President C. Shane Reese
BYU’s 14th President
The Board of Trustees of Brigham Young University has appointed C. Shane Reese as the university’s 14th president. Reese will succeed Kevin J Worthen, who has served as president since 2014.
Elder Jeffrey R. Holland of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints made the announcement during a BYU devotional in Provo, Utah.
"BYU is a light to the world and the flagship of our Church Educational System,” Elder Holland said. “We are so grateful for President Worthen's nine years of dedicated leadership. He has shown an unwavering commitment to the university's mission. His Inspiring Learning Initiative has elevated undergraduate mentoring in ways that will forever bless a generation of student scholars.”
"We are also so pleased with this new assignment for President Reese,” added Elder Holland. “The Lord has prepared him in profound ways. He has the confidence and trust of the Church Board of Education to lead BYU at this critical time."
Reese has been serving as the academic vice president at BYU since 2019. He previously served as dean of the College of Physical and Mathematical Sciences from 2017-2019 and joined the BYU statistics faculty in 2001.
“I’m honored and humbled by the opportunity to serve as the president of Brigham Young University,” said Reese. “Wendy and I express our deep gratitude for the exemplary service of Kevin and Peggy Worthen. We love the mission of BYU and look forward to passionately pursuing that mission with our students, faculty and staff.”
About President Shane Reese
President Reese earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in statistics from BYU and a doctoral degree in statistics from Texas A&M. His research has focused on sports analytics, Bayesian hierarchical models and optimal experimental design. He is an elected fellow of the American Statistical Laboratory.
President Reese has used his work in solving problems in professional sports franchises, national security and business. At BYU, he received the BYU Young Scholar Award and the BYU Karl G. Maeser Excellence in Teaching Award. He was also the Melvin W. Carter Professor of Statistics. Prior to BYU, he worked at the Los Alamos National Laboratory as a technical staff member.
He served a mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the Taiwan Taipei Mission from 1990-1992. He is currently serving as the first counselor in the Mapleton Utah North Stake, where he previously served as a bishop. He and his wife, Wendy Wood Reese, are the parents of three children.
The Mission and Aims of Brigham Young University
The mission of Brigham Young University — founded, supported, and guided by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints — is to assist individuals in their quest for perfection and eternal life. That assistance should provide a period of intensive learning in a stimulating setting where a commitment to excellence is expected and the full realization of human potential is pursued. The Aims of a BYU Education seek to develop students of faith, intellect, and character who have the skills and the desire to continue learning and to serve others throughout their lives.