2026 Alumni Achievement Awards

Marriott School of Business

Bill Hulterstrom

BS ’81 Business Management
Lecture: The Power of Being Seen
Time: TBA
Location: TBA

Bill Hulterstrom (BS ’81), president and CEO of United Way of Utah County, has been improving Utah communities for more than 40 years. He is a recognized leader in volunteering, board governance, nonprofit leadership, technological innovation, and community building. At United Way, he led the creation of several initiatives to address local needs, including healthcare for low-income populations, early childhood literacy, and youth anxiety and depression.

Bill earned a bachelor's degree in business management with an emphasis in marketing from Brigham Young University. He also teaches nonprofit management at the BYU Romney Institute of Public Management. Bill was the recipient of the 2012 Outstanding Nonprofit Executive Award, the 2018 Utah Valley Chamber of Commerce’s Pillar of the Valley award, was a 2020 ASC Top 20 Honoree for being an influencer in national service, and was awarded an honorary doctorate degree of Public Service from Utah Valley University. Bill has chaired and served on numerous local and national boards and conducted hundreds of workshops and trainings in more than 35 states.

College of Computational, Mathematical and Physical Sciences

Carlos Martins

BS '85 Computer Science
Lecture: Driven by Purpose and Faith
Time: Thursday, October 8, at 11:00 AM
Location: Varsity Theater in the Wilkinson Student Center

Carlos W. Martins (BS '85) came from Brazil to Utah to attend Brigham Young University, earning a bachelor’s degree in computer science and statistics. Missionaries in Brazil taught him English as a child, and after graduating from BYU, Carlos was inspired to help others learn English as well. He returned to Brazil and founded Wizard Language Schools, which became the largest chain of language schools in the world with more than 3,000 locations, 1 million annual students, and 50,000 employees. Carlos is recognized as one of Brazil’s leading business figures, with more than 30 years of experience in franchising. He currently invests across multiple sectors, including education, sports, retail, technology, and food service.

He is the author of several best-selling books that have been published in Latin America, the United States, Europe, and China. Together with his wife Vânia, Carlos spent two years on the Brazil–Venezuela border providing humanitarian support to refugees. Carlos and Vânia have been married for 47 years and are the parents of six children and grandparents of 19 grandchildren.

David O. McKay School of Education

Anne Staffieri

Dr. Anne Staffieri (BS '90, MA '93, EdD '16) is an accomplished educational leader who has dedicated more than 35 years to public education, including a decade of service as a California public school superintendent. Since 2023, she has served as Superintendent of the San Dieguito Union High School District, where she leads one of California's highest-performing public school districts with a commitment to educational excellence and innovation. Dr. Staffieri is dedicated to ensuring that every student feels a strong sense of belonging, has access to opportunities, and the support to achieve at the highest levels.

Since becoming a superintendent in 2016, Dr. Staffieri has successfully led three school districts in San Diego County and is recognized for building high-performing organizations focused on student success, organizational improvement, and workforce excellence. An active mentor and presenter on educational leadership and governance, she was named the 2021 California Continuation Education Association Superintendent of the Year. Dr. Staffieri is a proud graduate of Brigham Young University and earned her doctorate from the McKay School of Education.

Ira A. Fulton College of Engineering

Brett Pennington

BS '94 Chemical Engineering, Harvard Advancement Management Program '14
Lecture: The Things We Build
Time: Thursday, October 8, at 11:00 AM
Location: JSB 140

D. Brett Pennington (BS '94) is a senior energy executive with nearly 30 years of leadership and technical experience in the oil and gas industry. He currently serves as President and Chief Executive Officer of Ensign Natural Resources, a private equity-backed exploration and production company focused on the acquisition, development and optimization of oil and gas assets. Under his leadership, Ensign acquired a 130,000-acre position and built a management and operating organization of over 140 employees. The company transformed the asset in just three years before selling to Marathon Oil for approximately $3 billion.

Prior to Ensign, Mr. Pennington held senior executive positions with Murphy Oil Corporation and spent more than a decade with ExxonMobil in engineering, planning, project management, and leadership roles. Mr. Pennington serves on the Board of Directors of the Texas Oil & Gas Association. He holds a bachelor's degree in Chemical Engineering from Brigham Young University and completed the Advanced Management Program at Harvard Business School, along with executive programs at Wharton and Thunderbird.

