BYU seeks to develop students of religion, intellect and character who’ve the talents and the will to proceed learning and serving others throughout their lives. For the weekly devotionals and forums throughout the 2023 winter semester, select BYU employees, leaders of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and industry experts will bring their industry knowledge, life experiences and spiritual insights to help students in achieving the goals of BYU.
Please plan to hitch along with students and employees each Tuesday at 11:05 a.m. within the Marriott Center for a really unique experience because the campus gathers to receive spiritual and temporal edification.
WINTER 2023 DEVOTIONAL AND FORUM SCHEDULE
January
- 10 – President Kevin J and Sister Peggy Worthen
- 17 – Elder Neil L. Andersen, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
- 24 – Elder Kevin S. Hamilton, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
- 31 – Rabbi Ari Berman, President of Yeshiva University (Forum)
February
- 7 – Elder Mark A. Bragg, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
- 14 – Sister Tracy Y. Browning, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
- 28 – Angela L. Duckworth, American academic, psychologist, creator (Forum)
March
- 7 – Andra J. Duke, BYUtv
- 14 – Devotional TBA
- 21 – Steven J. Hafen, Administration Vice President and CFO
- 28 – Shaylyn Romney Garrett, Writer (Forum)
April
- 4 – Loreen Allphin, Associate Dean, Life Sciences
- 11 – Elder Gerrit W. Gong, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
- 18 – Unforum
ABOUT THE WINTER 2023 DEVOTIONAL AND FORUM SPEAKERS:
BYU President Kevin J Worthen
January 10, Devotional
Kevin J Worthen began serving because the thirteenth president of Brigham Young University on May 1, 2014. He previously served as BYU’s advancement vice chairman and because the dean of its J. Reuben Clark Law School, where he was the Hugh W. Colton Professor of Law. President and Sister Worthen have three children and 6 grandchildren.
President Worthen was born in Dragerton (now East Carbon-Sunnyside), Utah, and grew up in nearby Price. After serving a mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Monterrey, Mexico, he earned an associate degree from the College of Eastern Utah (now Utah State University Eastern). He then received his Bachelor of Arts in political science and his Juris Doctor from BYU. Following his graduation from the J. Reuben Clark Law School, President Worthen served as a law clerk to Judge Malcolm R. Wilkey of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit and Justice Byron R. White of the U.S. Supreme Court. After three years of personal practice with the law firm Jennings, Strouss & Salmon in Phoenix, Arizona, President Worthen joined the BYU Law School faculty in 1987. In 1994, he was a Fulbright Scholar on the University of Chile Law School in Santiago. He has published extensively on quite a lot of legal topics, with particular emphasis on federal American Indian law and the rights of indigenous peoples.
Peggy S. Worthen
January 10, Devotional
Peggy Sealey Worthen, born and raised in Price, Utah, is the second oldest of 5 children. She is married to BYU President Kevin J Worthen. While she was attending the College of Eastern Utah, she met Kevin at a church dance, and the 2 soon began dating. Although she grew up three blocks from Kevin and his family, their three-year age difference meant they never went to highschool at the identical time or knew one another well. She and Kevin were married within the Provo Utah Temple.
Early of their marriage, Peggy worked in quite a lot of jobs to support their family, including as a receptionist for U.S. Senator Jake Garn, as Kevin finished his education and commenced his profession. She was capable of return to highschool when Kevin began teaching, and she or he graduated with a bachelor’s degree in English from BYU in 2003, the identical 12 months their oldest son graduated from highschool. She has taken quite a lot of courses since then, including two years of Norwegian.
Neil L. Andersen
January 17, Devotional
Elder Neil L. Andersen was named an Apostle of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on April 4, 2009.
Elder Andersen was serving because the senior member of the Presidency of the Seventy prior to his calling to the Quorum of the Twelve. He was named a member of the First Quorum of the Seventy in April 1993, at age 41. He previously led the work of the Church in southern Brazil and, again as a member of an area presidency, oversaw the Church in western Europe. Prior to his call as a General Authority, Elder Andersen served as a mission president within the France Bordeaux Mission and as president of the Tampa Florida Stake.
He graduated from BYU, where he was a Hinckley scholar, and earned a Master in Business Administration from Harvard University. Elder Andersen and his wife, Kathy Williams Andersen, are the parents of 4 children.
Kevin S. Hamilton
January 24, Devotional
Elder Kevin S. Hamilton was sustained as a General Authority Seventy of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on April 6, 2013.
Elder Kevin S. Hamilton served for five years within the Africa Southeast Area Presidency and one 12 months within the North America Northeast Area Presidency. He now serves because the Executive Director for the Family History Department.
He received a bachelor’s degree in marketing from BYU in 1979, and in 1982 he received a master’s degree in finance from the University of Washington. He married Claudia Keysor in July 1978. They’re the parents of six children. Prior to his call, he was a co-founder and partner in a enterprise capital firm.
Rabbi Dr. Ari Berman
January 31, Forum
Rabbi Dr. Ari Berman is the president of Yeshiva University. Berman is widely published in outlets reminiscent of Forbes, Newsweek and the Wall Street Journal. He graduated with distinction from 4 of Yeshiva University’s schools. He earned his B.A. from Yeshiva College, his M.A. in Medieval Jewish Philosophy from the Bernard Revel Graduate School of Jewish Studies and his rabbinical ordination from the Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary (RIETS).
His studies also included two years of learning at Yeshivat Har Etzion in Israel, under the tutelage of the seminal Jewish thinker and leader Rabbi Dr. Aharon Lichtenstein. After making aliyah to Israel in 2008, Berman accomplished his higher education with a Ph.D. in Jewish Thought on the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, supervised by renowned philosopher Professor Moshe Halbertal.
