Brian Maynard
Growing up in a small farming town in Washington state, Brian Maynard stood out from his peers in his purple Wildcat apparel. Now a Doctorate of Nursing Practice student at Weber State University, Maynard credits his family connections to the school for leading him here.
Maynard, a flight nurse at McKay-Dee Hospital, has been in nursing for more than 20 years, most of that time spent in critical-care medicine. Throughout his career, Weber State has been one of the driving forces behind his continued success.
“I’ve always felt supported here,” Maynard said. “Even when I was struggling to stay engaged at school in my bachelor’s program, everyone at Weber encouraged me and helped me get through it.”
Maynard was introduced to the Weber State community long before he began pursuing a degree. His grandmother Joyce Rich Peterson, the 1987 recipient of the Friend of Students Crystal Crest award, worked in athletics when Maynard was young.
Peterson often sent Maynard Weber State, then Weber College, paraphernalia. Although no one in his hometown had heard of the small institution in Utah, Maynard proudly donned his purple Flaming W apparel for all to see.
“My grandma knew all the coaches and athletes, so she would have them sign stuff to send to me for holidays and birthdays,” Maynard said. “And I knew she worked at the school and had won a Crystal Crest award, so I was happy to support Weber State. I didn’t care if people made fun of me for my purple T-shirts.”
His brother, Shawn Maynard, furthered his love of Weber State when he attended the university in 1987 and joined the cheer squad. Maynard fondly remembers attending one particular football game as his brother cheered when WSU played against Eastern Washington University in Cheney, Washington.
“I was 10 or 11 when I attended the game,” Maynard recalled. “My brother had me go over to the Eastern Washington side of the stands and do WSU cheers with him from across the field. It was a family affair. We figured no one was going to beat up a cute kid dressed in purple, right? ”
After graduating highschool and spending a short time at a junior college in Washington, Maynard decided to follow in his brother's footsteps and enrolled at Weber State in the summer of 1996 for general studies courses.
After a year at Weber State, Maynard joined the army, earning his licensed practical nursing (LPN) degree while serving in Fort Sam Houston, Texas. After a few years, Maynard decided it was time to return to Utah.
He quickly found a job working at McKay-Dee Hospital as an LPN. As he began working more closely with registered nurses at the hospital, he soon realized that continuing his education would open more doors.
Over the next decade, Maynard steadily earned his associate’s degree in nursing, then an additional associate’s in paramedic studies, followed by a bachelor’s of nursing (BSN) — all from WSU.
In the midst of earning his degrees, he rotated between working as a registered nurse in the ICU and the emergency room, while also serving as a firefighter paramedic in his local community, to gain the experience needed to achieve his dream of becoming a Life Flight nurse.
After 13 years working as a nurse, three rejections and countless hours of hard work, Maynard finally achieved his goal of becoming a flight nurse in 2013. He has worked for Intermountain Life Flight since then, serving the Intermountain West region.
Through it all, WSU was a consistent source of support for Maynard. When the DNP was announced, almost a decade after he finished his bachelor’s degree, returning to Weber State was the natural choice.
“When the opportunity presented itself to be part of the first doctorate program, it was exciting,” Maynard said. “My family had so much history at Weber State, and I had been here so long, it just felt right. I wanted to continue my education and be part of Weber State history.”
The DNP program, housed in the Annie Taylor Dee School of Nursing in the Dumke College of Health Professions, is now in its third year. The program currently has 25 students enrolled in the post masters to DNP program and 42 in the post bachelor’s of nursing to DNP-family nurse practitioner program (DNP-FNP).
As Maynard prepares to graduate with the first group of DNP-FNP students in the December 2021 cohort, he said he is grateful for the community he found at WSU that helped him achieve his goals.
“I’ve never felt like a number at Weber State,” Maynard said. “Everyone here cares, and they want to see you succeed. It's a big college with a small town type of community. It feels like home.”