Britney Greene
Brigham Young University, Marriott School of Business
Age: 41
“Strategic community-driven and impact-focused leader, wife, mother, and lover of all things Harry Potter.”
Hometown: Las Vegas, NV
Family Members: Todd (husband) and children Blakely (12), Everly (9), and Finn (6)
Fun fact about yourself: A few years ago in Dubai, I visited Palm Island and swam from one palm frond to another.
Undergraduate School and Degree: Bachelor’s degree in History Teaching, Brigham Young University.
Where are you currently working? Brigham Young University
Extracurricular Activities, Community Work and Leadership Roles: I care deeply about contributing to and strengthening the communities I’m part of, both professionally and locally. Over the past several years, I’ve taken on leadership roles that reflect that commitment.
As president of my local women’s organization comprising 120+ members, I led the group with a focus on developing leaders, expanding community outreach, and creating a more engaged and supportive environment.
I founded and continue to lead an annual Independence Day parade and community breakfast, managing everything from logistics to marketing to partnerships, including coordination with the local fire department.
In my professional role, I was honored with the EMBA Core Value Award for Excellence in Support, recognizing my leadership efforts to support students and faculty, ensure smooth program operations, and contribute to a positive, high-performing environment.
Which academic or extracurricular achievement are you most proud of during business school? When I stepped into the role of president of my community women’s organization, the group felt fragmented and lacked a strong sense of connection. My team and I set out to intentionally reshape the culture by leading with empathy and clarity. In our first six months, we personally visited more than 100 women while listening, building trust, and understanding their needs. Through targeted programs and consistent outreach, we increased engagement from under 20-percent to nearly 50-percent in less than a year.
What I’m most proud of isn’t just the growth in participation but the shift in how women showed up for each other and became more connected, supported, and unified. Building something both structured and deeply personal has been one of my most meaningful achievements during my MBA experience.
What achievement are you most proud of in your professional career? At BYU Marriott, I served as cochair of a relatively new event: the Women in Business Summit. My cochairs and I set out to elevate both the quality and reach of the summit but quickly ran into significant bureaucratic hurdles that made execution challenging. Despite those obstacles, we streamlined planning, strengthened programming, and delivered a more polished, high-impact experience. As a result, attendance grew by over 140 percent and sponsorship revenue increased by more than 1,500 percent.
I’m most proud of this achievement not just because of the growth but because of what it required to get there—navigating complexity, staying persistent through setbacks, and working as a team to deliver something genuinely meaningful. The summit ultimately impacted hundreds of professional women in the community and created a stronger foundation for future events, which makes the outcome even more rewarding.
Who was your favorite MBA professor? I don’t know that I can pick a single favorite, but the professors who made an early impact on my education were Michael Drake and Jake Thornock, co-professors of MBA 525: Financial Statement Analysis. Affectionately known as “Jake & Drake,” they were not only excellent teachers but also instrumental in helping me build confidence early in my MBA journey.
I came into the program with very little business background and was especially intimidated by accounting and finance. What stood out was how professors Drake and Thornock took something I knew almost nothing about and made it engaging, approachable, and even fun. They built strong rapport with students and clearly loved what they were teaching. The course was thoughtfully designed so that readings, assignments, and lectures all built on each other, which made the concepts easier to grasp over time. When I struggled to understand a new concept, coming to class prepared with questions about the readings and assignments always led to clarity. Then, by the time we reached exams, the material felt familiar and manageable and I was able to do very well. Those early wins gave me confidence that I could succeed if I put in the effort, and that belief carried me through the rest of my MBA journey.
Why did you choose this school’s executive MBA program? I worked with the BYU Marriott executive MBA program professionally for nearly a decade and saw firsthand the caliber of students the program attracts and the transformation those students experience. That unique perspective gave me a level of confidence in the program I don’t think I could have gained any other way. Additionally, over the years, I had countless conversations with faculty and was consistently struck by how much they genuinely care about their students, not just professionally but also personally. Their investment in developing well-rounded, whole individuals is inspiring. Between the strength of the faculty and the growth I witnessed in graduates, there wasn’t really another option for me.
