Alumni Achievement Awards

Marriott School of Business

Cydni Tetro

BS ’96, MBA ’98

Lecture: Disney, Coke & Marvel Leadership
Time: Thursday, October 16, 11 AM
Location: Hinckley Building Lower Level Conference Room

Cydni Tetro (BS ’96, MBA ’98) is an executive in pioneering technology, 3-time CEO, and national leader in innovation and AI strategy. A former Disney Imagineer, she helped bring cutting-edge AI and robotics technologies to life. She then founded a groundbreaking 3D-printing company with brands like the NFL, MLB, and more, leading it to successful acquisition. As CIO of Swire Coca-Cola, she spearheaded digital and AI transformations across the multibillion-dollar enterprise, and as CEO of Brandless, she grew revenue by a hundred million while breaking fundraising records for women in Silicon Slopes.

Having been in tech her entire career, and as a computer science graduate, she is passionate about empowering others in the tech industry, Cydni founded the Women Tech Council non-profit over 15 years ago and has inspired more than 40,000 high school girls to pursue STEM careers through SheTech and built a community of over 20,000 which accelerates women into the boardroom. Recognized as a EY Entrepreneur of the Year and national voice on AI, she also serves on multiple major corporate and nonprofit boards. She currently serves as President and COO of MTNP in addition to speaking on innovation around the world. Cydni and her husband have 3 children.

David O. McKay School of Education

Lecture: The Quiet Influencers
Time: Thursday, October 16, 11 AM
Location: 115 MCKB

Cathy Nixon (BS ’90, MS ’92) is a distinguished leader in athletics with a legacy of excellence as a player, coach, and administrator. Cathy’s career in collegiate athletics began on the basketball court at Brigham Young University, where she earned All-American honors and was later inducted into the BYU Hall of Fame.

Throughout her career, Cathy has prioritized leading athletic programs with integrity and purpose. Her coaching career began at BYU as an assistant coach for three years before she transitioned to Utah Valley University. Over a 28-year tenure at UVU—four years as an assistant coach and 24 as head coach—she became a cornerstone of the university’s athletic program and a mentor to generations of student-athletes, leading the UVU Women’s Basketball team to 380 wins.

Today, Cathy serves as Deputy Athletic Director and Senior Woman Administrator at Utah Valley University, where she continues to influence UVU Athletics with vision, personal investment in student-athletes, and commitment to community. Outside of work, Cathy is deeply committed to her faith and family and finds peace and inspiration in the outdoors.

Ira A. Fulton College of Engineering

Gary Brown

Lecture: Go All In and Don't Flinch
Time: Thursday, October 16, 11 AM
Location: JSB Auditorium

Now retired, Gary Brown (BSEE ’85, MSEE ’86) is a widely accomplished electrical engineer. He began his career at Hewlett-Packard before joining Intel Corporation in 1988 as a CPU design engineer. Following his time at Intel, he co-founded Stexar Corporation, a startup focused on digital television technologies. Gary most recently served as Vice President of Microprocessor (CPU) Engineering for NVIDIA Corporation. In 2006, he opened a CPU design center and grew it into a multi-site organization. His team provided CPU solutions for NVIDIA products that are integral to NVIDIA’s strategies today.

Throughout his career, Gary mentored hundreds of engineers, especially focused on engaging BYU students through campus recruiting and guest lectures. He was appointed by the Governor of Oregon as the High-Tech Industry Representative on the state’s Workforce Talent and Development Board and has served on both the EECS Industrial Advisory Board and the College of Engineering Dean’s Leadership Council at Oregon State University.

Gary stays involved in his community through volunteering as a boatbuilding instructor, teaching hands-on STEM projects in local middle and high schools. Gary and his wife Lorena have five children and three grandchildren.

College of Family, Home, and Social Sciences

Ambassador Jeff Flake

Lecture: No Man is an Island: Lessons Learned as a Legislator and a Diplomat
Time: Thursday, October 16, 11 AM
Location: 250 KMBL

Ambassador Jeff Flake’s (BA ’86, MA ’87) political career is a byproduct of his BYU education. He finished his MA in Political Science on Capitol Hill as part of BYU’s Washington Seminar program. Two years later, he put his BA in International Relations to use in the African country of Namibia, where he directed a foundation assisting Namibia’s independence process.

