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President Dallin H. Oaks became the church’s prophet-president on Oct. 14, following the death of his friend and the church’s 17th prophet, President Russell M. Nelson.
President Oaks has made several leadership changes since then.
First, President Nelson’s death left a vacancy in the First Presidency. President Oaks called President Henry B. Eyring as his first counselor and then called Elder D. Todd Christofferson from the Quorum of the Twelve to serve as his second counselor.
That, in turn, created a vacancy in the Quorum of the Twelve. President Oaks filled it by calling Bishop Gérald Caussé from his place as presiding bishop to serve as an apostle.
President Oaks then moved to fill the vacancy in the Presiding Bishopric. He called Bishop W. Christopher Waddell, who had been a counselor, to be the presiding bishop and added Elder Sean Douglas as a new counselor in the Presiding Bishopric.
Bishop Douglas earned an accounting degree at the University of Utah and worked as a CPA for Price Waterhouse and as the chief financial officer at the Huntsman Corporation.
That change led to another cascade of callings.
Elder Douglas had been serving as the Mexico Area president. President Oaks called Elder José L. Alsonso to that role.
That left a vacancy in the U.S. Southwest Area Presidency, where Elder Alonso had been the area president. President Oaks called Elder Michael A. Dunn as the new president.
That creates a vacancy in the position of assistant executive director of the Church Communication Department, where Elder Dunn had been serving. It also leaves a vacancy in another role Elder Dunn had as a member of two committees, Church Communication and International Coordinating.
For those in the United States, the ChurchBeat team wishes you a Happy Thanksgiving! We pray for you and your families to have a rewarding holiday season.
My Recent Stories
Ohio man arrested in Utah on child sex abuse charges (Nov. 25)
BYU women, Jane Hedengren finish second at NCAA cross country championships (Nov. 22)
Please watch for my profile of BYU basketball star AJ Dybantsa, which is scheduled to be published today at 9 p.m. Mountain Time at Deseret.com.
About the church
The First Presidency released its annual Christmas message: “We rejoice in remembering our Savior.”
Take a look at how President Eyring has captured hundreds of memories with watercolor.
Construction just began for the first temple in Belgium — inside an existing building.
The First Presidency released the rendering and exact location for the Yuma Arizona Temple. It also set the open house and dedication dates for the Willamette Valley Oregon Temple.
Take a look inside the new Logan Institute of Religion building, designed to serve 10,000 college-age students a year near Utah State University.
What I’m reading
Pope Leo told U.S. teens to make “true friends” and develop discipline over technology.
Inside the art of blocking a kick in the NFL: “They’re game changers.”
Many people have been following the NFL saga of quarterback Shedeur Sanders. Here are two stories I enjoyed about what he’s going through as a backup quarterback thrust into a starting role. Both are behind paywalls, unfortunately. The first is titled, “I was a backup quarterback in the NFL. The Shedeur Sanders situation feels familiar.” The second is, “What does a backup QB do all week? 7 days in the life of Patriot Joshua Dobbs.”
After all I’ve been learning and writing about AI lately, it was a surprise to find the latest Michael Connelly novel in the Lincoln Lawyer series is about the protagonist suing an AI company over a rogue chatbot that advised a teen to commit violence. I’ve read every Connelly book and own several, but I checked out “The Proving Ground” from the Provo City Library.
I also am reading an advance copy of “Game Changers: AJ Dybantsa, BYU, and the Struggle for the Soul of BYU Basketball,” a book that will be released Monday. If you love Cougar hoops and want to read about the historical tensions the program has faced between finances and character, professionalism and amateurism and more, check it out. There are chapters about coach Kevin Young and AJ Dybantsa, too.