What is the biggest lesson you gained during your MBA and how did you apply it at work? Going into my MBA, I often told people, “I have no business being in business school.” I tended to play it safe and underestimated my own capabilities. The biggest lesson I gained from my MBA experience was realizing how I am capable of much more than I had given myself credit for. Going through this program opened up new areas of interest I hadn’t previously considered and pushed me to think more strategically. I’m more willing to step into challenges, take on greater responsibility, and contribute with confidence rather than hesitation. More than anything, the program helped me replace self-doubt with confidence, and that’s something I apply every day, both professionally and personally.
Give us a story during your time as an executive MBA on how you were able to juggle work, family and education? I don’t have one defining story, but I have many moments that capture what it looked like. There were many nights I’d be in my living room typing away on my laptop while one of my young children slept curled up next to me on the couch. Other times, I would be in class while missing a soccer game or swim meet and receiving texts and photos of the play-by-play while simultaneously trying to learn the MBA content. Balancing work, family, and school isn’t about doing everything at once; it’s about constantly deciding where your energy is needed most. Occasionally, those worlds overlap in meaningful ways, but more often, you have to make hard choices. The biggest lesson for me was learning to be intentional in those moments by letting go of guilt, focusing fully on what mattered most at the time, and trusting that in the long run, it would all work out for the best.
What advice would you give to a student looking to enter an executive MBA program? First and foremost, just do it. Second, once you’re in, don’t lose sight of what matters most. Early in my MBA, professors reminded us not to let priorities like family and faith fall away. It’s easy to get consumed by everything you feel you “need” to do. My advice: Be disciplined about your time but equally disciplined about protecting your energy and the people who matter most.
What helped me the most to be intentional with my time was setting a consistent, weekly rhythm, which included dedicated evenings for coursework and study groups and built-in time to recharge. For me, protecting one night each week as a true break kept me going. Just as important was getting buy-in from my family on scheduling and figuring out our balance. It took some adjustment, but over time, life in the EMBA program became the norm. Those boundaries made everything more sustainable.
What is one way that your business school has integrated AI into your programming? What insights did you gain from using AI? One of the most impactful ways BYU Marriott integrated AI into the MBA program was by weaving it into the curriculum rather t han treating it as a stand-alone topic. In addition to offering an elective course—, focused on using AI tools and leading AI initiatives—we were encouraged to use AI regularly in our coursework for research, analysis, and problem-solving. One experience that stood out was in my marketing class, where we conducted focus groups for a startup product and then were encouraged to use AI to synthesize the data, identify trends, and uncover opportunities. My team took one step further by using those insights to generate digital ads and commercial concepts, which showed me just how quickly AI can move a user from insight to execution.
The biggest insight I gained is that AI is a powerful tool, but not a replacement for critical thinking. When used well, it enhances how you work and expands what’s possible; when used poorly, it can limit both creativity and judgment. Watching how quickly the technology evolved even during my MBA reinforced how important it is to learn to use AI thoughtfully, especially as it continues to shape the future of work.
What was the main reason you chose an executive MBA program over part-time or online alternatives? Beyond a world-class education, the biggest reason I chose an executive MBA was the cohort experience. Learning alongside more than 60 professionals who were all balancing demanding lives while investing in their growth was incredibly valuable. My husband completed an online MBA. While he gained a great education, he didn’t build the same kind of lasting connections. There’s something about being in the trenches together that creates a different level of trust and camaraderie. Those relationships have been one of the most meaningful parts of my MBA, and my experience wouldn’t have been the same without that in-person connection.
How did you finance your EMBA and what did you do to make tuition and associated costs more affordable? The BYU executive MBA is one of the more affordable programs available, while still being a first-class education. In fact, my cohort traveled to Utah from states across the country, including Texas, California, Oklahoma, and Nebraska, because of its value.
In addition, I was fortunate to have an employer who was both professionally and financially supportive, including helping to subsidize my tuition. That combination made the investment much more manageable.
What is your ultimate long-term professional goal? My long-term goal is to continue my education by pursuing a doctorate or PhD—something I never would have considered before my MBA. The MBA experience gave me both the confidence and the curiosity to see that path as a real possibility. More broadly, I want to keep growing, learning, and contributing at a higher level. My MBA opened doors I didn’t know existed, and I’m excited to continue building on that foundation. I will be forever grateful for my executive MBA experience.
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