Deseret News honors Arthur C. Brooks with the inaugural Deseret News Civic Charity Award
The Deseret News Civic Charity Award honors those whose life and work demonstrate how faith informs citizenship, how strong families strengthen communities and how civility enables democratic discourse
View Comments
Share
Arthur Brooks, Harvard University professor and New York Times bestselling author, speaks at the Deseret News’ 175th anniversary celebration at The Commercial Club in Salt Lake City on Wednesday, Sept. 24, 2025. Laura Seitz, Deseret News
Deseret News announced Arthur C. Brooks as the recipient of the inaugural Deseret News Civic Charity Award at an award gala in Salt Lake City this week.
Created in the celebratory 175th year of the Deseret News, the Deseret News Civic Charity Award honors those whose life and work demonstrate how faith informs citizenship, how strong families strengthen communities and how civility enables democratic discourse.
This year’s recipient is Arthur C. Brooks. He is a professor at the Harvard Kennedy School and the Harvard Business School, where he teaches courses on leadership and happiness. He is also a columnist at The Atlantic, where he writes the weekly “How to Build a Life” column, and hosts the podcast “Office Hours.” Brooks has been a No. 1 New York Times bestselling author 15 times, including for “Build the Life You Want” with Oprah Winfrey.
1 of 28
President and CEO of Deseret Management Jeff Simpson presents Arthur Brooks with the Deseret News Civic Charity Award at the Deseret News’ 175th anniversary celebration at The Commercial Club in Salt Lake City on Wednesday, Sept. 24, 2025. | Laura Seitz, Deseret News
2 of 28
Deseret News publisher Burke Olsen, left, president and CEO of Deseret Management Jeff Simpson, Arthur Brooks and Deseret News executive editor Doug Wilks pose for a photo after Brooks received the Deseret News Civic Charity Award at the Deseret News’ 175th anniversary celebration at The Commercial Club in Salt Lake City on Wednesday, Sept. 24, 2025. | Laura Seitz, Deseret News
3 of 28
Arthur Brooks, Harvard University professor and New York Times bestselling author, speaks at the Deseret News’ 175th anniversary celebration at The Commercial Club in Salt Lake City on Wednesday, Sept. 24, 2025. | Laura Seitz, Deseret News
4 of 28
Sarah Jane Weaver, Deseret News editor, moderates a panel discussion with Arthur Brooks and University of Utah President Taylor Randall at the Deseret News’ 175th anniversary celebration at The Commercial Club in Salt Lake City on Wednesday, Sept. 24, 2025. | Laura Seitz, Deseret News
5 of 28
Guests attend the Deseret News’ 175th anniversary celebration at The Commercial Club in Salt Lake City on Wednesday, Sept. 24, 2025. | Laura Seitz, Deseret News
6 of 28
Sheri Dew, executive vice president and chief content officer of Deseret Management Corporation, speaks at the Deseret News’ 175th anniversary celebration at The Commercial Club in Salt Lake City on Wednesday, Sept. 24, 2025. | Laura Seitz, Deseret News
7 of 28
Deseret News publisher Burke Olsen speaks at the Deseret NewsÕ 175th anniversary celebration at The Commercial Club in Salt Lake City on Wednesday, Sept. 24, 2025. | Laura Seitz, Deseret News
8 of 28
Utah first lady Abby Cox, center, and former Utah Gov. Gary Herbert speak with other guests at the Deseret News’ 175th anniversary celebration at The Commercial Club in Salt Lake City on Wednesday, Sept. 24, 2025. | Laura Seitz, Deseret News
9 of 28
President Dallin H. Oaks, first counselor in the First Presidency and president of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and his wife, Sister Kristen M. Oaks, arrive at the Deseret News’ 175th anniversary celebration at The Commercial Club in Salt Lake City on Wednesday, Sept. 24, 2025. | Laura Seitz, Deseret News
10 of 28
The Deseret News celebrates its 175th anniversary at The Commercial Club in Salt Lake City on Wednesday, Sept. 24, 2025. | Laura Seitz, Deseret News
11 of 28
The Deseret News celebrates its 175th anniversary at The Commercial Club in Salt Lake City on Wednesday, Sept. 24, 2025. | Laura Seitz, Deseret News
12 of 28
Presiding Bishop Gérald Caussé of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, with his wife, Sister Valerie Babin Caussé, left, speaks with a guest at the Deseret News’ 175th anniversary celebration at The Commercial Club in Salt Lake City on Wednesday, Sept. 24, 2025. | Laura Seitz, Deseret News
13 of 28
Amanda Covington, chief corporate affairs officer for the Larry H. Miller Company, left, speaks with University of Utah President Taylor Randall and his wife, Janet, at the Deseret News’ 175th anniversary celebration at The Commercial Club in Salt Lake City on Wednesday, Sept. 24, 2025. | Laura Seitz, Deseret News
14 of 28
Matt Brown, managing editor of Deseret Magazine, speaks with Julie McAdams and her husband, former U.S. Rep. Ben McAdams, and Cathy and Carlton Christensen, at the Deseret News’ 175th anniversary celebration at The Commercial Club in Salt Lake City on Wednesday, Sept. 24, 2025. | Laura Seitz, Deseret News
