The MBA program at the BYU Marriott School of Business announced the winners of the 2023 George E. Stoddard Prize, an award given to second-year MBA students studying finance who display leadership and academic excellence.
The 2023 Stoddard Prize winners are Spencer Brasher, Kristen Haislip Brown, Spencer George, Carlee Martineau, Dimakatso Mazibuko, Kabir Rajput, Stephen Slabbert, Jonathan Robert Varney, and Justin Zebley.
“The Stoddard Prizes are awarded to students who not only exhibit strong academic performance in the classroom but are also program-builders across the MBA program,” says Ben Iverson, associate professor of finance at BYU Marriott. “We are incredibly grateful to the Stoddard family’s generous donation, which allows these students to focus more fully on developing themselves into strong leaders while also paving the way for others to follow in their path.”
The recipients of the award are selected by a committee of finance faculty who teach in the MBA program. The winners are chosen based on their commitment to a career in finance, their professional experience and pursuits, and their ability to serve as representatives of BYU Marriott’s MBA program around the world.
The award is named after George E. Stoddard, who established the award in 1985 as a way to honor outstanding finance students at BYU Marriott.
About the 2023 Stoddard Prize Recipients
After serving in the United States Army, Spencer Brasher graduated from BYU in 2018 with a degree in mechanical engineering. After graduation, the native of Idaho Falls, Idaho, worked for the Naval Nuclear Laboratory as an equipment design and process engineer. While in the MBA program, he volunteered as a student mentor, worked as a teaching assistant, and passed the Level I CFA exam. Brasher will begin work as a senior financial analyst with personal care company Melaleuca.
Originally from Waterford, Virgina, Kristen Haislip Brown graduated from Babson College in 2017 with a bachelor’s degree in accounting and finance. Afterward, Brown worked as an associate with PwC's Capital Markets and Accounting Advisory Services group in Atlanta. As a joint JD/MBA student at BYU, Brown served as the director of legal affairs for Cougar Capital, worked as the co-president of Silver Fund, and participated in various BYU Marriott student activities. Brown will begin working at Rothschild & Co as an investment banking associate in New York City.
Spencer George served a church mission in Long Beach, California, before earning a bachelor’s degree in business law and economics from the University of Miami in 2015. Hailing from Oviedo, Florida, George attended Cornell Law School, graduating with a juris doctor in 2018. George then worked as an assistant state attorney for the Fourth Judicial Circuit in Jacksonville, Florida, and later worked for various private firms. Currently George works as the director of business development and vice president of legal at Hall Labs in Provo. He also runs a private law firm and serves as the CFO and chief learning officer of SmarterHome.
Carlee Martineau calls Kaysville, Utah, home and graduated from BYU Marriott in 2017 with a bachelor’s degree in finance. Following a successful internship, Martineau worked as a financial analyst for Goldman Sachs in Salt Lake City for three years. During her time in the MBA program at BYU Marriott, Martineau worked with two student organizations—the Graduate Finance Association and Cougar Strategy. Martineau is moving to New York to work at S&P Global as a financial researcher.
Originally from Johannesburg, Dimakatso Mazibuko earned a bachelor’s degree in financial accounting from the University of Johannesburg in 2008. She soon started work as an accountant at South African financial services company MasengViljoen before moving to the Financial Planning Institute of South Africa. In 2013 Dimakatso received a second bachelor’s degree, this time in accounting from the University of South Africa. She also spent time as a management accountant at Sanlam Sky Solutions and later as the area treasury manager for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Currently Dimakatso is an MBA intern at Vivint. During her time as an MBA student, she served as the Graduate Finance Association's treasurer and as a teaching assistant.
Kabir Rajput graduated with a bachelor’s degree in computer science from the City University of Hong Kong in 2018. Hailing from India, Rajput then worked as a technology consultant at IT management company FDM Group and later as a data scientist at Manulife. In 2021 Kabir completed a master’s degree in big data technology from the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology. Rajput served as the president of the BYU Graduate Student Society and plans on pursuing an international career in Africa, the Middle East, and Asia.
From Centurion, South Africa, Stephen Slabbert served a church mission in England from 2013 to 2015 before graduating from the University of Pretoria with a degree in actuarial and financial mathematics in 2019. After graduating Slabbert spent time at Momentum Corporate and Discovery Limited as an actuarial analyst. As an MBA student, Slabbert worked with the Graduate Finance Association, Cougar Strategy, and the MBA Strategy and Consulting Association. He participated in the annual Silver Fund stock case competition and was part of the Silver Fund class's pilot group, completing research projects with asset management firms.
After serving as a church missionary in Brazil from 2011 to 2013, Jonathan Varney earned a bachelor’s degree in neuroscience from BYU in 2016. The Provo native spent five years working for MotivHealth Insurance Company as a systems analyst. Varney currently works for Kaiser Permanente in a financial planning and analysis role, leveraging the financial acumen he obtained during the MBA program at BYU Marriott to improve the United States healthcare system.
Originally from Nazareth, Pennsylvania, Justin Zebley served a church mission in Argentina and then graduated from BYU with a bachelor’s degree in economics and minors in Spanish and business management. After graduation Zebley worked for Consolidated Electrical Distributors as a credit analyst. In 2019 Zebley began working with Qualtrics as a project coordinator until he started the MBA program in 2021. Zebley acted as a mentor in the finance track and was involved in various MBA student activities. Zebley currently works for Ford Motor Company in their finance department.
About BYU Marriott
The BYU Marriott School of Business aspires to transform the world through Christlike leadership by developing leaders of faith, intellect, and character. Named for benefactors J. Willard and Alice S. Marriott, the school is located at Brigham Young University. BYU Marriott has four graduate and nine undergraduate programs with an enrollment of approximately 3,300 students.