The MBA program at the BYU Marriott School of Business awarded six MBA students the 2026 Gary P. Williams Leadership Award. Students are nominated by peers as exemplary role models of leadership and receive a cash award of $10,000 in recognition of their efforts.
The 2026 Williams Scholars are Alena Black, Emme Chipman, Curtis Jensen, Trevor Monney, Luana Tu'ua, and Adjetey Wilson.
“The Williams Award recognizes students who have made a significant impact as they have embodied BYU Marriott’s vision of Christlike leadership,” says MBA program director Daniel Snow. “They have been identified by students, faculty, and staff as people who have led, either formally or informally, in ways that follow the Savior.”
The award was established by Gary Williams, a BYU Marriott business management alum, MBA program faculty member, and Cougar Capital founder and faculty advisor. He served as president and CEO of Sterling Wentworth Corporation/SunGard Data Systems and is an active angel investor.
About the 2026 Williams Scholars
Alena Black, from Bellevue, Washington, graduated with her bachelor’s degree in marketing from BYU Marriott and worked on the KitchenAid brand at Whirlpool Corporation. During her time in the BYU Marriott MBA program, Black served as president of the Marketing Lab, a teaching assistant for career management, a member of the BYU Marriott MBA Kaizen consulting group, and she helped lead MBA women recruiting responsibilities. Black interned at Henkel, where she worked with the Dial brand. After graduation, she plans to work at General Mills as an associate brand manager.
After graduating with her bachelor’s degree in experience design and management from BYU Marriott, Emme Chipman, from Pleasant Grove, Utah, worked as a marketing strategist at 97th Floor. When she came back to BYU Marriott for her MBA, Chipman served in various leadership roles, including marketing consultant for the Marketing Lab, vice president of events for the MBA Marketing Association, peer mentor, leader of an MBA marketing orientation trip, and event lead for the Faith and Belief at Work case competition. Chipman interned at The Hershey Company, where she will return full-time after graduation as a brand manager.
From Sandy, Utah, Curtis Jensen graduated from BYU Marriott with his bachelor’s degree in business management with a minor in communications. In the MBA program, he served as a marketing career mentor and vice president of mentoring in the Product Management Association. Jensen also worked as international director for Cougar Strategy and was chief alumni officer for the MBA Student Association—the first person to fill this position. After graduation, he plans to start an innovation consultancy.
After serving a church mission in Peru, Trevor Monney, originally from Orem, earned a bachelor’s degree in international relations from BYU. Monney worked for Qualtrics as a corporate paralegal, which sparked his interest in business operations. He came to BYU Marriott for his MBA, where he served as president of the MBA Marketing Association and created events to support student and alumni relationships. He interned with American Express in New York City and, after graduation, plans to pursue a career in marketing.
Having earned a bachelor’s degree in global supply chain management from BYU Marriott, Luana Tu’ua returned to BYU Marriott for an MBA. During her studies, Tu’ua, a Salt Lake City native, served as president of the Graduate Supply Chain and Operations Association, co-led MBA women recruiting efforts, and was a member of the Savage Global Consulting program. After graduation, Tu’ua will work with Delta Air Lines in finance and operations.
As a first-generation high school and college graduate, Adjetey Wilson was born in Benin, West Africa, and grew up in Romulus, Michigan. Wilson earned his bachelor’s degree in global supply chain management from BYU Marriott. After working with American Express, he came back to pursue his MBA in the finance track. Wilson is a Presidential Scholar and an Eccles Scholar and served as the MBAA president. After graduation, Wilson will join Toyota in a corporate finance leadership rotational role and hopes to own a variety of businesses in the future.
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 ten undergraduate programs with an enrollment of approximately 4,400 students.