BYU Marriott School of Business dean Brigitte Madrian announced the addition of two new members to the Deans Office: Blair Morgan as administrative dean and Jeff Wilks as an associate dean, effective May 20 and July 1 respectively.
“It is our pleasure to welcome Blair Morgan to BYU Marriott as our administrative dean. Blair is a proven leader who comes to us from St. Louis, Missouri, where he was most recently working as the vice president for strategy, innovation, and new ventures at Nestlé Purina,” Madrian shares.
Morgan earned a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering with an emphasis in environmental engineering from BYU. He then went on to earn an MBA from the Olin School of Business at Washington University. With a long career at Nestlé Purina, Morgan has incubated and piloted over 25 new business opportunities, developed corporate and business strategy plans, led the marketing activities of four key brands with combined annual sales of over $3 billion, formed and managed high-performing teams, and developed talent.
“I am excited to add my experience and efforts to all of BYU Marriott’s amazing staff and faculty in supporting our students’ success toward making a positive and lasting impact in the business world,” Morgan says. In his new role, Morgan will serve alongside the dean and associate deans on the BYU Marriott Executive Council and work primarily with the financial and administrative areas within the college.
Morgan succeeds Eric Teel as administrative dean. Of Teel’s contribution to BYU Marriott, Madrian says, “He has been a thoughtful steward of our financial, physical, and human resources. He has been a vocal champion of our BYU Marriott vision, mission and values. He will be greatly missed.”
Also joining the Deans Office, Wilks will work to support college initiatives and academic programs. “Jeff embodies BYU Marriott’s guiding principle of being centered on students and will be a tremendous asset to the college as an associate dean,” says Madrian.
Wilks graduated from BYU Marriott with a bachelor’s degree in accounting in 1995. After earning a master’s degree and PhD in accounting from Cornell University, he returned to BYU Marriott in 2000 to teach and was later awarded the EY Professorship in 2013. In addition to teaching, Wilks served as the director of the School of Accountancy for six years and received the Outstanding Faculty Award from BYU Marriott in 2023.
“I am so excited for this new opportunity to serve within BYU Marriott,” Wilks says. “I love our students and the hope they represent for us and the world. I look forward to working with my BYU Marriott colleagues as we continue our efforts to transform the world through Christlike leadership.”
As Wilks takes on new responsibilities, former associate dean John Bingham will return to the management department as a full-time faculty member to continue helping students succeed.
Bingham served as the associate dean for the last five years, during which he made a lasting impact on BYU Marriott. Among other responsibilities, Bingham worked to reduce the number of undergraduate program prerequisites, expand undergraduate and integrated graduate programs, introduce new minor programs, and create a new BYU Marriott Leadership Development Forum which will debut in fall 2024.
Of Bingham, Madrian says, “I have come to depend on John’s wisdom and judgment and to value his compassion and his humor. We will miss him in the Deans Office, but our students will benefit from his return to the management department.”
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.