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Matt Miller is a builder. A 2008 graduate from the BYU Marriott School with a degree in finance, Miller built his first computer at age eleven and his first business while an undergraduate student at BYU. He now helps build the visions of entrepreneurs into multi-million-dollar companies as a partner at Sequoia Capital, a world-class tech venture capital firm located in Menlo Park, California.
James Gaskin’s office décor goes way beyond the family photos and desk plants. A homemade jetpack built by his daughters hangs above his desk, and below his window sits a growing model village complete with green hills, an electric train, and a miniature Hogwarts castle.
Skyler Carr grew up dreaming of traveling through space and hunting aliens. His favorite day in grade school included a trip to the Space Center in Pleasant Grove, where he could practice being a spaceman. He never forgot those days, and in 2012 he was devastated to hear the Space Center would be shut down.
Steve Thacker, city manager of Centerville, Utah, was honored for his legacy of exceptional management in governmental positions for over the past thirty years.
When it comes to being involved on BYU campus, Allison Oberle has been there, done that. She graduated in 2015 from the global supply chain program. During her time at BYU, she worked on the women’s initiative of GSC, served as VP of Women’s Outreach, led as co-president of the Global Supply Chain Association her senior year, and worked in the Global Management Center. She also danced competitively on BYU’s international folk dancing team for three consecutive years, traveling for months at a time. She now works for Sun Products Cooperation in Salt Lake City as a customer supply chain specialist.
Whether it be climbing the tallest mountains in Europe and Africa or climbing the ladder toward a successful business career, Charles Barrett, a 2009 graduate from the Marriott School strategy program, reaches the top one step at a time.
Samuel C. Dunn, former senior vice president for Walmart and 1982 BYU accounting alumnus, was honored with the Marriott School of Management Alumni Achievement Award.
Back in 1942, Gale Hammond had no question how he would spend the three months between his high school graduation and his eighteenth birthday—the day he would be drafted into World War II: “My dad said, ‘Go get some education. Get a trade that will help you when you’re in the service.’”
MPA alum Kena Jo Mathews has built her life around volunteer and nonprofit work, though she started out on a different path. “Sometimes you end up where you’re supposed to be even if you don’t realize that’s where you want to be,” she says. While studying political science at the University of Utah, Mathews worked for a senatorial candidate. But when he lost the election, she changed course, volunteering at Habitat for Humanity, where she laid the foundation for her career.
Each spring, world-language teacher Lori LeVar Pierce’s work takes her out of the classroom and into the gladiator ring. There, after months of studying Latin, her students take on a different side of ancient culture while competing at the Junior Classical League Convention, participating in gladiator fights, footraces, javelin throws, and even a student-built chariot race. “It’s a lot of fun to act like the ancient Romans and the ancient Greeks,” Pierce says.
Qualtrics CEO and Marriott School of Management alum Ryan Smith was tabbed in Fortune's annual ranking of the most influential young people in business.
As hand-cut steaks sizzle on the grill, Trevor Mecham is up to his elbows in a pile of sweet potato fries. In the oven a sheet of enormous cinnamon rolls–each roughly the size of a dinner plate–awaits a schmear of sugary-sweet frosting.
Marriott School students don’t stop with their diplomas; they continue on to masterful feats—reaching top leadership roles, starting successful businesses, and, in the case of a select few, penning acclaimed page-turners.
Cotopaxi has a reputation of generating new and ingenious designs, but its newest product, the Inti 2, takes innovation to a whole new level.
“Reach for the stars” is a figurative goal for most of us, but for Kevin Watts, a 1986 graduate of the BYU Masters of Public Administration program, it is an everyday reality.
As a busy neuroscience graduate student and teacher of undergrad psychology courses at Duke University, Stephanie Santistevan-Swett needed a versatile outfit to get her through busy days. Rompers—loose, one-piece garments combining a shirt and pants or shorts—were the perfect mix of comfy and cute, but she was having a hard time finding any with sleeves. So she took her love of fashion and her 2009 BYU marketing degree, patched together with some imagination and passion, and stitched together her own company, Eva Jo, to design, manufacture, and sell comfortable and fashionable clothing.
The white letters of the Hollywood Sign are framed in Rick Johnson’s office window, along with a city street lined with palm trees. Down one block is the Jimmy Kimmel Live! headquarters, where Johnson once hoisted his nine-year-old daughter atop his shoulders to watch a free Taylor Swift concert hosted by the studio. As a vice president and general manager at Ticketmaster, Johnson thrives as he lives and works in the vibrant live-entertainment industry at the heart of Los Angeles.
At the base of lofty Mount Nebo in rural Utah, Traci Memmott wraps up a conference call with a team in New York City. She jots down a few notes, gathers her things to leave, and closes up shop—she has an important appointment.
Royce has made pests less pesky by creating four of the most successful, environmental pest control companies in North America.
A group of seasoned farmers sit facing Rebecca Loveland, a recent college grad in her mid-twenties, as she leads their discussion on everything from daily planning to marketing to an upcoming potato audit. Loveland feels inexperienced but plows forward, relying on the leadership skills she developed with her Marriott School training to make decisions and collaborate effectively.
The residential staff could hear the soft crying of Mrs. C. from down the hall. A victim of dementia, the woman would sit alone by her door at Wisteria Place in Abilene, Texas, weeping and longing for her home and her daughter. She remained distant behind her tears—until Leticia Stucki, the resident recreational therapist and a 2014 BYU grad, discovered an astounding way to reach her: Czechoslovakian polka. The music reminded Mrs. C. of when she was a child and watched her parents dance in the kitchen.
By day, Arie Van De Graaff is a public servant, but by night he is an accomplished cartoonist.