In 2000, he ran for Congress and won a seat representing Arizona’s sixth congressional district, where he served on the House Foreign Affairs Committee. He won a Senate seat in 2012, joining the Committee on Foreign Relations and chairing the Subcommittee on Africa. After retiring from the Senate, Jeff was nominated to be U.S. Ambassador to the Republic of Türkiye, where he helped secure Sweden’s accession to NATO. In appreciation, he was awarded Knighthood by the Government of Sweden.

Jeff and his wife, Cheryl, are parents to five children. They divide their time between Arizona, where he directs ASU’s Institute of Politics, and Utah, where he is Chair of World Trade Center Utah.

College of Fine Arts and Communications

Cheryll Treu

Lecture: Rhythm of Service: Steps of a Lifetime
Time: Thursday, October 16, 11AM
Location: RB Dance Theatre

Cheryll Treu (BA ’85) is a proud graduate of Brigham Young University, where she toured with the BYU Ballroom Dance Company, performing in England, China, Thailand, Hong Kong, and New York. As a student, she taught ballroom classes and directed the Ballroom Back-Up Tour Team for three years. She also holds certifications from the Imperial Society of Teachers of Dance in International Latin and Ballroom styles.

For three decades, Cheryll has shared her passion for ballroom dance with young students. She developed, directed, and choreographed for dance programs across Utah, including American Heritage School, Alpine District Junior High Teams, Pleasant Grove Junior High, and Northridge Elementary. She has served as the Ballroom Dance Coordinator for Alpine School District since 2006, expanding the program from three to 21 elementary schools, mentoring teachers, and inspiring thousands of students.

Cheryll is the co-founder of the Danzinskule Education Foundation, a nonprofit supporting school ballroom programs. For almost 20 years, she has led curriculum design, teacher training, and event coordination, serving more than 10,000 students of all ages. Cheryll and her husband Blair are parents to four children.

College of Humanities

Chris Washburn

Lecture: Be in the Moment
Time: Thursday, October 16, 11 AM
Location: B092 JFSB

Chris Washburn (BA ’90, MBA ’95, JD ’95) is an accomplished Brigham Young University graduate, holding three degrees from BYU. Chris began his career practicing corporate law, as well as working in finance and strategic planning at Nissan Motor Corporation in California. He then went on to join EV Global Motors, eventually rising to president and playing a key role in the company’s acquisition. He later served as VP/GM at mobility technology firm Wavecrest Laboratories in Washington, D.C., where he focused on innovative transportation solutions for commercial and military applications.

Driven by a passion for cycling, Chris founded Fezzari (now Ari) with the mission to “create exceptional experiences, one rider at a time.” The company has earned widespread acclaim, including six Bike of the Year awards and industry-leading customer satisfaction ratings.

After a mountain biking accident in 2025, Chris was left with a life-changing spinal cord injury, leading him to learn extraordinary perseverance through recovery and become more committed than ever to serving others, inspiring hope, and spending meaningful time with his wife, children, and six grandchildren.

J. Reuben Clark Law School

Neil and Denise Lindberg

Lecture: Preparing for the Unexpected
Time: Thursday, October 16, 11AM
Location: 303 JRCB

Neil Lindberg (BS ’73, MPA ’80, JD ’90) began his career as a city planner and later obtained public administration and law degrees from Brigham Young University. Now retired from practicing zoning and municipal law, he was a recognized expert helping public and private clients resolve challenging land development issues. For many years, he served on the board of the Utah Land Use Institute, an organization dedicated to addressing land development conflicts between public entities and private parties.

Denise Posse Lindberg (BA ’70, JD ’88), a native of Cuba, received her bachelor’s degree from BYU and completed her master’s and PhD degrees at the University of Utah. After earning a JD with high honors from the J. Reuben Clark Law School, she clerked for Judge Monroe McKay in the U.S. 10th Circuit Court of Appeals and Justice Sandra Day O’Connor in the U.S. Supreme Court. She practiced law in Washington, D.C. and Salt Lake City until her 1998 appointment to Utah’s Third District Court. She stepped down in 2015 but continues as a senior district judge. From 2014–18, Denise served on the Young Women General Board of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

From 2018–21, Denise and Neil represented Latter-day Saint Charities and BYU’s International Center for Law and Religion Studies at the Organization of American States in Washington, D.C. They currently serve in the Church’s Office of General Counsel as government relations advisors for Latin America and the Caribbean.

