The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints announced the calling of eight new General Authority Seventies during the Saturday afternoon session of the 191st Annual General Conference, originating from church headquarters in Salt Lake City, Utah. A former BYU and NFL player and the president of BYU-Pathway Worldwide were among those called.
President Dallin H. Oaks, first counselor in the First Presidency, announced the names of the new General Authority Seventies.
The new General Authority Seventies, who represent the United States, Chile, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the Philippines and Tonga, are:
- Elder Sean Douglas
- Elder Michael A. Dunn
- Elder Clark B. Gilbert
- Elder Patricio M. Giuffra
- Elder Alfred Kyungu
- Elder Alvin F. Meredith III
- Elder Carlos G. Revillo J.
- Elder Vaiangina Sikahema
Elder Sikahema, who played football for BYU and in the NFL, was called as an Area Seventy in 2019. Elder Gilbert, who served as president of BYU-Idaho and BYU-Pathway Worldwide, was called as an Area Seventy in 2019.
News of the new general authorities comes two days after church leaders read the names of 77 new Area Seventies at the start of the conference’s leadership session on April 1.
Additional leadership news
President Oaks announced that two members of the Presidency of the Seventy — Elder Robert C. Gay and Elder Terence M. Vinson — would complete their service on Aug. 1, 2021.
President Oaks then presented Elder Paul V. Johnson and Elder S. Mark Palmer, both General Authority Seventies, to be sustained to the Presidency of the Seventy, effective Aug. 1. Elder Johnson has been serving as commissioner of the Church Education System and Elder Palmer has served as president of the Africa South Area.
What is a General Authority Seventy?
General Authority Seventies serve in the Presidency of the Seventy, in area presidencies and in other administrative functions. They serve under the direction of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles and travel frequently to meet with and teach local church leaders, missionaries and Latter-day Saint congregations. They have authority to serve anywhere in the world, while the authority of Area Seventies is generally limited to the area where they serve.
Learn more about the new General Authority Seventies
The following biographies are provided by Church Newsroom.
Elder Sean Douglas
Elder Sean Douglas was called as a General Authority Seventy on April 3, 2021.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Elder Douglas studied accounting at the University of Utah. Since 1990 he has worked for Huntsman Corporation in various capacities, including division controller, treasurer, vice president of administration, vice president of corporate development and, most recently, executive vice president and chief financial officer.
Elder Michael A. Dunn
Elder Michael A. Dunn was called as a General Authority Seventy on April 3, 2021.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Elder Dunn received bachelor’s and master’s degrees in communications from the University of Utah. From 1995 to 2010, he was president of Dunn Communications Inc. In 2010 he was named general manager of KUED (PBS Utah). He was most recently the managing director of BYUtv and BYU Radio.
Elder Clark G. Gilbert
Elder Clark G. Gilbert was called as a General Authority Seventy on April 3, 2021.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Elder Gilbert has degrees in international relations (Brigham Young University, BYU), Asian studies (Stanford University) and business administration (Harvard). He has worked at Harvard, BYU–Idaho, Deseret News and Deseret Digital Media. He is currently the president of BYU–Pathway Worldwide.
Elder Patricio M. Giuffra
Elder Patricio M. Giuffra was called as a General Authority Seventy on April 3, 2021.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
Elder Giuffra is a native of Valparaíso, Chile. He has degrees from BYU in marketing and business administration. He has worked as purchasing manager for Woodgrain Millwork, sales manager and operations manager for Alvenius Chilena and general manager for Carbotech Chile. He was most recently working as general manager for Arcotex SA.
Elder Alfred Kyungu
Elder Alfred Kyungu was called as a General Authority Seventy on April 3, 2021.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
Elder Kyungu was born in Kamina, Democratic Republic of the Congo. He studied international relations, receiving undergraduate and graduate degrees from the University of Lubumbashi. He has worked for the Democratic Republic of the Congo government and for the Church (first as a regional director for seminaries and institutes and most recently as a family history manager).
Elder Alvin F. Meredith III
Elder Alvin F. Meredith III was called as a General Authority Seventy on April 3, 2021.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
Elder Meredith was president of the Utah Salt Lake City South Mission at the time of his call to be a General Authority Seventy. He studied psychology at BYU and business administration at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business). He has worked as a Six Sigma Black Belt for GE Capital, consultant for Boston Consulting Group and senior vice president at Asurion.
Elder Carlos G. Revillo Jr.
Elder Carlos G. Revillo Jr. was called as a General Authority Seventy on April 3, 2021.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
Elder Revillo, a native of the Philippines, has worked for Procter & Gamble in various management positions in the Philippines, in the Asia-Pacific region and at their global headquarters in the United States. He also worked as head of quality, food safety and regulatory affairs in Asia for the Kellogg Company. At the time of his call, he was a welfare and self-reliance manager for the Church in the Philippines.
Elder Vaiangina Sikahema
Elder Vaiangina Sikahema was called as a General Authority Seventy on April 3, 2021.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
Elder Sikahema was a professional American football player for the Arizona Cardinals, Green Bay Packers and Philadelphia Eagles. He was a sports and news anchor for NBC10 Philadelphia until his retirement in 2020. The Tongan native studied broadcasting and communications at BYU.
Correction: A previous version of this article incorrectly identified one new General Authority Seventy as Elder Alfred F. Meredith III. His correct name is Elder Alvin F. Meredith III.