In April the 2025 George E. Stoddard Prize was awarded to 11 second-year MBA students at the BYU Marriott School of Business. These students are committed to pursuing a career in finance and have displayed leadership and academic excellence.
The award’s namesake, George E. Stoddard, graduated from Brigham Young University in 1937 and was the director of W. P. Carey. Stoddard established the prize in 1985 to honor outstanding students in finance at BYU Marriott.
“We are incredibly grateful to the Stoddard family for their support over many years in the MBA program,” says Ben Iverson, an associate professor of finance and a Stoddard Prize committee member. “The Stoddard Scholars this year were not just excellent in the classroom, but each of them is also a leader and a builder in our community.”
This year’s Stoddard Scholars are Colton Bates, Erik Christiansen, Devin Despain, Jordany Farronay, Eunice Gomez, Danny Gundersen, Tyler Johnson, Todd Lewis, Ian Smith, Diego Torres Erpel, and Altyn Zhekey.
About the 2025 Stoddard Scholars
Colton Bates, from Bountiful, Utah, was the lead student mentor of the MBA finance track and managing director of deals in Cougar Capital. He accepted a job to work full-time with JP Morgan’s investment banking division.
Erik Christiansen is from South Jordan, Utah, and was the president of Silver Fund, a teaching assistant for a business finance course, the vice president of growth for the Graduate Finance Association, and a member of the MBA intramural soccer team. Postgraduation, he will be working at Grandeur Peak Global as an investment analyst.
In addition to serving as the fund managing director for Cougar Capital, Devin Despain was a teaching assistant for an advanced corporate finance class and has placed first and second with his team at the regional and global Venture Capital Investment Competitions. From Lehi, Utah, Despain has committed to work at Philo Ventures as a full-time venture associate.
A native of Lima, Peru, Jordany Farronay served as the vice president of communication in the Graduate Finance Association. Farronay was also part of the portfolio strategy team in Silver Fund, and he is working toward earning the CFA designation. He has agreed to join The World Bank Group as a portfolio analytics associate.
Eunice Gomez is from Western Visayas, Philippines, and was an equity research analyst for Silver Fund, vice president of Kaizen, and vice president of finance for Women in Management. She plans to work full-time as a senior auditor for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Salt Lake City native Danny Gundersen was the Graduate Finance Association vice president for social events, a Stock Pitch Competition winner, and Marketing Lab analytics project lead. He is currently exploring various roles and is excited for the future.
Tyler Johnson is from Phoenix and served as the president of the Graduate Finance Association. Johnson was also the director of alumni relations for Cougar Capital and the vice president of service for the MBAA.
From Lehi, Utah, Todd Lewis was the vice president for external curriculum in the Graduate Finance Association. He will be working full-time at AT&T in a corporate finance role.
Ian Smith from Marietta, Georgia, served as the vice president of alumni in the Graduate Finance Association. Smith and his family plan to move to North Carolina where he will work for Lowe’s as a finance manager.
Diego Torres Erpel is from Santiago, Chile, and was a mentor for international MBA students and the finance track. He was also vice president of internal curriculum for the Graduate Finance Association and an international recruiter for the MBA program. After graduation he will join Swire Coca-Cola in a full-time finance position.
Altyn Zhekey is from Kazakhstan and was a 2024 Eccles Scholar, director of growth stage for Cougar Capital, and a member of the leadership team for the Graduate Finance Association. Following graduation, she will join Piper Sandler Investment Banking as an associate.
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 3,800 students.
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Written by Kiana Aquino