BYU Marriott Welcomes New Faculty in 2019

PROVO, Utah – Nov 01, 2019 – The Brigham Young University Marriott School of Business welcomes seven new professors to the Tanner Building this fall.

Sarah Agate returns to BYU Marriott as an assistant professor of experience design and management, having previously taught as an adjunct faculty member. She comes back to BYU after teaching at the College at Brockport State University of New York, Southwestern College, and Southern Illinois University, and is eager to share her experience with BYU Marriott students. Agate graduated from BYU with a bachelor’s degree in family sciences in 2001 and with a master’s degree in youth and family recreation in 2005. She earned her PhD at Clemson University in parks, recreation, and tourism management in 2010 and focused her research on family recreation. Agate’s current research focuses on creating empowering and transformative experiences for women and girls. “The supportive, positive, energetic environment in the ExDM department and at BYU Marriott is unlike any other university. The students here are curious, motivated, and truly want to make a difference in the world,” says Agate. “I am grateful for the opportunity to return home to BYU.”

BYU Marriott is eager to welcome Elder Kim Clark as the National Advisory Council Professor of Business. Clark received a bachelor’s degree, master's degree, and PhD in economics from Harvard University. He spent time as a faculty member at the Harvard Business School from 1978 to 2005 and was named dean of the faculty at Harvard Business School from 1995 to 2005. Clark left Harvard to serve as the president of BYU-Idaho until 2015, when he was called to serve as a General Authority for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. “It was as a student, right after my mission, that I decided I wanted to be a university professor. My dream job was to teach at BYU,” says Clark. “I love my time here. The faculty are great, and the students are wonderful. This is a special time at BYU Marriott, and I am grateful to be here and be part of this great work.”

Timothy Gubler is excited to join the BYU Marriott faculty as an assistant professor of strategy. “BYU is a unique and vibrant institution,” says Gubler. He comes to BYU Marriot after four years teaching at the University of California, Riverside. Gubler graduated from BYU in 2008 with a bachelor’s degree in economics and earned both a master’s degree in business administration and management and a PhD in business strategy at Washington University in St. Louis. “I am excited to join BYU Marriott and the world-class faculty in the management department,” says Gubler. “I look forward to contributing to the unique mission of the school by engaging in impactful research and teaching with passion.”

Joshua Lee comes back to BYU Marriott after having graduated from an integrated MAcc program in 2009. After completing an accounting PhD at Washington University in St. Louis, Lee went on to teach accounting at Florida State University and the University of Georgia’s Terry College of Business before accepting a position as an associate professor of accounting at BYU Marriott earlier this year. “I am thrilled to join the School of Accountancy at BYU Marriott as it is one of the best in the nation, and I am excited to work to further enhance its reputation both in scholarship and in teaching,” says Lee. “BYU provided a life-changing opportunity for me as a student, and I hope to provide a similar experience for my students.”

The new director of BYU Marriott’s marketing lab, Matthew Madden, is thrilled to be part of the BYU Marriott marketing department. “The faculty members in the department are kind and creative, and have extraordinary analytics talent,” he says. Madden graduated from BYU with both a bachelor’s degree in business statistics in 2000 and a master’s degree in statistics in 2003. While completing his master’s degree, he worked with the World Health Organization to develop new statistical models to help track epidemics in Tanzania and sub-Saharan Africa. He worked as a managing partner at Hall & Partners and previously served as the VP of analytics at the Modellers. “I’m excited to develop student skills as we run real marketing consulting projects for real clients,” says Madden. “I’m looking forward to growing the lab each year and giving the students practical experiences using the latest innovations.”

After spending five years teaching in the Johnson Graduate School of Management at Cornell University, Isaac Smith is excited to join BYU Marriott as an assistant professor of organizational behavior and human resources. “BYU is a special place, so I jumped at the chance to come back as a faculty member,” says Smith. “As a student here at BYU, my classmates and professors helped me have a transformative experience. My goal is to help students have a similarly life-changing experience.” Smith graduated from BYU in 2004 with both a bachelor’s degree in economics and a bachelor’s degree in English, with a minor in political science. He received his MBA in organizational behavior with a minor in business strategy at BYU Marriott in 2007 before earning his PhD at the University of Utah’s David Eccles School of Business in organizational behavior. “I can’t imagine finding a better collection of colleagues who are not only talented scholars and amazing teachers but who are also fully committed to something bigger: helping students increase in faith, develop character, and work toward fulfilling their divine potential,” says Smith.

Nathan Twyman joins BYU Marriott as an assistant professor in the information systems department. After graduating from the MISM program at BYU Marriott in 2007, Twyman earned his PhD at the University of Arizona in information systems management with a minor in psychology. His research focuses on health, intelligence, cybersecurity, auditing, and forensic investigation. “BYU Marriott has a unique spirit and culture that inspires people to improve themselves and serve,” says Twyman.  “I am grateful and humbled to be a part of that, and I look forward to working with our diverse and highly capable students and faculty towards making a difference for good.”

The BYU Marriott School of Business prepares men and women of faith, character and professional ability for positions of leadership throughout the world. Named for benefactors J. Willard and Alice S. Marriott, the school is located at Brigham Young University, the largest privately owned, church-sponsored university in the United States. BYU Marriott has four graduate and ten undergraduate programs with an enrollment of approximately 3,300 students.