Meet the New Leaders Called at the April 2023 General Conference

The calls of nine new leaders were announced at the April 2023 general conference. These calls comprise five General Authority Seventies, a new Young Women General Presidency (effective August 1, 2023) and a new counselor in the Young Men General Presidency.

President Dallin H. Oaks of the First Presidency of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints announced the calls during the Saturday afternoon session of the conference. (Note: Earlier this week, 61 new Area Seventies were announced at a leadership session of general conference.)

President Oaks also announced that three General Authority Seventies (Elders Benjamin De Hoyos, Juan A. Uceda, and Kazuhiko Yamashita) will be released and receive emeritus status on August 1, 2023.

Learn more below about the new leaders.

• New General Authority Seventies
• New Young Women General Presidency
• New Counselor in the Young Men General Presidency

New General Authority Seventies

Elder Ahmad S. Corbitt

Since 2020, Elder Corbitt has served as First Counselor in the Young Men General Presidency. His previous Church service includes president of the Dominican Republic Santo Domingo East Mission (2014–2017), stake president and full-time missionary in the Puerto Rico San Juan Mission. A native of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and graduate of the Rutgers University School of Law, Elder Corbitt has worked as a trial lawyer, executive director of corporate communications and associate general counsel of a Delaware company, director of the Church’s New York Office of Public and International Affairs and an Area Mission Specialist for the Church. He and his wife, Jayne, have six children.

Elder Robert M. Daines

For the past 19 years, Elder Daines has worked as associate dean and Pritzker Professor of law and business at Stanford University. He has also taught at New York University and Yale University (from which he received a law degree in 1992) and worked as an associate for Goldman Sachs. Elder Daines was born in Bloomington, Indiana, and completed his undergraduate work at BYU. His previous Church service includes full-time missionary in the Switzerland Zurich Mission, early morning seminary teacher, nursery leader, high councilor, bishop and stake president. Elder Daines and his wife, Ruth, have five children.

Elder J. Kimo Esplin

Elder Esplin has served in the Twelfth Quorum of the Seventy in the Utah Area since 2021. He has worked for nearly three decades as executive vice president and chief financial officer at Huntsman Corporation. He has also been a board member for Savage Companies. He was born in Kahuku, Hawaii, and received degrees from BYU and the Northwestern University Kellogg School of Management. His previous Church service includes full-time missionary in the Japan Kobe Mission, high councilor, bishop, stake president and president of the Japan Tokyo South and North Missions (2018–2021). Elder Esplin and his wife, Kaye, have eight children.

Elder Christophe G. Giraud-Carrier

Elder Giraud-Carrier, a native of Lyon, France, has been a BYU computer science professor for the past 19 years. He has also worked as a senior lecturer for the University of Bristol (England) and a senior manager for ELCA Informatique SA. He has three degrees from BYU. At the time of this call, he was serving as stake president of a young single adult stake in Provo, Utah. His previous Church assignments include full-time missionary in the Canada Montreal Mission, bishop, high councilor and president of the France Lyon Mission (2018–2021). Elder Giraud-Carrier and his wife, Isabelle, have eight children.

Elder Alan T. Phillips

Elder Phillips, a native of Kent, England, has been in the Seventh Quorum of the Seventy since 2016 and in the Europe North Area Presidency for the past year. He received degrees from the London School of Economics and Political Science and worked in the fields of business, finance and education. He was most recently employed as the academic director of the Brigham Young University London Centre. His previous Church service includes full-time missionary in the England Manchester Mission, counselor in a bishopric, high councilor and stake president. Elder Phillips and his wife, Lindsey, have four children.

New Young Women General Presidency (effective August 1, 2023)

President Emily Belle Freeman

President Freeman is an author, speaker, podcaster and teacher. She has written more than a dozen books and has taught for many years in the Church Educational System. She has also spoken at a variety of BYU programs and conferences, as well as the annual Deseret Book-sponsored Time Out for Women. She was born in Boston, Massachusetts, raised in Utah, and spent her senior year of high school in Ventura, California, after her parents were called there to lead a mission of the Church of Jesus Christ. She has previously served as Young Women president and Relief Society president in her ward. She and her husband, Greg, have five children.

Sister Tamara W. Runia, First Counselor

Sister Runia was raised in Walnut Creek, California, and lives in Provo, Utah. She attended BYU, where she met her husband, Scott. They served as leaders of the Australia Sydney Mission (2018–2021). She has also served as a stake scripture class instructor, stake Young Women president and stake Relief Society presidency counselor. Sister Runia participates in civic life, which has included 20 years on the board of the Food & Care Coalition in Provo. She and her husband have seven children.

Sister Andrea Muñoz Spannaus, Second Counselor

Sister Spannaus has been serving on the Relief Society advisory council. She is a native of Buenos Aires, Argentina, and served in the Argentina Resistencia Mission. She earned a bachelor’s degree in early childhood education and also studied art and interior design. She has been an adviser in a young single adult Spanish-speaking ward, an early morning seminary teacher, a member of the South America South Area committee to organize For the Strength of Youth conferences and mission leader with her husband, Alin, in the Mexico Cuernavaca Mission (2009–2012). They are parents of two daughters.

New Counselor in the Young Men General Presidency

Brother Bradley R. Wilcox has moved from Second Counselor to First Counselor in the Young Men General Presidency with Elder Ahmad S. Corbitt’s call to be a General Authority Seventy. Brother Michael T. Nelson is now the Second Counselor. Steven J. Lund continues to serve as Young Men General President.

Brother Bradley R. Wilcox, First Counselor

Brother Wilcox first joined the Young Men General Presidency in April 2020. He is from Provo, Utah, and received degrees from BYU. He is currently a professor in BYU’s Department of Ancient Scripture. He is the author of the book The Continuous Atonement and the BYU devotional address “His Grace Is Sufficient.” He has served in several Church callings, including full-time missionary in the Chile Vina del Mar Mission, bishop, president of the Chile Santiago East Mission (2003–2006), member of the Sunday School general board and stake Young Men president. He and his wife, Deborah, have four children.

Brother Michael T. Nelson, Second Counselor

Brother Nelson is from Salt Lake City, Utah. He works as the chief financial officer of a Utah-based company. He studied organizational communications at Brigham Young University and the University of Utah. Previous Church service includes president of the California San Bernardino Mission (1998–2001), stake president, bishop, ward and stake Young Men president and missionary in the Chile Santiago Mission. Brother Nelson and his wife, Barbara Fluckiger, have nine children.