More than 1,600 graduates walked across the stage in the Marriott Center during the April 2026 convocation ceremonies for the BYU Marriott School of Business. At each ceremony, graduates were invited to embody BYU Marriott’s values and become Christlike leaders.
Brigitte Madrian, dean of BYU Marriott, opened both ceremonies: “To transform the world through Christlike leadership is to transform the world through Christ-light leadership—by leading with and through the light and power of Jesus Christ,” she said.
The convocation speakers continued to focus on BYU Marriott’s vision, mission, and values as they addressed the graduates. Brian Murphy, founder of Portfolio Advisors, senior advisor at Future Standard, and BYU Marriott National Advisory Council (NAC) member, spoke to graduates in the afternoon ceremony about the power of BYU Marriott values in the business world: “The world does not need more leaders who are merely clever,” Murphy said. “It needs leaders who recognize that success without integrity is failure in disguise. That is the kind of leadership you have been preparing for here.”
Murphy told the graduates of a time he discovered that his firm had mistakenly withheld more than a million dollars from a client. Murphy decided to be transparent with the client about the mistake, apologize, and return the owed money with interest.
He said he went to the meeting expecting to lose the client’s business, but the client decided to increase the size of their account with the firm after seeing Murphy’s honesty. “Integrity does not limit opportunity,” Murphy said. “It builds trust and increases opportunity, and trust is one of the most valuable currencies any leader can possess.”
The theme of Christlike leadership continued into the evening convocation ceremony. Speaker Todd Sears, executive vice president and chief financial officer for Walmart US and a BYU Marriott NAC member, shared that humility is the foundation of becoming a Christlike leader.
“In a world focused on status and power, humility calibrates us and keeps us aligned with Jesus Christ,” said Sears. “Choose carefully how you measure success. Do not measure it by the wealth you accumulate or the titles you add to your signature. Instead, measure it by who you are becoming.”
To illustrate the importance of humble leadership, Sears told graduates about one of his assignments with Walmart. Sears moved to São Paulo to work on three “impossible” projects that two previous leaders had failed to complete, he explained. The advice Sears received was to replace some of the employees on the team.
But as Sears engaged in one-on-one conversations with team members and personally got to know them, he decided to keep the same team members—despite the previous failings. “I was taking a big risk and knew I could not succeed on my own, so I turned to the Lord,” he explained. “I sought revelation daily to become the leader I needed to be.”
Once the team knew that he cared about them, Sears said progress came and the three projects were not only completed, but in half the expected time. “When we strive to become Christlike leaders—when we truly see and serve others—ordinary people can do extraordinary things,” Sears said.
In closing each ceremony, Madrian congratulated graduates and spoke about the opportunity students have had to reflect on 150 years of purpose and progress at BYU. “Now, we look forward to the part you will play in helping to realize the vision laid out for the future of BYU over its next 50 years,” she said. “More than ever, our world needs individuals who can lead with and through the love and light of Jesus Christ. Those leaders are you.”