15 of 28
People attend the Deseret News’ 175th anniversary celebration at The Commercial Club in Salt Lake City on Wednesday, Sept. 24, 2025. | Laura Seitz, Deseret News
16 of 28
President Dallin H. Oaks, first counselor in the First Presidency and president of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, left, attends the Deseret News’ 175th anniversary celebration at The Commercial Club in Salt Lake City on Wednesday, Sept. 24, 2025. | Laura Seitz, Deseret News
17 of 28
Sheri Dew, executive vice president and chief content officer of Deseret Management Corporation, center, speaks with Christiana Wilks and Doug Wilks, Deseret News executive editor, at the Deseret News’ 175th anniversary celebration at The Commercial Club in Salt Lake City on Wednesday, Sept. 24, 2025. | Laura Seitz, Deseret News
18 of 28
BYU President Shane Reese speaks with Cheryl Flake and her husband, former Sen. Jeff Flake, at the Deseret News’ 175th anniversary celebration at The Commercial Club in Salt Lake City on Wednesday, Sept. 24, 2025. | Laura Seitz, Deseret News
19 of 28
Chief Financial Officer at Bonneville International Mike Todd, second from left, and Sarah Jane Weaver, Deseret News editor, far right, and guests attend the Deseret News’ 175th anniversary celebration at The Commercial Club in Salt Lake City on Wednesday, Sept. 24, 2025. | Laura Seitz, Deseret News
20 of 28
BYU President Shane Reese speaks with Aaron Sherinian, managing director of the Church Communication Department, at the Deseret News’ 175th anniversary celebration at The Commercial Club in Salt Lake City on Wednesday, Sept. 24, 2025. | Laura Seitz, Deseret News
21 of 28
Deseret News executive editor Doug Wilks speaks with Scott Anderson, past president of Zions Bank, and his wife, Jesselie Anderson, at the Deseret News’ 175th anniversary celebration at The Commercial Club in Salt Lake City on Wednesday, Sept. 24, 2025. | Laura Seitz, Deseret News
22 of 28
The Deseret News celebrates its 175th anniversary at The Commercial Club in Salt Lake City on Wednesday, Sept. 24, 2025. | Laura Seitz, Deseret News
23 of 28
Jon Hart and Gerry Avant attend the Deseret News’ 175th anniversary celebration at The Commercial Club in Salt Lake City on Wednesday, Sept. 24, 2025. | Laura Seitz, Deseret News
24 of 28
Brigham Tomco, Emma Pitts, Eva Terry and Tad Walch attend the Deseret News’ 175th anniversary celebration at The Commercial Club in Salt Lake City on Wednesday, Sept. 24, 2025. | Laura Seitz, Deseret News
25 of 28
The Deseret News celebrates its 175th anniversary at The Commercial Club in Salt Lake City on Wednesday, Sept. 24, 2025. | Laura Seitz, Deseret News
26 of 28
The Deseret News celebrates its 175th anniversary at The Commercial Club in Salt Lake City on Wednesday, Sept. 24, 2025. | Laura Seitz, Deseret News
27 of 28
Matt Brown, managing editor of Deseret Magazine, speaks with Julie McAdams and her husband, former U.S. Rep. Ben McAdams, and Cathy and Carlton Christensen, at the Deseret News’ 175th anniversary celebration at The Commercial Club in Salt Lake City on Wednesday, Sept. 24, 2025. | Laura Seitz, Deseret News
28 of 28
The Deseret News celebrates its 175th anniversary at The Commercial Club in Salt Lake City on Wednesday, Sept. 24, 2025. | Laura Seitz, Deseret News
“We are thrilled to recognize Arthur Brooks with the first Deseret News Civic Charity Award,” said Burke Olsen, publisher of the Deseret News. “As one of the world’s leading experts on the science of human happiness, Arthur has championed the great and small things people and societies can do to lead happier lives and bring greater well-being to others. But even more, Arthur has spent his career proving that deeply held beliefs and civil dialogue can go hand in hand. He shows how civic charity works in real life.”
View Comments
Given annually, the Deseret News Civic Charity Award aligns with the aims of the Deseret News to convene meaningful conversations, help people make life’s decisions with confidence, amplify voices of faith and reason, and model disagreement without demeaning.
“When the Deseret News leadership team first began discussing the prospect of creating an award to commemorate 175 years of publishing, a clear theme emerged: civic charity,” said Jeff Simpson, president and chief executive officer of Deseret Management Corporation. “It’s a trait our nation needs now more than ever.”
About the Deseret News
The Deseret News is Utah’s oldest newspaper and the Beehive State’s longest continuously operating business. Its primary focus is digital and its reach is national and global with over half of online readers living outside of Utah.
Join the Conversation
Looking for comments?
Find comments in their new home! Click the buttons at the top or within the article to view them — or use the button below for quick access.