Laviter brings executive experience and spiritual conviction to BYU-Pathway to strengthen the organization
In a pivotal moment of growth, BYU-Pathway Worldwide has appointed John M. Laviter as executive advisor to President Brian K. Ashton and a member of the President’s Executive Group. Laviter brings both executive experience and a deep spiritual commitment to the organization’s mission of preparing students worldwide, both spiritually and academically.
In his new role, Laviter will enhance organizational clarity, team productivity, and cross-functional coordination, strengthening communication and collaboration across departments and with other partners in the Church Educational System. He will also advise President Ashton and provide executive leadership in his absence.
“BYU-Pathway is becoming an increasingly complex organization,” said President Ashton. “Many major projects require teams across all vice president areas to work together, which requires careful planning, coordination, and robust executive leadership to make timely decisions. John will help ensure we maintain cohesive, effective leadership so we can best serve students.”
Laviter founded and served as the chairman and CEO of a national company for 18 years, overseeing a portfolio of over $5 billion in real estate assets for institutional banks and investors across 44 offices in 23 U.S. states. He successfully led the company until its sale in 2023. He graduated from Harvard Business School and received a bachelor’s degree from Brigham Young University. Laviter has also served on BYU-Pathway President’s Leadership Council.
Reflecting on his decision to join BYU-Pathway, Laviter emphasized a strong sense of spiritual purpose.
“I’m grateful to work alongside President Ashton,” he said. “In considering this decision, I thought of the boy who saw and spoke with God — Joseph Smith, the Prophet of the Restoration — and the early Saints who gave everything to build Zion. Joseph taught, ‘We ought to have the building up of Zion as our greatest object.’ Nearly 200 years later, that same work presses forward — and one powerful way it’s happening is through BYU-Pathway.”
Referencing Doctrine and Covenants section 97, Laviter continued, “At BYU-Pathway, we’re not just building a school — we’re helping build Zion. The Lord describes Zion as a house of learning, a house of holiness, a gathering of the pure in heart, a covenant-keeping people with broken hearts and contrite spirits. That’s what BYU-Pathway is really about.
“I believe if we follow that divine pattern and to the extent we remain a peculiar people — refusing to conform to the precepts of men — then through the providence of Almighty God, I’m confident every promise He made to the Saints will be fulfilled, down to the very last word.”
President Ashton added that Laviter’s leadership is not only strategic but also deeply aligned with BYU-Pathway’s spiritual mission: “John continues a tradition within BYU-Pathway of responding to a spiritual call to serve the Lord and our students. He can help us develop world-class operations. As BYU-Pathway better prepares students both academically and spiritually, they become disciples of Jesus Christ who lead in their homes, the Church, their communities, and their nations. They also become more capable of building Zion in their home countries and preparing the world for the Second Coming of the Lord Jesus Christ.”
About BYU-Pathway Worldwide
BYU-Pathway is the online arm of the Church Educational System of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Its mission is to develop disciples of Jesus Christ who are leaders in their homes, the Church, and their communities. Serving more than 75,000 students in 180 countries annually, BYU-Pathway provides access to spiritually based degrees from BYU-Idaho and Ensign College — completely online at a significantly reduced cost. Learn more at
byupathway.edu
.