Employee Spotlight

As the BYU Marriott School of Business ExDM student experience administrator, Nicole Utley works to help students develop clarity, competence, and confidence: clarity to see what’s possible, competence in their field of study, and confidence to take it out into the world.

For Luke Parker, being a captain in the Air Force and associate professor is more than just a love for airplanes—it's also how service led to personal growth in all aspects of his life.

Assistant professor of marketing Cameron Bale hopes to help students go beyond what they see on the page and think critically to find deeper solutions to problems, both in their assignments and their lives.

For Nicole Donahoo, the path to becoming an assistant professor began with a breakup—an ordeal that spurred Donahoo to turn to the Lord for guidance. Since then, she’s learned that following the promptings of the Lord brings her joy, even when God’s plans are different from what she had in mind.

While not everyone likes to study textbooks, finance professor Tyler Shumway believes that everyone likes to learn. Whether it's through his research, his students, or campus devotionals, lifelong learning has energized Shumway over the course of his 30-year career in academia.

David Hart teaches ethics to MPA students at BYU Marriott and hopes they come to learn that making ethical decisions starts with intentions.

Looking back, associate teaching professor of strategy Scott Murff has seen how a series of experiences, jobs, and even failures continually prepared him for the next steps in his journey.

When Veronica Stoltz was a student at BYU, she went on a study abroad experience that sparked a passion for travel and learning that she now channels as the international program coordinator at the Whitmore Global Business Center at BYU Marriott.

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.

Throughout her career, Lena Lizunova has seen how believing in others can help them overcome barriers and self-imposed limits.

After being pulled from Afghanistan, Major Jake Johnson realized that the only factor he could control in his service was his level of dedication.

Lisa Jones Christensen was thriving as a faculty member at the University of North Carolina Kenan-Flager Business School, but an unexpected recruitment from BYU Marriott brought her back to BYU with a mission to give back—both to students and the world.

According to Trent Williams, life is like a hike, and as he remembers that God understands each unanticipated twist and turn, he says he is better able to learn from unexpected experiences.

Now a professor of experience design and management (ExDM), Patti Freeman draws on her vast research to teach about the power of well-crafted experiences.

Preparing students for the business world is at the heart of what Jeff Jenkins does in his Information Systems classes.

Jeff Bednar, an associate professor of organizational behavior and human resources at the BYU Marriott School of Business, has seen how focusing on relationships and telling his personal story have brought the most meaning to his professional life.

Reid Tileston's experience taking over a small business when he was 16 years old eventually led him to pursue a career in entrepreneurship through acquisition.

Paul Lambert hopes to empower students at the BYU Marriott School of Business to see their faith as one of their biggest assets in the workplace.