9 Men Called to Young Men General Advisory Council

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Nine men have been called to the Young Men General Advisory Council of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. They will assist the Young Men General Presidency as they counsel with other general and local Church leaders to teach, serve and watch over young men ages 12 through 18. Members of the council begin serving on Thursday, January 18, 2024.           

The new council members join existing council members Craig B. Ballard, John Bytheway, David T. Lisonbee, Thomas E. Mullen and Peter G. Vidmar to serve with Young Men General President Steven J. Lund and counselors Brother Bradley R. Wilcox and Brother Michael T. Nelson.

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Following are the names and brief biographies of the new advisory council members:

C. Michael Hansen, 64, served as president of the France Paris Mission (2020-2023), bishop, high councilor, stake Young Men presidency counselor, ward Young Men president, Gospel Doctrine teacher, ward mission leader and institute teacher. After serving as a full-time missionary in the France Toulouse Mission, he attended Brigham Young University, earning a bachelor’s degree in French and communications and a master’s degree in business administration. His career included experience in commercial real estate and university administration in Southern California, followed by 20 years in Oregon with an international sports brand, where he held positions in strategic planning and sports marketing. He is an adjunct professor in marketing at the BYU Marriott School of Business. He was born in Salt Lake City and raised in Southern California. He and his wife, Jeanne, have four children and three grandchildren and live in the Provo Utah Edgemont Stake.

Paul M. Harman, 67, served as a full-time missionary in the Brazil São Paulo North mission, ward Young Men president, teachers quorum advisor, elders quorum president, high councilor, bishop, counselor in stake presidency, counselor in mission presidency and mission president in the Santos, Brazil Mission. He received a bachelor’s degree from Brigham Young University and a law degree from the J. Ruben Clark Law School, and he was an attorney in Salt Lake City. He grew up on a dairy farm in Riverton, Utah. He and his wife, Susan, have three daughters and nine grandchildren. They live in the Park City Utah Stake.

Larry R. Laycock, 63, has served as a ward and stake Young Men president, stake high councilor, bishopric counselor, bishop, stake president, full-time missionary in the Argentina Buenos Aires South Mission (1979-1981) and as mission president of the Chile Santiago East Mission (2009-2012). He earned a bachelor’s degree from Brigham Young University and a juris doctorate from the J. Reuben Clark School of Law. He currently serves on the board of directors at the Dentons Durham Jones Pinegar law firm, where he practices in the areas of intellectual property and complex litigation law. He and his wife, Lisa, have four children and 11 grandchildren and live in the Alpine Utah West Stake.

Fernando Maluenda Mateluna, 61, has served as bishop, stake president, Area Seventy and mission president and as a full-time missionary in Seattle, Washington. He graduated from University of Chile and Pontifical Catholic University of Chile with a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering and master’s degrees in industrial engineering and business administration. He has worked for the Church as an area distribution manager, area Information and Communication Services (ICS) manager, area planning manager, area physical facilities manager, director of temporal affairs (DTA), and as the planning director for the U.S. and Canada for the past six years. Before working for the Church, he was the director of planning and investments for Essan in a mining area in Antofagasta, located in the north of Chile. He was born and raised in Santiago, Chile, and he and his wife, Priscila, have six children and five grandchildren. They live in the South Jordan Utah Highland Stake.

R. Todd Miner, 53, was raised in Southern California and attended the University of California, Berkeley, where he met his wife, Andrea. After serving as a full-time missionary in the France Bordeaux Mission, he graduated with a bachelor’s degree in computer science and began a career in technology consulting. He has worked for several tech companies and now works with BYU–Pathway Worldwide. He has served as stake executive secretary, high councilor, Scoutmaster and bishop. After raising their three sons in the California Bay Area, he and his wife were called as mission leaders over the new Cameroon Yaoundé Mission. They live in the Salt Lake Stake.

J. Scott Nixon, 64, has served as elders quorum instructor, ward Young Men president and adviser, high councilor, High Priest group leader, Mission Training Center (MTC) branch presidency member and full-time missionary in the Portugal Lisbon Mission. He and his wife, Shiree, have served as assistant directors of Church Hosting and as mission leaders of the Brazil Fortaleza East Mission. He received bachelor’s and master’s degrees in accounting from Utah State University. He is a retired partner with PwC, an international professional services firm and has served on several corporate and nonprofit boards of directors. He was raised in Cache Valley, Utah. He and his wife have four children and 13 grandchildren and live in the Layton Utah Kays Creek Stake.

Robert B. Walker, 60, has served as mission president in the Hawaii Honolulu Mission, counselor in a stake presidency, bishop, ward Young Men president, elders quorum president, ward executive secretary, institute teacher and full-time missionary in the Switzerland Geneva Mission. He has a bachelor’s degree in international relations and a law degree, both from Brigham Young University. He received a post-doctorate law degree in international banking law from Boston University. He was born and raised in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. He and his wife, Joni, founded and own a commercial real estate development company, and they have four children and five grandchildren. They live in the Bountiful Utah Mueller Park Stake.

Mark J. Wiest, 65, and his wife, Dana, serve as assistant directors of Church VIP Hosting, and they recently returned from serving as mission leaders in the Mexico Veracruz Mission (2020-2023). He also served as temple worker, bishop, bishop counselor, stake Young Men president, stake mission leader, elders quorum president, ward Young Men president, and full-time missionary in the Rosario Argentina Mission. He received his bachelor’s and master of business administration from Brigham Young University and worked for Bonneville International/KSL for 35 years. He served on the BYU Executive Alumni Board, Chair-Executive BYU Chapter and Chair-Kingsbury Hall Board. He was raised in Provo, Utah. He and his wife have four children and six grandchildren and live in the Salt Lake Monument Park Stake.

David J. Wunderli, 62, served as ward Young Men’s president, Young Single Adult (YSA) stake president, YSA bishop, high councilor, MTC branch presidency counselor, institute teacher, full-time missionary in the Brazil Rio de Janeiro Mission and mission president of the Cape Verde Praia Mission. He received a bachelor’s degree in accounting with a minor in Portuguese from the University of Utah. He was a certified public accountant at KPMG and later became an executive at Easton Sports and president of OGIO International. He has served on several corporate and philanthropic boards and is currently chairman of the board for ORI Inc. He was born in Salt Lake City. He and his wife, Diane, have four children and nine grandchildren and live in the Alpine Utah Stake.

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