One of the aims of a Brigham Young University education is character building. That aim is at the heart of the Sorensen Center for Moral and Ethical Leadership, an on-campus office dedicated to developing Christ-centered leaders.
The center launched in 2021, with the mission to “develop leaders with character and capability who edify families, congregations, communities, organizations and society.”
David Sorensen, a general authority of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from 1992 until his death in 2014, and his wife Verla, both BYU alumni, were passionate about education.
Their generous donation to the university made the center possible.
University leaders determined that a center for leadership was one of BYU’s greatest needs.
“Anybody who comes here should be leaving as a moral and ethical leader,” Haley Aiono Clark, the center's leadership communications manager, said.
The center began in a shared space with the Wheatley Institute in the Hinckley Building before moving to its current home in the Howard S. McDonald Building.
“We are not tied to one school or entity on campus," Clark said. "We have a campus-wide charge to help everyone be moral, ethical leaders.”
After the center’s public launch in 2022, over a hundred students, deans and faculty members from across campus met to help shape its foundation.
A smaller committee of ten synthesized their notes into creating the Christ-Centered Leader Model. Clark explained that this model is, "the DNA of our center, everything else we do internally and externally is based on that."
Parley Lambert, a student team member at the center, has seen firsthand the unity of the program.
“The people here are fantastic. I’m surrounded by role models,” Lambert said. “The staff members even apply the Christ-Centered Leader Model.”
The model places both Christ at the center with the leaders striving to follow His example.
The surrounding elements provide guidance for decision-making, personal growth and service using principles like accountability, honoring agency and expressing love.
The Sorensen Center offers leadership coaches — four full-time staff members and 20 student coaches — as well as public events, community collaborations, the Inspired Leadership Initiative and outreach efforts to connect with the broader community.
Olivia Davis, who joined the student team in April, said she has been inspired by the dedication of the staff.
“They are so passionate about it, you can tell they believe 100 percent in what they are doing,” Davis said.
The center also has a team dedicated to supporting underrepresented groups on campus.
“It’s a safe space for a lot of people, and they help people see themselves as leaders — especially if they typically wouldn’t see themselves that way,” Lambert said.
Through leadership courses, post-devotional discussions, book clubs and one-on-one coaching, the Sorensen Center focuses on equipping individuals with leadership tools while keeping Christ as the constant focus.