Built to Last: Advisory Board Member Continues to Help Others

Student mentor at BYU, mother of two, cancer survivor of five years, CEO and president of a company—just a few roles that Sonia Clayton can claim.

In September 2001, Clayton created Virtual Intelligence Providers, LLC. (VIP), which offers quality IT support for a low cost. Although she’s been working with VIP for more than a decade, she still finds her career intriguing and challenging.

“The most fascinating thing about my work environment is actually learning each of our client’s industry practices,” Clayton says. “Each corporation is as unique as a fingerprint. We serve more than ninety clients and at least fifty % of our clients are Fortune corporations with large footprints and a global presence.”

Clayton works hard to incorporate what she has learned as president and CEO of her company to her position on the BYU Information Systems Advisory Board. As a board member, she remains in touch with five or six students throughout the year. She helps students with networking, career advice, and homework.

“I have run VIP for eleven years, and I have learned valuable lessons that I often share with the enthusiastic students and young entrepreneurs I coach and mentor,” Clayton says.

She says one of her favorite topics of discussion is how BYU students compare to students from other schools. She commends the missionary work and community service that students participate in and notes that BYU is great at promoting “servant leadership.”

“BYU students are remarkable for their unselfishness and their willingness to serve others and their communities,” Clayton says. “Last year, BYU students recorded more than ten thousand service hours, making BYU the national leader in service hours for a university. That is unheard of in today’s world!”

Her role as mentor to ISys students is close to her heart. The one thing that she keeps even closer is her example to women in the information systems program. She remembers how much of a challenge it was to be a female in her first job in Texas. Ten years later, she became the “Hispanic Female Entrepreneur of the Year.”

“My ISys career gives me access to many young and intelligent minds. I want to inspire them, especially women,” Clayton says. “I want them to believe in themselves. I want them to understand that anything is possible just by simply embracing the power of knowledge and learning with passion and with dedication. I love motivating because I know they can succeed.”