MPA News 

The Brigham Young University Marriott School of Business welcomes nine new professors this fall.

According to a new study co-authored by BYU Marriott professor Robert Christensen, when a diverse organization has an ethical leader, the negative workplace dynamics that can surface are mitigated.

Sitting on the office desk of BYU Marriott School of Business MPA alum Wayne Parker is a mariner's spyglass that a former mayor gave him. The gift is meant to remind him to always think about long-term goals. As the current chief administrative officer of the city of Provo, Parker strives to follow this counsel by continually looking to the future of the city that he leads.

Working for the Romney Institute as department secretary, director of student services, and eventually associate director has done more for Catherine Cooper than merely confirm the reality of spiritual promptings she's received throughout her life.

Making taxes easier to manage and understand is one of the many things Ray Nelson is known for. Throughout his educational and professional career, he was a member of different boards and councils for the state of Utah and consultant for the Utah Office of Legislative Research and General Council. As an associate professor for the Romney Institute of Public Service and Ethics at the BYU Marriott School of Business, Nelson is now working with an MPA student and members of the state government to create a web application to make tracking tax money easier for the state and local governments.

Though students at the BYU Marriott haven’t been able to meet together in person like they normally would, students in the EMPA program managed to find a way to get “together”.

BYU Marriott fared well in the recently released U.S. News & World Report 2022 rankings for graduate programs. Both the MBA and MPA programs were ranked, as were four graduate program emphases.

Leaders of U.S. Special Operations Command have turned to the expertise of two BYU Marriott professors for advice on the high-stakes ethical dilemmas their forces face.

Whether he’s working with employees or in an untamed backyard, BYU Marriott EMPA student John Cowgill enjoys helping people and plants realize and cultivate their hidden potential.

Each tree has different needs in an orchard. Each member has different needs in a community. Ralph Clegg, executive director of the Utah County Health Department, self-avowed gentleman farmer, and BYU Marriott School of Business EMPA alumni, solves problems in both his garden and his community by understanding diversity.

Two BYU Marriott School of Business MPA students received the Doyle W. Buckwalter Award for their outstanding internship performance during 2020. The winners, Marieka Creek and Zachary Simons, each received $2,000.

When she was three years old, Lillian Bradley was adopted from Ghana, a country then stricken with poverty. Her adoption by a family from Heber City, Utah opened doors of limitless possibilities for her future. Now as a second-year BYU Marriott MPA student, Bradley is intent on acquiring skills that enable her to help citizens of similarly impoverished countries find opportunities for success.  

Brad Agle, the George W. Romney Endowed Professor and Professor of Ethics and Leadership at the BYU Marriott School of Business, has been elected as a Fellow of the International Association for Business and Society (IABS). His election to this distinguished group comes as a result of years of dedication and contribution both inside the classroom and in the world of business scholars.

While the COVID-19 pandemic introduced new challenges for almost everyone, few can say it drove them to sleep in a sleeping bag on the floor of their home office or work 120 hours a week. However, for BYU Marriott EMPA 2019 graduate Russell Harrington, who works as the missionary travel manager for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, such a situation was both a reality and a necessity. 

As a student in his final year of BYU Marriott’s MAcc program, John Arnold frequently passed by a poster in the Tanner Building advertising the MPA program. Although he enjoyed accounting, he wasn’t sure it was the right fit for him, and the idea of a career in public administration was intriguing. One day Arnold made a decision that forever altered his career path: he entered the seventh-floor MPA and inquired about earning an MPA.

The last thing BYU Marriott MPA student Kaylee Anderson expected when she opened up a package from the MPA program was a Rubik's snake. But as she read the instructions that accompanied the puzzle, she understood the purpose of it all: the MPA program was hosting its first ever Rubik’s snake contest. 

BYU Marriott School of Business dean Brigitte C. Madrian has announced the appointment of Bonnie Anderson as the school’s newest associate dean. Anderson takes over for previous associate dean Keith Vorkink on 18 May.

When BYU Marriott MPA professor Rob Christensen hit a crossroad in his career, he took the path that led to a semester-long sabbatical in Europe. After spending three months in Milan and a month and a half in London during fall 2019, Christensen reflects back on his time abroad and is grateful for the research opportunities he was given and the networking experiences he had. 

BYU Marriott EMPA alumna Janine Wood Green loves to learn. In fact, she loves learning so much that sometimes she reads four or five books a week. In her own words, she is “over-the-top crazy about learning,” and she doesn’t plan on stopping anytime soon. With a love for learning and a passion for continued education, Green joined BYU’s China Teachers Program to become a professor of English at China’s Nanjing Tech University—a decision that has changed her life for the better.

For most people, jury duty is a chore. For Julie Rash, her jury-duty service became a catalyst for years of involvement in the Provo School board, an education through BYU Marriott’s EMPA program, and a life dedicated to public service.