College of Family, Home, and Social Sciences

Deidre Henderson

BA '21 History
Lecture: Smile More, and Other Bad Advice
Time: Thursday, October 8, 11:00 AM
Location: 250 KMBL

Lt. Gov. Deidre M. Henderson (BA '21) is serving her second term as Utah’s 9th lieutenant governor. She has dedicated her time in public office to promoting civic responsibility, advancing an accountable and effective government, and making elections secure, transparent, and accessible to Utah voters. Her educational and career paths were anything but traditional. After 13 years as a stay-at-home mom, she re-entered the workforce as a political volunteer and went on to manage a congressional campaign. In 2012, Utah County voters elected Henderson to the State Senate, where she served eight years before being elected lieutenant governor.

Lt. Gov. Henderson took office in 2021 and completed her bachelor’s degree later that year. She walked in BYU’s April 2022 commencement ceremony alongside her son, who was also graduating. Inspired by her own experiences, she spearheaded Return Utah, an initiative to help others re-enter the workforce after extended absences. Lt. Gov. Henderson and her husband, Gabe, have five children and three grandchildren.

College of Humanities

Allison Crockett

BA '05 Comparative Literature
Lecture: Stepping Into Who You Are Next
Time: Thursday, October 8, 11:00 AM
Location: B092 JFSB

Allison Briggs Crockett (BA '05) was raised in California and Utah and attended Brigham Young University, majoring in Comparative Literature with minors in Spanish and Latin. Allison and her husband, Benjamin Crockett (BS '05), have six children together. In 2022, their four-year-old daughter, Cecilia, was diagnosed with a brain tumor and passed away 15 months later. In Cecilia’s honor, the Crocketts donated her brain to research and co-founded the Pediatric Neuro-Oncology Research Fund at Riley Children’s Hospital in 2024. The fund has raised nearly $1 million in support of continued pediatric brain cancer research and was featured in People magazine and Indiana University School of Medicine publications. In 2026, they launched the Cecilia Bea Crockett Brain Tissue Donation Program at Riley Children’s Hospital.

Allison currently resides in Indiana. She is the CEO of Crockett’s Farm and an assistant cross-country coach. An avid athlete, she completed her first triathlon in 2019, marathon in 2025, and Ironman–70.3 in 2026. She loves parenting, reading, writing, gardening, church service, and encouraging her two missionary children.

College of Fine Arts and Communications

Mark Weinberg

BA '09 Photography
Lecture: Finding Beauty in Uncertainty
Time: Thursday, October 8, 11:00 AM
Location: Recital Hall in MB

Mark Weinberg (BA '09) is a commercial photographer and director based in New York City. His love of photography began at 10 years old, when he saved enough money to buy a 35mm Pentax camera. He earned his BFA in Photography from Brigham Young University and has spent seventeen years building a career focused on food, interiors, and lifestyle imagery. Mark loves working alongside creative directors and teams of food and prop stylists to tell a visual story. He has created advertising campaigns and editorial work for Target, Wayfair, Levain Bakery, GreenPan, The New York Times, and has photographed several cookbooks that went on to become New York Times bestsellers.

In August 2025, Mark was diagnosed with brain cancer and paralyzed after removal of the tumor. Through miracles, prayer, excellent doctors, treatment and rehabilitation, and family and community support, he re-learned how to walk and has since returned to work behind the camera. Mark and his wife Liz live in NYC with their two sons. They love exploring everything NYC has to offer, including art, food, music, and all of the Central Park playgrounds.

J. Reuben Clark Law School

Daniel Walker

BS '02, JD '05
Lecture: Finding and Making Peace
Time: Friday, October 16, 11:00 AM
Location: 333 JRCB

Daniel H. Walker (BS '02, JD '05) is a healthcare executive and attorney who specializes in building post–acute care facilities. In 2019, he was appointed CEO, Chairman, and President of The Pennant Group. Prior to leading Pennant, Mr. Walker served as CEO and President of Cornerstone Healthcare, Ensign's home health and hospice subsidiary. He led Cornerstone from a single home health operation in Boise, Idaho to a multi-state platform covering more than 60 home health and hospice operations. He also helped Ensign develop adjacent healthcare businesses, including senior living, mobile diagnostics, clinical laboratories, and urgent care.

