Marriott School Honors Faculty, Staff

PROVO, Utah – Apr 21, 2017 – The Marriott School of Management honored Michael Thompson, associate dean and director of undergraduate programs, with the Outstanding Faculty Award at the school’s annual luncheon. In addition to Thompson, eleven other faculty, staff, and administrators were recognized with awards.

“Michael Thompson’s support to three Marriott School deans is unparalleled,” says Lee Perry, Marriott School dean. “It is a tribute to him that three different deans have found his wisdom, vision, and selfless service indispensable. His contributions are significant, varied, and even heroic.”

Thompson has been at the Marriott School since 1988. Prior to becoming an associate dean, Thompson taught management communication in the MBA, MPA, and MAcc programs. He also served for six years as chair of the organizational leadership and strategy department. Thompson’s research has focused on the role of communication in leadership and organizational change.

In remarks after receiving the award, Thompson deflected praise back to the family and colleagues he says have helped him along his personal and professional journey.

“Those of you who give your all for this school, I thank you,” Thompson said. “What a place this is, and I’m grateful to be a part of it all.”

Other members of the Marriott School staff, faculty, and administration were also honored at the luncheon. Shane Allred, Marriott School director of technology, received the N. Eldon Tanner Award. First presented in 2010, this award recognizes an individual who demonstrates the integrity, leadership, and humility of the late N. Eldon Tanner.

“Over the past nine years Shane has served as the school’s director of technology, he’s improved the quality, organization, and sophistication of our systems and IT processes,” says Robert Gardner, Marriott School assistant dean. “He acts with the utmost integrity, keeping true to his values and his word.”

Darron Billeter, associate professor of marketing, and Kristen DeTienne, professor of organizational leadership and strategy, were both awarded Teaching Excellence Awards for their outstanding efforts in the classroom.

Paul Godfrey, William and Roceil Low Professor of Business Strategy in the department of organizational leadership and strategy, and Brad Owens, associate professor of public management in the Romney Institute of Public Management, received Scholarly Excellence awards in recognition of their outstanding research and publications.

Andrew Holmes, associate professor of finance; Todd Manwaring, director of the Ballard Center for Economic Self-Reliance; and Jeffrey Wilks, EY Professor and director of the School of Accountancy, received Citizenship awards for their commitment to furthering the school’s mission through service.

Debbie Auxier, MBA event coordinator; Jennifer Fitzgerald, Marriott School scholarship coordinator; and Stephanie Graham, department of marketing and global supply chain secretary, each received an Excellence Award for demonstrating proficiency in management, professionalism, character, and initiative to improve.

The event also recognized retiring faculty members and staff for their years of service. Steve Albrecht, Anderson Foundation Professor in the School of Accountancy, is retiring after serving the university since 1989. A former Marriott School associate dean and School of Accountancy director, Albrecht is known as one of the most influential professionals in his field, recently receiving the American Accounting Association Lifetime Service Award.

Ned Hill, National Advisory Council Professor of Finance, is retiring after teaching at BYU since 1987. Hill served as assistant to the president of BYU from 1996 to 1998 and as dean of the Marriott School from 1998 to 2008. He taught international finance and treasury management and has recently served as an advisor to MBA students.

Also retiring is Marshall Romney who has served as information systems department chair since the department’s inception in 2005. The John and Nancy Hardy Professor of Information Systems, Romney retires after forty years with the university.

David Whitlark, JC Penney Professor of Marketing, is also retiring. Whitlark published more than thirty academic articles and book chapters during his tenure on such topics as sales forecasting, marketing research, and customer value.

Retiring staff members honored at the luncheon included Bob Kellett, an information technology professional for the Marriott School since 1980; Laura Leseberg, department secretary for the department of aerospace studies; and Roger McCarty, director of experiential learning and field studies.

The Marriott School is located at Brigham Young University, the largest privately owned, church-sponsored university in the United States. The school has nationally recognized programs in accounting, business management, entrepreneurship, finance, information systems and public management. The school’s mission is to prepare men and women of faith, character and professional ability for positions of leadership throughout the world. Approximately 3,300 students are enrolled in the Marriott School’s graduate and undergraduate programs.