Devotionals and Speeches

This Devotional address with Trent Shippen was delivered on Tuesday, May 12, 2026, at 11:30 AM MST in the BYU-Idaho I-Center. Trent Shippen played basketball for Ricks College while earning an associate’s degree in arts and sciences. He later graduated from Colorado State University with a bachelor’s degree in exercise and sports science, and from the University of Utah with a master’s degree in sports management. Trent began his career with the Church Educational System in the Ricks College Admissions Office while coaching men’s and women’s basketball. Later, he coached the BYU women’s basketball team for five years. He has been working in Student Activities since 2002. Trent enjoys spending time with family, playing and watching sports, faculty noon hoops, and being outdoors. He and his wife, Jean, have six children and one grandchild. Trent has served in almost every organization in the Church and currently serves with Jean as a valiant activity leader.

This Devotional address with Kassandra M. Mackley was delivered on Tuesday, April 28, 2026, at 11:30 AM MST in the BYU-Idaho I-Center. Kassandra M. Mackley grew up in Utah, Virginia, and Blackfoot, Idaho. She served in the Idaho Falls, Idaho, and Vancouver, Washington Missions. Kassandra graduated from BYU-Idaho in 2021 with a bachelor’s degree in Communication and is pursuing a master’s degree in Professional Communication at Southern Utah University. She has worked at BYU-Idaho for nearly five years and currently serves as the Tours and Events Coordinator. Kassandra also serves as her ward’s service activities coordinator and as a JustServe social media specialist for the United States Central Area. For the past four years she has volunteered with the Rexburg Family Crisis Center. Kassandra enjoys reading, road trips, and attending concerts. She especially loves spending time with her family, close friends, her YSA ward family, and her work family at BYU-Idaho.

This Devotional address with Sister Jennifer E. Meredith was delivered on Tuesday, January 13, 2026, at 11:30 AM MST in the BYU-Idaho I-Center. Jennifer E. Meredith received a bachelor’s degree in communications from Brigham Young University. She worked in Human Resources for Franklin Covey. Sister Meredith served as a mission leader with her husband in the Utah Salt Lake City South Mission. She has served as a presidency member in multiple church organizations and as a full-time missionary in the Argentina Salta Mission. President and Sister Meredith were married on June 6, 1998, in the Salt Lake Temple, and they are the parents of six children.

This Devotional address with Jane Clayson Johnson was delivered on December 2, 2025, at 11:30 AM MST in the BYU-Idaho I-Center. Jane Clayson Johnson is an Emmy award-winning journalist, widely known for her work in network television at CBS News in New York, ABC News in Los Angeles, and as a regular guest host on two nationally syndicated programs on NPR, based in Boston. Jane began her career at KSL Television in Salt Lake City. She attended Brigham Young University on a violin performance scholarship and later graduated with a degree in broadcasting. Jane is the author of two best-selling books. I Am a Mother chronicled her decision to leave her career in network news to have a family. Silent Souls Weeping is a candid and personal examination of those who suffer the ravages of clinical depression. Jane and her husband, Mark Johnson, are members of the President’s Leadership Council at BYU-Pathway Worldwide. Jane has served on the boards of Deseret Management Corporation and the Wheatley Institute at BYU. She was recently appointed a Trustee at the U.S. Naval Institute Foundation. Jane currently serves as an Emotional Resilience facilitator in the Longfellow Park YSA Ward in Cambridge, Massachusetts, where her husband is the bishop. This summer, Jane and Mark sent their son on a mission to Stockholm, Sweden, and entered a new season as empty-nesters.

This Devotional address with David Ashby was delivered on November 11, 2025 at 11:30 AM MST in the BYU-Idaho I-Center. David Ashby was born in Reno, Nevada, and raised in Tucson, Arizona. He served in the Dominican Republic Santo Domingo East Mission. He attended Ricks College and was the captain of the Ricks College spirit team. David graduated from BYU-Idaho with a degree in Spanish education and later earned a master’s degree in educational technology from Boise State University. He has had an exciting career as a Spanish teacher and an instructional technology coach and director, and has been at BYU–Idaho for 12 years. He has also coached a variety of sports—including football, basketball, cheerleading, and golf—in Salmon, Idaho, and McKinney, Texas. He is currently the head coach of the Biting Goats mountain bike team where he helps kids get more kids on bikes. David met his sweetheart, Christine Foster, in the dance studio in the Hart building. They were married in the Dallas Texas Temple in 2003 and are the parents of four children.

This Devotional address with Heidi Egan was delivered on Tuesday, October 21, 2025, at 11:30 AM MST in the BYU-Idaho I-Center. Heidi Egan grew up in Toronto, Canada, but moved to the United States for college in 1993. She has lived in Provo, Seattle, Upstate New York, Los Angeles, and now Rexburg. She enjoyed serving a unique mission as a church service missionary leader. Heidi earned an associate degree in biology, a bachelor’s degree in psychology, a master’s degree in nutrition, another master’s degree in psychology, and, most recently, a PhD in health psychology. Before coming to BYU–Idaho, Heidi was a full-time stay-at-home mom. She became an online adjunct employee in 2016 and has been a full-time employee since 2021. Heidi has been married to Jonathon Egan for 30 years, and they have five children. Heidi’s hobbies include fiber arts and gardening. She has served in nearly every church auxiliary, but her favorite calling is the one she has now–Primary music leader.

This Devotional address with Stephanie L. Colvin was delivered on September 30 at 11:30 AM MST in the BYU-Idaho I-Center. Stephanie L. Colvin began her journey as a college student at Ricks College and attended BYU and Augustana College in Rock Island, Illinois, before returning to earn her undergraduate degree from BYU–Idaho. She completed a master’s degree in leadership, with an emphasis in training and development, from Northeastern State University. For the past thirteen years, Stephanie has worked at BYU–Idaho in various roles and now serves as the Director of First-Year Experience. Her greatest joy comes from her family—she and her husband of 32 years have four children and three grandchildren. In the Church, Stephanie has served in various leadership roles at the ward and stake levels in the Primary, Young Women, and Relief Society, but her most cherished calling has been serving in the nursery. She loves baking, beachcombing, spending time with her family, and continually learning.

This Devotional address with President Alvin F. and Sister Jennifer E. Meredith was delivered on Tuesday, September 16th at 11:30 AM MST in the BYU-Idaho I-Center. Alvin F. Meredith III became the 18th president of Brigham Young University-Idaho on August 1, 2023. He was sustained as a General Authority Seventy on April 3, 2021, and continues to serve in that role today. Prior to his call as a General Authority, President Meredith served as president of the Utah Salt Lake City South Mission. He also served as an Area Seventy in the North America Southeast and Asia Areas, and in a number of other Church callings including as a full-time missionary in the Utah Salt Lake City Mission. In his professional career, President Meredith worked as a senior executive of Asurion in Tennessee, Hong Kong, and Singapore. He also worked for The Boston Consulting Group and GE Capital. President Meredith earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Brigham Young University and a Master of Business Administration in finance from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business. Jennifer E. Meredith received a bachelor’s degree in communications from Brigham Young University. She worked in Human Resources for Franklin Covey. Sister Meredith served as a mission leader with her husband in the Utah Salt Lake City South Mission. She has served as a presidency member in multiple church organizations and as a full-time missionary in the Argentina Salta Mission. President and Sister Meredith were married on June 6, 1998, in the Salt Lake Temple, and they are the parents of six children.