Berman has a broad range of distinguished experience within the worlds of upper education and Jewish communal life. He led The Jewish Center in Recent York City as its Rabbi, served as Instructor of Talmud at Yeshiva College and Herzog College, served on the chief council at Herzog College and was chief executive (Rosh ha-Merkaz) of Hechal Shlomo – Center of Jewish Heritage in Jerusalem.
Mark A. Bragg
February 7, Devotional
Elder Mark A. Bragg was sustained as a General Authority Seventy of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on April 2, 2016.
Elder Bragg served within the South America South Area Presidency and as an assistant executive director within the Family History Department and the Church Communication Department. He’s currently serving because the president of the North America West Area.
Elder Bragg majored in marketing and Spanish on the University of Utah. He also accomplished executive teaching programs at UCLA, University of Michigan, and other universities. He married Yvonne King in 1984. They’re the parents of 4 children.
Tracy Y. Browning
February 14, Devotional
Sister Tracy Y. Browning was sustained as Second Counselor within the Primary General Presidency for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on April 2, 2022. On the time of her call, she was serving on the Relief Society General Advisory Council.
Sister Browning studied at St. John’s University. She has worked in financial services for 15 years and is now an account services director within the Church’s Publishing Services Department. Sister Browning has also volunteered with various community and civic organizations. She married Brady Browning on May 2, 1997. They’re the parents of two children.
Angela L. Duckworth
February 28, Forum
Angela Duckworth is co-founder, chief scientist, and a board member of Character Lab, a nonprofit whose mission is to advance scientific insights that help children thrive. She can also be the Rosa Lee and Egbert Chang Professor on the University of Pennsylvania, faculty co-director of the Penn-Wharton Behavior Change for Good Initiative, and school co-director of Wharton People Analytics.
Duckworth accomplished her undergraduate degree in Advanced Studies Neurobiology at Harvard, graduating magna cum laude. With the support of a Marshall Scholarship, she accomplished an M.Sc. with distinction in neuroscience from Oxford University. She accomplished her Ph.D. in psychology as a National Science Foundation Graduate Fellow on the University of Pennsylvania.
Her TED talk is among the many most-viewed of all time. Her book Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance is a #1 Recent York Times best seller. Duckworth can also be co-host, with Stephen Dubner, of the podcast No Silly Questions.
Andra J. Duke
March 7, Devotional
Andra Johnson Duke is the director of content and heads up development and current programming for BYU Broadcasting. Her primary responsibilities include oversight of content strategy, program development and current production, programming and scheduling, acquisitions and production management.
Prior to joining the BYU Broadcasting, Duke served as VP of Unscripted Production at BBC Worldwide Productions in Los Angeles, where she oversaw quite a lot of television series for multiple networks. Before her work at BBC, she was a production executive with GRB Entertainment in Sherman Oaks, CA.
Duke earned a Bachelor of Fantastic Arts degree from BYU.
Steven J. Hafen
March 21, Devotional
Steven J. Hafen is the administration vice chairman and chief financial officer at BYU. In his role, he oversees the next divisions of the university: financial services, physical facilities, human resources, purchasing and travel, auxiliaries and programs, BYU Police and BYU Security. He also serves on many university committees and chairs, including the Campus Planning and Use Committee, The University Investment Committee and the Human Resources Committee.
Prior to joining BYU, Hafen was a senior business executive with experience in multiple industries. His profession path consistently expanded in oversight and leadership responsibilities. Hafen’s profession experience spans the technology, education, training and certification, and consumer goods industries.
Hafen’s background also includes business and marketing instruction on the Marriott School of Business, where he was an adjunct faculty member for over 13 years. He’s a graduate of BYU with a master’s degree in business administration and a bachelor’s degree in diplomacy and Japanese.
Shaylyn Romney Garrett
March 28, Forum
Shaylyn Romney Garrett is the co-author, with Robert D. Putnam, of “The Upswing: How America Got here Together A Century Ago and How We Can Do It Again.” A seasoned public speaker, Romney Garrett has given dozens of presentations to a wide selection of audiences including policymakers, philanthropists, civic organizations, students and community groups. She is a passionate believer that on a regular basis interactions are where we do the “heart work” required to rework our culture and reclaim the facility of “We.”
Her writing also includes the uniquely-revealing portraits of spiritual communities across america in “American Grace: How Religion Divides and Unites Us,” which won Princeton University’s Woodrow Wilson Award for best political science book of 2010-11. She writes about her personal journey back to community at Project Reconnect. Romney Garrett holds a B.A. from Harvard University and is a returned Peace Corps volunteer. She lives in the attractive red rock desert of Southern Utah along with her husband and two children.
Loreen Allphin
April 4, Devotional
Loreen Allphin, plant ecologist/conservation geneticist, received her Ph.D. in biology with an ecology and evolution emphasis from the University of Utah. She has served on the college of BYU since 1996. She is currently a school member within the Department of Plant and Wildlife Sciences and an associate dean within the College of Life Sciences.
Her research interests include ecological and conservation genetics of rare plant populations, biogeography of endemism and rarity in plants, plant systematics, plant population and community ecology and plant reproductive ecology.
Gerrit W. Gong
April 11, Devotional
Elder Gerrit W. Gong currently serves as a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He previously served as a member of the Asia Area Presidency and member of the Presidency of the Seventy.
During his 20 years in Washington, D.C., he served as special assistant to the undersecretary of state on the U.S. State Department, as special assistant to the U.S. ambassador in Beijing, China, and in several positions on the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, D.C. He was also assistant to the president for planning and assessment at BYU.
Elder Gong holds a doctorate in diplomacy and a master’s degree in philosophy from Oxford University, where he was a Rhodes scholar. He also holds a Bachelor of Arts in Asian and university studies from BYU.
