Elder Carl B. Cook is the new senior president of the Presidency of the Seventy of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, according to a news release issued Wednesday.
The First Presidency made the announcement, which included news that Elder Marcus B. Nash has been added to the Presidency of the Seventy, more than a month after the previous senior president, Elder Patrick Kearon, was called to the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. Elder Kearon had been senior president of the Presidency of the Seventy since 2020.
The Presidency of the Seventy assists the Quorum of the Twelve in its work around the world and presides over the work of the Seventy.
The Presidency of the Seventy consists of seven presidents. They are Elder Cook, Elder José A. Teixeira, Elder Carlos A. Godoy, Elder Brent H. Nielson, Elder Paul V. Johnson, Elder S. Mark Palmer and Elder Nash.
Elder Cook, 66, has been a member of the Presidency of the Seventy since 2018. He has been a General Authority Seventy since 2011, during which time he served in the Africa Southeast Area Presidency.
Who is Elder Carl B. Cook?
Elder Cook was born and raised in Ogden, Utah, served in the Germany Hamburg Mission as a young man and graduated with degrees from Weber State College and Utah State University. He worked in commercial real estate development until his call to the Seventy.
He also served as president of the New Zealand Auckland Mission.
He and his wife, Lynette, are the parents of five children.
Elder Cook has spoken four times in general conference. In April 2023, he taught that God can help individuals overcome discouragement and move forward with faith.
“The God of heaven and earth will help us overcome discouragement and whatever obstacles we encounter if we look to Him, follow the promptings of the Holy Ghost, and just keep going — with faith,” he said. “Regardless of the size, scope and seriousness of the challenges we face in life, we all have times when we feel like stopping, leaving, escaping, or possibly giving up. But exercising faith in our Savior, Jesus Christ, helps us overcome discouragement no matter what obstacles we encounter.”
Who is Elder Marcus B. Nash?
Elder Nash has been a General Authority Seventy since 2006. Most recently, Elder Nash was executive director of the Missionary Department. He oversaw the announcement in November 2023 that the church will add 36 new missions in 2024, bringing the total number of missions to 450, the most in church history.
Elder Nash previously served as president of three areas of the church — the South America West, South America Northwest and the Africa West areas — and as an assistant in the North America Northeast and North America Southeast areas. He also has been the assistant executive director of both the Church History and Correlation departments, executive director of the Correlation Department and a member of the Boundary and Leadership Change Committee.
Elder Nash served in the El Salvador San Salvador Mission as a young man and was a partner in a law firm in his hometown of Seattle before joining full-time church service. He earned bachelor’s and law degrees from Brigham Young University.
He and his wife, Shelley, are the parents of five children.