New president of BYU-Pathway program will begin service Aug. 1

The following is a news release from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

SALT LAKE CITY – The Board of Education of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has appointed Brian K. Ashton as the new president of Brigham Young University–Pathway Worldwide, effective August 1.

Ashton will succeed Clark G. Gilbert, who has served as the president of BYU–PW since its creation in 2017. Gilbert was recently called to serve in the church’s Quorum of the Seventy and will serve as Commissioner of the Church Educational System, also beginning August 1.

Ashton has served as BYU–PW’s field operations vice president since 2018. He previously led an educational start-up company focused on correctional and life skills education. He received a bachelor’s degree from Brigham Young University and an MBA from Harvard University.

Ashton previously served as second counselor in the Church’s Sunday School General Presidency from 2015 to 2019. He was also president of the Texas Houston South Mission, as well as a bishop, high councilor, elders quorum president and missionary in the Peru Lima Mission. He and his wife, Melinda, are the parents of seven children.

BYU–PW provides access to higher education for Church members across the world, combining spiritual and secular learning. The program began in 2009 at Brighma Young University–Idaho with 50 students in three pilot sites in Idaho, Arizona and New York.

In 2020, BYU–PW served over 50,000 students in 152 countries and all 50 U.S. states. BYU–PW also manages PathwayConnect, a pre-matriculation program that prepares individuals to advance into certificates and degrees offered by its accredited partners within the Church Educational System.