shelley Bushman was working towards her “dream job.” After returning home from her mission, where she attended German Christmas markets, she landed an internship as an experience design and management (ExDM) student with Salt Lake City’s Christkindlmarkt and contributed to the German celebrations in the area. But when Covid hit the event market, she had to pivot.

Brigham Young University student Abe Peterson had no idea what he wanted to study. Discarding the major he'd been in for two years, he decided that any career that allowed him to serve would be the best way to move forward.