During the Saturday morning opening session of the April 2025 general conference of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, President Dallin H. Oaks, first counselor in the First Presidency, announced the calling of a new member of the Presidency of the Seventy, 16 new General Authority Seventies and a new Young Men general presidency.
The sustainings and releases conducted by President Oaks included:
- The call of Elder Kevin R. Duncan, a General Authority Seventy, to serve in the Presidency of the Seventy, effective Aug. 1, and the release of Elder José A. Teixeira, also a General Authority, from the presidency, where he had served since 2018.
- The call of 16 new General Authority Seventies: Elder John D. Amos, Elder Ronald M. Barcellos, Elder Steven C. Barlow, Elder Kevin G. Brown, Elder B. Corey Cuvelier, Elder Michael Cziesla, Elder James E. Evanson, Elder Brik V. Eyre, Elder Ozani Farias, Elder Aaron T. Hall, Elder Brian J. Holmes, Elder Pedro X. Larreal, Elder Clement M. Matswagothata, Elder Eduardo F. Ortega, Elder Edward B. Rowe and Elder Wan-Liang Wu.
- The call of a new Young Men general Presidency — effective Aug. 1 — with President Timothy L. Farnes and his counselors, Brother David J. Wunderli and Brother Sean R. Dixon, and the release of President Steven J. Lund and his counselors, Brother Bradley R. Wilcox and Brother Michael T. Nelson.
- And the emeritus status — also effective Aug. 1 — given to five General Authority Seventies: Elder David S. Baxter, Elder Randall K. Bennett, Elder Kevin S. Hamilton, Elder Rafael E. Pino and Elder Jorge F. Zeballos.
Brief biographical information on each new leader was first released on ChurchofJesusChrist.org.
New member of the Presidency of the Seventy
Elder Kevin R. Duncan
Elder Duncan was born in Ogden, Utah, on Oct. 6, 1960. He has served as a General Authority Seventy since 2010. During his full-time Church service, his assignments have included president of the Central America Area and, most recently, executive director in the Temple Department.
He received a bachelor’s degree in accounting, a master’s degree in taxation and a Juris Doctor from Brigham Young University (BYU) in 1991. He began his career as a tax attorney in Seattle, Washington. In 1996 he founded CaseData Corporation, from which he retired in 2005.
Elder Duncan and his wife, Nancy Elizabeth Smart, are the parents of five children.
General Authority Seventies
Elder John D. Amos
Elder Amos was born in Lafayette, Louisiana, on Nov. 2, 1961. He graduated with engineering degrees from Southern University, Baton Rouge and the University of Central Florida, Orlando. He is now retired from the United States Navy Reserve and Siemens Energy Inc.
At the time of this call, he was serving as a member of the Tenth Quorum of the Seventy in the North America Southeast Area.
He and his wife, Michelle Evette Wright, have three children.
Elder Ronald M. Barcellos
Elder Barcellos was born in São Paulo, Brazil, on Nov. 4, 1975. He studied business administration at São Marcos University. He went on to work in sales and marketing for several companies. In 2011, he cofounded GreenMile, LLC, where he worked as chief operating officer for four years and chief executive officer for six years.
When called to be a General Authority, Elder Barcellos was serving as a seminary teacher in the Orlando Florida South Stake.
He and his wife, Karin Spat Albino, are the parents of three children.
Elder Steven C. Barlow
Elder Barlow was born in Bountiful, Utah, on Jan. 1, 1969. He received a bachelor’s degree in health education from the University of Utah in 1993. He worked as an executive in data analytics and quality improvement in health care.
At the time he accepted this assignment to be a General Authority, Elder Barlow was serving as a member of the Twelfth Quorum of the Seventy in the Utah Area.
He and his wife, Christina Evans, have five children.
Elder Kevin G. Brown
Elder Brown was born in Manchester, Jamaica, on May 18, 1976. He received a bachelor’s degree in computing with management studies from the University of Technology, Jamaica, in 2008. He went on to receive a master’s degree in governance and public policy from the University of the West Indies in 2012. Since 2001 he has worked for the Church’s Seminaries and Institutes of Religion as an institute coordinator, division director–training services, coordinator and associate administrator.
