Cougar Queries is a series profiling BYU employees by asking them questions about their work, interests and life.
BYU employee since: 2016. I’m coming up on my 10-year anniversary at BYU and I’m excited to celebrate it by giving a devotional!
My job at BYU is... a law professor. I teach legal ethics, business law, and corporate compliance. In other words, I teach future lawyers how to follow professional rules, practice law consistent with their values, and how organizations can follow the law and do the right thing.
I’m currently working on... a compliance textbook. It brings together law, business, and ethics to explore how organizations can make the world a better place.
A meaningful spot on campus to me is… the grooves on the stone stairs in the main staircase of the Harold B. Lee Library. Years of students have worn them in. When I was an undergraduate, I loved thinking about the students who have walked the stairs before me and those who would come after. As a student, it made me feel connected to something bigger and as a faculty member, it still does.
My favorite BYU Fan experience was… being there to cheer for the Cougars’ win at the Pop-Tarts Bowl in Florida and holding an alligator at the alumni tailgate party before the football game!
My favorite BYU sporting event to attend is… BYU softball games! I love the passion of the athletes, the sport, and the chill vibes at the Gayle Miller Softball Stadium. Taking my daughter and her softball team to games — and sticking around to meet players and coaches — makes for a great day at the ballpark.
My favorite lecture to teach is… the ethics of lawyers advertising. Nothing gets students more engaged than billboards, over-the-top commercials, and slogans that make you say, “Wait… can they say that?” (Sometimes yes. Sometimes… let’s discuss.).
The best-kept BYU secret is… a toss-up between BYU Print and Mail and BYU Laundry — both are affordable, conveniently located, offer great services, and have student employees who are patient with me when it’s clear that I am not good at Canva or keeping my clothes clean!
Three things you’ll find in my refrigerator are… Coke Zero, heavy whipping cream, and raspberry puree — because I take my at-home dirty soda habit very seriously. Some might call it a life choice; I consider it a lifestyle.
A cherished memory of BYU… giving my “job talk” to apply for a faculty position at the law school. My husband had flowers delivered from Campus Floral to the conference room and placed them in the back of the room so I’d have something that would make me smile while presenting. It worked and thankfully I got both the job and the flowers!
A favorite assignment I have had at BYU as faculty… I love “hooding” new law school graduates at convocation. Looking forward to graduation got me through the hardest times when I was in law school and graduation was one of the proudest days of my life! It is amazing to see each student walk across the stage and celebrate this special day with students and their families.
My favorite treat at the BYU creamery is… the new Cougar Paw. It’s LaVell’s Vanilla ice cream, dipped in milk chocolate, on a stick, and shaped like a cougar paw… What’s not to love???
A favorite experience with BYU students… taking first-year law students to Los Angeles to partner with an international law firm for the “Compliance Academy,” where students conducted a simulated internal bribery investigation. It was such a fun experience to introduce students to an area of law where I practiced. I loved watching students build confidence, develop new skills, think like real lawyers, and realize they could handle complex matters before they felt “ready.”
My favorite thing in my office is… a cougar I have mounted on my wall named “Cosette, the Cougarette.” She wears different hats for holidays and most recently, wore a cap for graduation!