College of Life Sciences

Riley D. Peck

Riley Peck (MS ’12) is the director of the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources, appointed in January 2025. He leads the Division’s efforts in responsible management and conservation of Utah’s fish and wildlife.

Peck's career at the Division began in 2006. During his years as a biologist and regional wildlife manager, he worked with a variety of game and nongame species. A background in conservation and wildlife policy led to a position as the Division’s legislative liaison from 2019–2025. In his work with lawmakers, he advocated for sustainable wildlife practices and habitat restoration projects.

Peck has a bachelor’s degree in biology from the University of Utah and a master’s degree in plant and wildlife science from Brigham Young University. He spends his free time in Utah’s outdoors, enjoying fishing, hunting, and camping with his family.

College of Nursing

Nicki Broby

Lecture: Seeking Higher Ground
Time: Thursday, October 16, 11 AM
Location: Alice Louise Reynolds Auditorium (1060 HBLL)

Nicki Broby (MSN ’17) worked as a nurse for 11 years in the pediatric ICU and the ER before becoming a nurse practitioner. After 6 years as an NP in Northeastern, AZ, she now travels across Alaska, providing care to remote villages with critical medical shortages. She also works part time for the National Disaster Medical System and has received various awards, including Nurse of the Year award from the University of Utah ER, the Outstanding Civilian Award from the US Navy, and the Outstanding Representative of Community Involvement Award from Arizona State University.

Nicki has a passion for disaster response and humanitarian work. Her adventures include volunteering on Navy hospital ships, serving in over a dozen countries, doing research in refugee camps, teaching midwives a “Helping Babies Breathe” class, and serving as the medical volunteer coordinator for the Church’s Emergency Response Department. Her thesis work, “Effective International Medical Disaster Relief” was published in the Prehospital and Disaster Medicine Journal.

An Arizona native, Nicki loves the outdoors, traveling, Mexican food, and spending time with her nieces and nephews.

College of Computational, Mathematical and Physical Sciences

Travis Lemon

Lecture: Initial Values and Meaningful Milestones
Time: Thursday, October 16, 11 AM
Location: 1170 TMCB

Travis Lemon (BS ’00, MS ’10) believes that his most important roles in life are husband to his wife Marnée and father to their five children. Travis is a secondary mathematics teacher and co-authors of high school mathematics curriculum as a member of the Mathematics Vision Project. He has served as president of the Utah Council of Teachers of Mathematics and as an editorial board member for the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics.

Travis is a well-respected, admired educator as well as a former teacher to many BYU students. He is an educational consultant, national speaker, and a recipient of the Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching as well as the Huntsman Education Award. The curriculum he has authored has been implemented in thousands of classrooms across the United States and around the world.

Travis’ greatest achievement is the success of his students and the success of the teachers he works with. He is most energized when he is able to orchestrate rich classroom discussions that create opportunities for student thinking and spark learning for the entire class.

David M. Kennedy Center for International Studies

Ambassador Jeffrey M. Hovenier

Lecture: Diplomacy: A Contact Sport
Time: Thursday, October 16, 5 PM
Location: 238 HRCB

Ambassador Jeffrey M. Hovenier (BA ’88) left the Department of State in 2024 after more than 34 years in public service as a Foreign Service officer representing the United States in Europe and Latin America. Throughout his career, Jeffery served as Ambassador to Kosovo, Chargé d’Affaires and Deputy Chief of Mission in Türkiye, and Acting Deputy Chief of Mission and Minister Counselor for Political Affairs at the U.S. Embassy to Germany. He served at U.S. Embassies in Peru, Greece, Croatia, Paraguay, Panama, and in the U.S. Mission to the OSCE. In Washington, D.C., he served as Director for Central and Southeastern European Affairs for the National Security Council at the White House and in the State Department’s Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs.

Jeffery is the recipient of numerous State Department Awards, a Presidential Rank Award, and government honors from the Republic of Kosovo. He has a bachelor’s degree from Brigham Young University, a master’s degree from Georgetown University, and speaks German, Greek, Croatian, and Spanish. He is married to Laura Williams Hovenier and has four children and seven grandchildren.