At the time of this call, Elder Brown was serving as a member of the Twelfth Quorum of the Seventy in the Utah Area.
He and his wife, Nadine Lezanne Carter, have five children.
Elder B. Corey Cuvelier
Elder Cuvelier was born in Los Angeles, California, on Jan. 12, 1969. He received a bachelor’s degree in public relations from Brigham Young University in 1994. He joined Shell Oil Company in 1996 and worked across various business units throughout North America. He has also served as a director on several national and regional boards.
When called to the ranks of the General Authorities, Elder Cuvelier was serving as a member of the Eleventh Quorum of the Seventy in the North America Southwest Area.
He and his wife, Wendi Sue Manwaring, have four children.
Elder Michael Cziesla
Elder Cziesla was born in Neumünster, Germany, on July 26, 1972. He received a degree in law from the University of Mainz in 2000. He also obtained a Juris Doctor degree from the University of Mainz in 2003, comparing German and U.S. law as a visiting scholar at BYU. He worked as an attorney and partner for SJ Berwin LLP from 2003 to 2016, and in 2017 became senior corporate partner at McDermott Will & Emery.
At the time of this call, Elder Cziesla was serving as ward activity committee chairman for the Darmstadt Ward.
He and his wife, Margret Anne Rauh, are the parents of five children.
Elder James E. Evanson
Elder Evanson was born in Taber, Alberta, Canada, on Aug. 16, 1968. He received a bachelor’s degree in dental materials in 1993 followed by a Doctor of Dental Surgery degree in 1995, both from the University of Alberta. He has worked as a dentist in private practice for over 26 years.
When he was called as a General Authority, Elder Evanson was serving as a Sunday School teacher and Valiant activities leader in his congregation.
He and his wife, Jody Karil Zobell, have five children and 11 grandchildren.
Elder Brik V. Eyre
Elder Eyre was born in Logan, Utah, on Jan. 17, 1964. He received a bachelor’s degree in finance from Utah State University in 1988. In 1993, he received a Master of Business Administration degree from the University of Tulsa. From 2008 to 2019, he worked for Baxter International in a variety of roles including general manager, corporate vice president and senior vice president. Since 2023, he has been a board member for HemaSource.
At the time of this call to be a General Authority Seventy, Elder Eyre was serving as a member of the Twelfth Quorum of the Seventy in the Utah Area.
He and his wife, Susan Zari Rahimzadeh, are the parents of five children.
Elder Ozani Farias
Elder Farias was born in Recife, Brazil, on Oct. 19, 1969. He received a bachelor’s degree in accounting from the Catholic University of Pernambuco in 1995, a postgraduate degree in finance from Pernambuco University and later received a master’s degree from the Getulio Vargas Foundation. He has worked for the Church since 1995 in various positions, including financial manager, human resources manager and director of temporal affairs in the Brazil Area.
When he accepted the call to be a General Authority, Elder Farias was serving as president of the Georgia Atlanta Mission.
He and his wife, Giovanna de Medeiros Prata, are the parents of three children.
Elder Aaron T. Hall
Elder Hall was born in Provo, Utah, on March 4, 1971. He received a degree in professional sales from Weber State University and a Master of Business Administration from the University of Utah. He worked as an executive for technology and private equity firms. Most recently, he was working for the Church as a director in the Missionary Department.
At the time of this call, Elder Hall was serving as a member of the Twelfth Quorum of the Seventy in the Utah Area.
He and his wife, Kimberly Wade, are the parents of four children.
Elder Brian J. Holmes
Elder Holmes was born in Salt Lake City on Dec. 5, 1977. He received a bachelor’s degree in political science in 2008 and a Juris Doctor degree in 2012, both from Arizona State University. He was vice president of Holmes Homes of Arizona from 2006 to 2010. In 2014, he founded Holmes Law, PLC. Since 2021, he has worked as general counsel for Charter One, LLC.
When he was called to be a General Authority, Elder Holmes was serving as a member of the Eleventh Quorum of the Seventy in the North America Southwest Area.
He and his wife, Alyson Margaret Wilson, have six children.