Earlier in his career, Mr. Walker practiced corporate and securities law and held leadership and advisory roles at The Ensign Group. He earned a bachelor’s degree and a Juris Doctor from Brigham Young University. In 2009, he established the Jason Hoyt Memorial Scholarship fund to honor a deceased friend, granting scholarships annually to BYU students. Mr. Walker and his wife, Shera Mae Soelberg Walker (BS ’98), are proud parents of five children and two grandchildren.

College of Life Sciences

Jeff Stogsdill

BS '10 Biology, MS '12 Developmental Biology, (PhD '17, Duke)
Lecture: Pursuing His Light in the Study of Life
Time: Thursday, October 8, at 11:00 AM
Location: 2102 LSB

Dr. Jeff A. Stogsdill (BS '10, MS '12, PhD '17) is the Lead Scientist at HexemBio, where he leads efforts in developing regenerative medicines for aging, neurological disorders, and blood diseases using innovative stem cell technologies and artificial intelligence. He previously served as Principal Scientist at Sana Biotechnology, advancing cell therapies for neurodegenerative diseases. His research has focused on understanding how brain cells communicate in health and disease, resulting in more than 25 scientific publications, including papers in Nature and Cell.

Dr. Stogsdill earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Developmental Biology from Brigham Young University and his doctorate in Cell Biology from Duke, with postdoctoral studies at Harvard University. Throughout his career, he has combined scientific discovery with mentorship, leadership, and collaboration between academia and the industry. He is grateful for the foundation BYU provided in developing his love of science and his conviction that the pursuit of truth is strengthened through both study and faith.

College of Nursing

Maria Black

BS '92 Nursing, (MS ’01, DNP ’13, University of Utah)
Lecture: The Unexpected Path to a Meaningful Life
Time: Thursday, October 8, at 11:00 AM
Location: Alice Louise Reynolds Auditorium (1060 HBLL)

Maria Black (BS '92, MS ’01, DNP ’13) is the Chief Nursing Officer at Utah Valley Hospital. She earned her BSN from Brigham Young University and received MSN and DNP degrees from the University of Utah. Maria is board certified as an Adult Nurse Practitioner, a Critical Care Registered Nurse, and a Nurse Executive, Advanced.

Over her 34-year career, Maria has served both at the bedside and in nursing leadership roles. As CNO, she led the development of acute care units during Utah Valley Hospital’s replacement project, work that proved vital during the COVID-19 pandemic, and guided her nursing teams through two electronic medical record implementations. Maria’s guidance has led to significant reductions in hospital-acquired infections and has helped Utah Valley Hospital achieve national hospital recognition for quality patient care. She was also honored as one of Utah’s Healthcare Heroes. Beyond her professional role, Maria serves as Board Chair of the Volunteer Care Clinic, which provides free medical care to uninsured patients. For Maria, nursing has never been just a job—it has been a calling.

David M. Kennedy Center for International Studies

Jeremy Andrus

BA '96 International Relations, (MBA ’02, Harvard)
Lecture: Joy in the Journey: Learn, Grow, Serve
Time: Thursday, October 8, 5:00 PM
Location: 238 HRCB

Jeremy Andrus (BS '96, MBA ’02) is President and CEO of Traeger Grills, the wood pellet grill brand. He and a financial partner acquired the company in 2014, transforming it from a small, regional, business into a multi-hundred-million-dollar brand that owns over 50% of the global wood pellet grill market.

While Traeger has become Jeremy’s most successful business story, it isn’t his first. He joined the start-up Skullcandy in 2005 with 4 employees and less than $1m in sales. Under his leadership, the headphone company transformed into a $300 million brand. Jeremy was named EY Entrepreneur of the Year in 2016, MountainWest Capital Network Utah Entrepreneur of the Year in 2017, and was inducted into the Utah Technology Council Hall of Fame in 2018. He serves on the board of directors of World Trade Center Utah, GOED, Silicon Slopes, and Utah Olympic Legacy Foundation. Jeremy received his MBA from Harvard Business School and BA from Brigham Young University. He lives in Salt Lake City with his wife Kristin and their six children.