When Staci Carroll came to the BYU Marriott School of Business in 2020 as the manager of diversity, inclusion, and belonging, she looked forward to sharing her life experiences in that area.
In her role with the Deans Office, Carroll feels grateful for opportunities to talk with and support students. She also enjoys learning from the experiences of everyone around her and incorporating those lessons into her personal life.
Carroll graduated from BYU in 2000 with a bachelor’s degree in family science. After graduating, she worked and volunteered in a variety of positions. Some of her previous and current responsibilities include marketing for Nu Skin; running a retail store on Provo’s Center Street; teaching recreation classes; serving on the city council in American Fork, Utah; and volunteering on various community boards and projects. While remaining involved in her various activities, Carroll is also focused on raising her three children with her husband, Diego.
In addition to talking with BYU Marriott students about her varied work experiences, Carroll often shares lessons she has learned about raising children while also pursuing a career. “I have learned that life is long,” Carroll says. “People have plenty of time to do many different things, and every goal does not have to be accomplished at the same time. I want to show students that possibilities and options for flexibility exist, which is empowering and motivating.”
Other life and professional experiences have also helped Carroll learn about inclusion and diversity. Through her current position on the American Fork City Council, which she has held since 2018, Carroll enjoys the opportunity to meet a wide variety of people and learn about problems through different perspectives. Additionally, her husband is an immigrant from Argentina. She explains that meeting him and learning about his life experiences led to many important conversations and lessons about appreciating different cultures and becoming more inclusive.
“I always tried to be aware of others’ circumstances, but putting myself in the shoes of someone else facilitates better conversations,” Carroll explains. “Obviously I can never feel my husband’s experiences like he did, but through my relationship with him, I gain a better understanding of certain issues.”
Carroll says her time at BYU Marriott has also helped her learn more about the principles of diversity and belonging that she now uses in her personal life. “After being at BYU Marriott for a few years now, I am less shy about including religion as a part of conversations about inclusion and diversity, which I have found to be powerful,” she explains. Carroll recounts a recent experience with a fellow elected official who is from a different faith. When he mentioned the various pressures that come with being in public office, Carroll responded in a way they could both appreciate. “I said, ‘I think about what Jesus would want me to do and how He would go about this work,’ Carroll recalls. “My friend answered, ‘I love that perspective, I am so appreciative of you sharing your view.’”
In her role, Carroll helps students, faculty, or staff who need someone to talk to about thoughts or issues on their mind relating to diversity and belonging at BYU Marriott. She also helps run inclusion and diversity initiatives centered on students as an advisor to the Marriott Inclusion in Business Student Society. The student-run group is dedicated to enabling dialogue on inclusion, providing career-development resources to students, and delivering diversity training and education for the school. Additionally, Carroll will occasionally provide trainings to various BYU Marriott departments. Because she loves meeting and learning the unique stories of others, Carroll enjoys the student-focused nature of her position.
“A large part of my passion for my job is working with students because each student is wonderful,” she explains. “Some of them recently said goodbye to me because they were graduating, which made me sad because I have come to love them.
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Writer: Mike Miller