Brigitte Madrian, dean of the BYU Marriott School of Business, has announced the appointment of David Matkin as the new director of the Romney Institute of Public Service and Ethics. Matkin will be taking over for Robert Christensen on July 1, 2025.
“David has a strong commitment to our students and to the public service mission of the Romney Institute. He is both ready and well qualified to serve as the next Romney Institute director,” Madrian says.
Matkin earned an MPA from BYU Marriott in 2003 and a PhD in public administration from the University of Kansas in 2007. He held faculty positions at Florida State University and the University at Albany before coming to the Romney Institute at BYU Marriott in 2018.
“I’m honored to serve as the new director of the Romney Institute and deeply grateful for Rob Christensen’s generous, insightful leadership these past three years,” Matkin says. “I’m inspired by our faculty, staff, and alumni’s steadfast dedication to shaping Christlike leaders. I look forward to building on this legacy to equip a new generation of public service professionals, ethical managers, and impactful communicators.”
After three years of serving as MPA program director and member of both the BYU Marriott Leadership Council and the BYU Marriott Chairs Council, Christensen will be stepping down from program administration and focus full-time on teaching and research.
“Rob has been a visionary leader of the Romney Institute, driving the process to create a new Romney Institute vision, mission, and values and thinking creatively about how the Romney Institute can better meet its purpose at BYU,” Madrian says. “I have been particularly grateful for Rob’s full embrace of our BYU Marriott vision, mission, and values within the Romney Institute.”
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 4,000 students.