Elder Pedro X. Larreal
Elder Larreal was born in Valencia, Venezuela, on July 6, 1976. He received a bachelor’s degree in management from Simón Rodriguez University in 2005. He went on to receive two Master of Business Administration degrees, one in 2008 from Santa Maria University and one in 2021 from BYU. From 1998 to 2008, he worked for the Church as a Seminaries and Institutes coordinator. Since 2009, he has worked for Nature Sunshine Products as general manager and then as director of Latin America from 2017 to 2023.
At the time of this call, Elder Larreal was president of the Texas McAllen Mission.
He and his wife, Sariah Alvarez Campos, are the parents of three children.
Elder Clement M. Matswagothata
Elder Matswagothata was born in Middlepits, Botswana, on Jan. 8, 1980. He received a bachelor’s degree in philosophy. He has worked in the automotive industry since 2004 with various car brands. He has held several leadership positions, including sales manager, general manager and country manager for Barloworld Motor.
When he accepted this assignment, Elder Matswagothata was serving as a temple ordinance worker in the Johannesburg South Africa Temple and as an area self-reliance specialist.
He and his wife, Novelty Busisiwe Buthelezi, have three children.
Elder Eduardo F. Ortega
Elder Ortega was born in Godoy Cruz, Argentina, on July 10, 1977. He received a bachelor’s degree in architecture from the John F. Kennedy University, Argentina in 2008 and a master’s degree from the University of Belgrano in 2016. In 2017, he received a diploma in leadership from Harvard Business School. Elder Ortega worked as a construction project manager, first for SBS Co. and then for Village Roadshow Co. He became real estate director for American Express Company in 2014, board member for Arch Royale Projects Limited in 2023 and board member for CorNet Global in 2024.
At the time of his call to be a General Authority, Elder Ortega was serving as a member of the Sixth Quorum of the Seventy in the Mexico Area.
He and his wife, Gabriela Alejandra Cappi Franzia, are the parents of three children.
Elder Edward B. Rowe
Elder Rowe was born in Provo, Utah, on April 23, 1967. He received a bachelor’s degree in philosophy from Brigham Young University. He also received a master’s degree in public policy and a Juris Doctor degree from the University of Chicago. He practiced international law for many years as a partner in various law firms in Washington, D.C., and overseas. He has served as chief executive officer for the Stirling Foundation since 2019.
When he was called as a General Authority, Elder Rowe was serving as a member of the Twelfth Quorum of the Seventy in the Utah Area.
He and his wife, Brooke Francis, have five children.
Elder Wan-Liang Wu
Elder Wu was born in Taipei, Taiwan, on Dec. 22, 1970. He received a bachelor’s degree from the Universidad Argentina de la Empresa in 2014 and a Master of Business Administration degree from the Universidad del CEMA in 2020. He has worked for the Church since 2007, first in the Meetinghouse Facilities Department and then, beginning in 2016, as the operations and maintenance manager for the South America South Area.
When he accepted this assignment, Elder Wu was president of the Chile Antofagasta Mission.
He and his wife, Marcela Beatriz Castellani, are the parents of three children.
Young Men General Presidency
President Timothy L. Farnes
President Farnes, 55, lives in Bountiful, Utah. He is a self-employed investor and advisor. He currently serves as an Area Seventy in the Utah Area. His previous Church assignments include mission president, stake president, stake presidency counselor, high councilor, bishop, young single adult bishop and bishopric counselor. He and his wife, Linsey, have five children.
Brother David J. Wunderli, first counselor
Brother Wunderli, 63, lives in Alpine, Utah. He is chairman of the board for ORI Inc. He currently serves on the Young Men general advisory council. His previous Church assignments include mission president, young single adult stake president, YSA bishop, missionary training center branch presidency counselor and ward Young Men president. He and his wife, Diane, have four children.
Brother Sean R. Dixon, second counselor
Brother Dixon, 54, lives in Spanish Fork, Utah. He is director of the Utah South Institute Region and has worked in various assignments in Seminaries and Institutes for the past 30 years. He currently serves as president of the Spanish Fork Utah East Stake. His previous Church assignments include mission president, stake presidency counselor, bishop and ward Young Men president. He and his wife, M’Shelle, have five children.
