Ryan Carter

Brigham Young University, Marriott School of Business

Age: 45

“I am a husband, father, business leader, and youth soccer coach.”

Hometown: Queen Creek, Arizona

Family Members: My wife, Caitlin, and I have four children, Andrew, Landon, Claira, and Jainey.

Fun fact about yourself: After my freshmen year of college, I took a two-year leave of absence from school to serve as a full-time missionary in Cape Town, South Africa, for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Undergraduate School and Degree: Brigham Young University, Bachelor of Science in Accounting

Where are you currently working? VF Law, LLP (Chief Financial Officer)

Extracurricular Activities, Community Work and Leadership Roles: Former President of BYU Management Society (Oregon Portland Chapter), youth soccer coach, church youth group leader, Eagle Scout Award recipient

Which academic or extracurricular achievement are you most proud of during business school?  As a commuter student in BYU’s EMBA program, I traveled from Portland, Oregon, every other weekend (sometimes back-to-back weekends) to Salt Lake City, Utah, for the first year of the program. During the summer after the first year, I moved my family to Arizona, and I traveled from Phoenix to Salt Lake City for the second year of the program. I’m most proud of the fact that, despite my other life responsibilities and despite the travel requirements, I have never missed a class session.

What achievement are you most proud of in your professional career? I’m most proud of growing a small boutique law firm of 13 attorneys and 20 support staff between two offices in two states to a regional law firm of more than 30 attorneys and 70 support staff in 6 offices across 5 western states in a period of just over 6 years.

As a close second, I’m also very proud of leading our firm through the significant challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic. Like all other companies, we entered the pandemic not knowing what to expect or how long it would impact our business. However, we made efficient, decisive adjustments to our business model and exited the pandemic as a stronger, more profitable firm. While we were forced to lay-off some valued employees to weather the pandemic storm, I’m proud of how many jobs we were able to protect and how many employees we have since re-hired.

Who was your favorite MBA professor? I will point to two MBA professors because they were team teachers. Mike Drake and Jake Thornock stand out because they taught the corporate financial report course.  Many would consider that subject matter painfully dry subject. I feel I have the latitude to say that because I’m a CPA who originally built his career on audit and advisory services.  However, Professors Drake and Thornock were so engaging that they quickly removed the sting of potential boredom.

Why did you choose this school’s executive MBA program?  I explored several executive MBA programs. Most of them were programs close to my home in Portland, Oregon, so they would certainly have been more convenient. However, the truth is that I love Brigham Young University. I always have. BYU’s mantra of “Enter to learn, go forth to serve” is perfectly aligned with my personal values. BYU was a place of deep intellectual and spiritual stimulation for me as an undergraduate student. I longed for that same stimulation as a graduate student. That’s exactly what I found in BYU Marriott’s very challenging EMBA program. I also wanted to be part of an in-person EMBA program rather than a virtual program. On top of all that, the professors at BYU Marriott are in the top tier of their professions. Most of them were students and instructors at the most prestigious business schools in the country before they brought their talents and research to BYU.

What is the biggest lesson you gained during your MBA and how did you apply it at work? My biggest lesson or takeaway from BYU Marriott’s EMBA program is more of a confirmation of what I already knew than it is a new revelation. The confirmation is that adding to one’s knowledge base and skill set is absolutely critical for building a successful career. You don’t have to know everything, but you have to be willing to learn, and you have to actively seek out learning opportunities.

Give us a story during your time as an executive MBA on how you were able to juggle work, family, and education?  The most difficult time during my EMBA experience was the week my daughter was in the hospital for a major surgery and the week of recovery that followed. During that time, I had some critical project deadlines at work which left me with no flexibility for taking time off. Adding to the chaos, I had deadlines for group and individual projects for school the same week. Then add the need for me to travel to school over the weekend. My wife and I were maxed out.

All I can say is that I did my best and muddled through with the Herculean support of my sweet wife and incredibly reliable classmates. My wife and I took turns staying at the hospital with our older daughter, while the other would be at home caring for our younger daughter. On the days I was at the hospital, I sat in a chair next to her hospital bed with my laptop and worked as much as I could in between attending to her needs. Then my wife would come relieve me so I could go home and participate in Zoom meetings with my school groups in the evening. I never told my groupmates what was going on, and I didn’t need to. I knew they too were working hard and balancing other responsibilities in their lives. Nonetheless, their reliable, hard work on our projects provided me with additional relief. When all was said and done, I managed to successfully meet my work deadlines and submit my school assignments and projects on time. It was a stretch, and it was only possible with great family support and very reliable classmates.

What is the biggest myth about going back to school? The biggest myth about going back to school is that at some point one must simply acknowledge that it might be too late to tackle a graduate program. Nonsense! While I’m not the oldest member of the program, I’m definitely near the top of the age range in my cohort. The truth is, it’s never too late. This challenge at this stage of my career has been refreshing and energizing. Additionally, because I’m so deep into my career, I’ve been able to function as a better classmate and an effective mentor to younger yet seasoned professionals.

What was your biggest regret in business school? My biggest regret is that I don’t know every single one of my classmates as well as I’d like to. A two-year program sounds like a lot of time – and one might think it’s sufficient time to create a meaningful personal relationship with every single classmate – but it’s not. The truth is, in an executive program, our time is limited to what we’re able to carve out of our careers and personal time. That limit makes it very difficult to develop close relationships with every classmate. That said, we develop as many meaningful relationships as we can, and I’m grateful for the many meaningful friendships I have developed with cohorts in the program.

Which MBA classmate do you most admire? While I deeply admire many of my classmates for a large variety of reasons, Karen Tamai stands out for me. Her family immigrated to the United States from very dangerous circumstances in Columbia when she was a teenager. I’m amazed by the challenges she has overcome and the success her drive has generated. I’ve worked closely with her on several group projects in varying classes during the program. I’m inspired by her backstory, her undeniable talent, and her relentless grit. I also find her direct yet respectful communication style very refreshing. Her witty sense of humor and positive attitude in our group projects have also added to the value my EMBA experience.

What was the main reason you chose an executive MBA program over part-time or online alternatives? An executive MBA program was simply the best fit for me at this stage of my career. I’m 25 years into my career, and I felt the best way for me to maximize my learning opportunity through a graduate program would be with other professionals that bring with them a significant level of experience in a variety of careers. Additionally, an in-person program was the only option I considered because that environment would be critical for maximizing the learning opportunities and for developing truly meaningful relationships. In my mind, there’s no substitute for face-to-face interaction—particularly coming out of the incredibly disruptive COVID-19 pandemic.

What is your ultimate long-term professional goal? My ultimate long-term professional goal is to take the skills and knowledge I’ve gained from BYU’s EMBA program and add them to what I’ve gained throughout my career to start my own business venture. Up to this point in my career, my professional energy has been spent building a business for other people. I’m very proud of the success I’ve had in that arena. However, it’s time for me to direct more of my energy to building a venture of my own. I have some really exciting ideas. Stay tuned!

What made Ryan such an invaluable addition to the Class of 2023?

“Ryan is an outstanding EMBA student. He has consistently demonstrated a deep understanding of the course material, excellent critical thinking abilities, and an exceptional work ethic. However, what sets Ryan apart is his remarkable ability to work collaboratively with peers. He actively seeks to engage with others in group work and has demonstrated an ability to lead teams effectively.”

Jake Thornock
Professor of Accounting and John and Nancy Hardy Chaired Professor

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