The BYU–Hawaii Ohana has recently announced changes in the university’s academic leadership. Some of these appointments and changes have previously been announced and took affect as of the beginning of the new academic year. With these changes, an extension of gratitude is expressed to those who have served in the various academic assignments for all the time, energy and dedication they put forth.
David Bybee, Associate Academic Vice President for Instruction
David Bybee is a marine biologist and an environmental consultant. He received his undergraduate degree from Brigham Young University–Provo and a Ph.D. from the University of Hawaii at Manoa. His expertise focuses mainly on life histories and biodiversity of marine invertebrate animals which has taken him to many parts of the Pacific including Melanesia, Micronesia, and Polynesia. He began teaching at BYU–Hawaii part time in 2003 and full time in 2007. He and his wife have three children. They enjoy living near the ocean and studying the rich biological and cultural heritage of the Pacific.
Kevin Kimball, Director of the Center for Learning and Teaching
Kevin Kimball was raised in Southern California and served a mission in Hamburg, Germany. He attended BYU–Provo where he earned his undergraduate and graduate degrees in Accounting. He worked for Deloitte & Touche prior to joining the BYU–Hawaii Ohana in 1997. He and his wife Teresa have six children. “I appreciate the opportunity to focus more of my attention on better understanding learning and teaching,” says Kimball. “Through that increased understanding, I will be able to help both students and faculty improve the learning and teaching occurring in their lives, not only in the classroom.”
New Deans:
Mark Cannon, College of Math and Sciences
Mark Cannon grew up in Northern Utah. He served a mission in the Kobe and Tokyo South missions in Japan. After graduating from Utah State University with a bachelor’s degree in Chemistry, he completed his graduate studies at the University of Oregon and earned a Ph.D. in Biochemistry. He joined the BYU–Hawaii faculty in August 2005. He served as a chair of the Biochemistry and Physical Sciences department from 2009-2014 prior to his appointment as as the dean of the College of Math and Sciences. Mark and his wife Stacey have three girls, all of whom where adopted. “I’m excited to be able to work closely with the awesome faculty in the College of Math and Sciences,” says Cannon. “There isn’t a school like BYU–Hawaii anywhere in the world, and one of the things that makes us so special is the quality of our faculty.”
Mark Wolfersberger, College of Human Development
Mark Wolfersberger grew up in Bakersfield, California. He received his undergraduate degree in Japanese Teaching and a master’s in TESOL at BYU–Provo, and later he earned his Ph.D. in Second Language Training and Learning from the University of Auckland. Wolfersberger served his mission in the Japan Tokyo North Mission. He and his wife Rebecca, who is from New Zealand, have four children. Wolfersberger has been a professor at BYU–Hawaii since 2007. “I am honored and overwhelmed with this assignment, but I’m excited because this position will give me the opportunity to work with a variety of faculty across the campus,” says Wolfersberger. “I do think that John Bailey (the previous dean) will be a tough act to follow.”
Jim Lee, College of Business, Computing, and Government
Jim Lee grew up in Southern California and Arizona. He served his mission in El Salvador and Guatemala. He and his family moved to Laie in 2007 so that Jim could teach in the Information Systems department, which merged with the Computer Science department in 2008. “I love BYU–Hawaii and its students,” says Jim. “The school exists because of the vision of a prophet of God, and I feel very privileged. My greatest desire is to help each student to better understand who they are, what they can become, and then to help them to achieve their goal of a college education.”
New Department Chairs:
Daniel Bradshaw, Music and Theatre Arts Department
Daniel Bradshaw has been teaching at BYU–Hawaii since 2006. Courses he teaches include Music Composition, Music Theory, Music Fundamentals, and Introduction to Music Literature. He received his doctoral degree in Music Composition from the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music. He is the founder and director of the BYU–Hawaii Chamber Orchestra. He and his wife Emily have five children.
Stephen Hancock, English Department
Stephen Hancock has been a professor at BYU–Hawaii for eleven years. He received his bachelor’s degree in English from Arizona State University, his master’s in English from BYU–Provo, and his Ph.D. in Romantic and Victorian English Literature from Purdue. “We are a small school, so everyone has to take their turn at leadership and do their best to do what they can in their area of influence to make a difference for the students,” says Hancock. “We have a lot going on in the English department. I’m glad I have a lot of good colleagues who will make it easier to get that done.”
Georgi Lukov, Biochemistry Department
Georgi Lukov was born and raised in Bulgaria until he was 24. He completed his medical training at the Medical University of Plodiv, Bulgaria. He them completed his Ph.D. in Biochemistry at BYU–Provo. He joined the BYU–Hawaii Biochemistry and Physical Science department in 2010. “I would like to preserve the spirit of friendship and respect between my colleagues,” say Lukov. “I am a firm believer that if we do not improve constantly, we will regress. I will be actively searching and trying better ways to improve the quality of science education at BYU–Hawaii.”
David Porter, Exercise and Sports Science Department
David Porter came to BYU–Hawaii as a coach and professor in 1982. Prior to that, he was a member of the faculty at BYU–Provo and assigned as the director of physical fitness at the MTC. As a collegiate tennis coach for more than 20 years, Porter has an impressive .829 winning percentage. He and his wife Lorrie have four children and nine grandchildren, all of which have attended BYU–Hawaii for at least part of their education. “I am looking forward to working with the general student body in our various EXS courses and through Intramurals,” says Porter.
David Preece, Business Management Department
David Preece has been a professor at BYU—Hawaii since 2010. Classes that he teaches pertain to Business Management. Preece and his wife have three children, all of which like to spend their time being active. “It is a real privilege to serve as the chair of the largest department on campus, and I hope to work closely with my Business Management colleagues to plan a great future for our Business and Hospitality/Tourism programs,” says Preece.
