Latter-day Profiles

David and Serena Essuman are entrepreneurs and social media influencers. David is an entrepreneur/investor and mentor who works in real estate investments, franchising, and e-commerce. David owns and manages Havoya Real Estate, a real estate brokerage firm. He graduated from BYU with a degree in Psychology.

Hal Boyd is Editor of the Deseret News. He was an associate professor of Brigham Young University’s School of Family Life and previously worked as the opinion editor and enterprise reporter for the Deseret News. He is a fellow of BYU’s Wheatley Institute, a think tank focused on fortifying family, religion, and constitutional government.

Jenalee Marshall is a seasoned graphic designer with a rich tapestry of experience. Her journey in the design world has taken her from her hometown in Utah to the picturesque landscapes of Italy, shaping her into the well-rounded person she is today.

As a highly sought-after inspirational speaker and author, Dr. Jack R. Christianson has lectured and given seminars to organizations of all ages and types across the United States and Canada. He is the author of numerous inspirational books and audio recordings.

Gale Sears grew up in Lake Tahoe, California, and spent her high school years in Hawaii. After graduating from McKinley High School in Honolulu, she went on to receive a BA in playwriting from Brigham Young University, and an MA in theater arts from the University of Minnesota. She is an award-winning author, known for her historical accuracy and intensive research. She is the author of the bestselling The Silence of God, Letters in the Jade Dragon Box, Belonging to Heaven, and several other novels, including The Route, Christmas for a Dollar, Autumn Sky, Until the Dawn, and Upon the Mountains. She and her husband, George, are the parents of two children and reside in Sandy, Utah.

Skyler Halford is a former BYU Basketball player who has become an expert basketball trainer and Doctor of Physical Therapy. He played High School basketball at Timpanogos High School. As a senior, he earned second-team and third-team all-state honors from the Salt Lake Tribune and Deseret News.

Dr. Lili De Hoyos Anderson is a first-generation American. Her mother is French, and her father is Mexican. Dr. Anderson attended BYU and graduated in Sociology. After almost 20 years of being a full-time homemaker, Sister Anderson returned to school to complete a Masters in Social Work degree at UNLV and a Ph.D. in Marriage, Family, and Human Development from BYU, where she taught for several years in the School of Family Life. She is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and has a full-time private practice in individual, marriage and family counseling. Lilli is the author of Choosing Glory and hosts a podcast by the same name. She and her late husband, Chris, have 8 children.

After serving 8 years in the United States Marine Corps, Dr. Will Pierce began a career in the electrical industry. He owned a successful contracting business before transitioning into higher education.

Alvin F. Meredith III became the 18th president of Brigham Young University-Idaho on August 1, 2023. He was sustained as a General Authority Seventy on April 3, 2021, and continues to serve in that role today.

Alvin F. Meredith III became the 18th president of Brigham Young University-Idaho on August 1, 2023. He was sustained as a General Authority Seventy on April 3, 2021, and continues to serve in that role today.

Prior to his call as a General Authority, President Meredith served as president of the Utah Salt Lake City South Mission. He also served as an Area Seventy in the North America Southeast and Asia Areas, and in a number of other Church callings, including as a full-time missionary in the Utah Salt Lake City Mission.

In his professional career, President Meredith worked as a senior executive of Asurion in Tennessee, Hong Kong, and Singapore. He also worked for The Boston Consulting Group and GE Capital.

President Meredith earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Brigham Young University and a Master of Business Administration in finance from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business.

President Meredith married his wife, Jennifer Edgin, in 1998. Sister Meredith served a full-time mission in the Argentina Salta Mission and earned a bachelor’s degree in communications from Brigham Young University. They are the parents of six children.