Latter-day Profiles

Jodi Reynosa is a KMTR-TV anchor who has worked at NBC, ABC, CBS, and Fox, interviewing presidential hopefuls such as John Kerry, Ted Cruz, Rudy Giuliani, Hillary Clinton, and Dick Cheney, as well as notables such as Judge Jeanine Pirro, space shuttle commander Eileen Collins, and pop band ZZ Top. She’s hosted talk shows and launched the YouTube series Guided. She studied acting at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts and at First Take. She earned a bachelor’s in broadcasting, a master’s in education, and an executive MBA.

Webb Knudsen has a background in entertainment, social media, and mobile. He’s the CEO and cofounder of Playper, which creates paper toys that kids build and bring to life through augmented reality. Previously, he was vice president of business development at Crisp; led sales teams for Aarki and Millennial Reach; and worked at Walden Media, at the literary and talent agency CAA, and at Lucasfilm. In these roles, he focused on driving profitability and optimizing market strategy for movies, brands, and apps. He earned a degree in sociology and speech communication at Pepperdine.

Joseph Batzel has an MA and BA degrees from BYU in Theater and Cinema from the department of Speech Communications. He has been an educator for 40 + years in the university, college, and public schools. Joseph is a state and national workshop presenter in film auditioning, stage acting, and voice-over acting. He also is a voice-over artist for audiobooks, film, commercials, and radio broadcasting. Joseph has a rich background as a professional actor, director, casting director, associate producer, and writer for stage and film. He resides in northern Utah with his wife Alice, a published playwright, journalist, and freelance writer.

Lisa Mangum has worked in the publishing department of Deseret Book since 1997. She’s been the managing editor for Shadow Mountain since 2014 and has worked with New York Times bestselling authors such as Brandon Mull, Ally Condie, and Jason F. Wright. While fiction is her first love, she also has experience working with nonfiction projects and children’s picture books. She’s also the author of four national bestselling young adult novels, as well as several short stories and novellas. She’s also edited four anthologies based on magical creatures.

Steven Piersanti is president and publisher of Berrett-Koehler Publishers, Inc., a leading independent publisher of books on current affairs, personal growth, and business and management. Berrett-Koehler pursues its mission of “Creating a World That Works for All” by publishing groundbreaking books that promote positive change at all levels – individual, organizational, and societal. Prior to founding Berrett-Koehler in 1992, Steve served as president of Jossey-Bass Publishers. He began his career at Jossey-Bass in 1977 as an advertising copywriter then served as marketing director, editor, editorial director, and executive vice president before becoming president in 1989. Steve graduated with Highest Honors from Brigham Young University, where he got his start in publishing by founding and editing a university student scholarly journal.

Marianna Richardson teaches business writing and management communication for undergraduate and graduate students at Brigham Young University. She enjoys encouraging business students to improve their writing and to gain a passion for publishing. She is the current chief editor for Marriott Student Review, a student business journal. She did post-doctoral work at Seattle Pacific University where she also served as the assistant-to-the-editor for a peer-reviewed journal, Counseling and Values. She has published three non-fiction books.

Suzy Bills is an author, editor, and faculty member in the editing and publishing program at BYU. She was previously a lead editor for the Joseph Smith Papers, and she’s owned a writing and editing business for a decade, working with individuals and companies to publish everything from books to dissertations, video scripts, technical manuals, marketing materials, and cookbooks. Her first self-authored book, Visions of Heaven, was published in 2018. She loves sharing her skills with others, whether through teaching, mentoring, helping authors get their thoughts on paper, or fine-tuning their writing.

President Bruce C. Kusch became the 13th president of LDS Business College on April 17, 2017, where he had been serving as its chief academic officer since March 2016. LDBC will become Ensign College in the Fall of 2020.

President Bruce C. Kusch began his Church Educational System employment as a member of the business management faculty at Brigham Young University–Idaho in August 2002. In July 2008, he was named associate academic vice president for curriculum at BYU–Idaho, serving in that capacity until June 2012 when he was called to serve as president of the Mexico Cuernavaca Mission.

President Kusch and his wife, Alynda, were married in the Los Angeles California Temple in 1974. They are the parents of four children and have 21 grandchildren. His interests include running, biking, fly fishing, photography and outdoor cooking.

In April of 2017, Clark Gilbert became the first president of BYU-Pathway Worldwide, a global education organization with over 40,000 students in more than 50 countries across the globe.

BYU-Pathway Worldwide brought online learning and local gathering to over 500 centers around the world in an effort to dramatically disrupt the model of traditional higher education.

Gilbert previously served as the 16th president of Brigham Young University – Idaho, a university focused on teaching and access in higher education.

Prior to his educational leadership, Gilbert served as the President and CEO of the Deseret News, helping lead the more than 100-year-old media company through its transformation to digital. His creation of the high growth Deseret Digital Media subsequently earned Gilbert multiple awards as an industry leading media innovator.

Jennifer Stirling was the first “employee” of her sister Lindsey Stirling. Jennifer initiated and manages Lindsey’s sheet music publishing, oversees various projects, and leverages Lindsey’s social media marketing.

Jennifer received a bachelor’s in trumpet performance; teaches private lessons; and is principal trumpet for the East Valley Millennial Orchestra, which has released several top-selling albums.

She’s also a property manager and a ramp agent and has been a USDA wildland firefighter. When not working, she enjoys traveling, barefoot running, yoga, good food, personal development, and time with friends and family