“New Area Leaders Assigned,” Liahona, August 2015, 12–13
News of the Church
New Area Leaders Assigned
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The First Presidency has announced changes in area leadership assignments, effective on August 1, 2015. All members of Area Presidencies are members of the First or Second Quorum of the Seventy.
The Seventy are called by revelation, under the direction of the First Presidency, to assist the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles in their ministry throughout the world.
“The history of the Seventies really goes back to the Old Testament,” said President Boyd K. Packer (1924–2015), President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.1 The first reference to the Seventy is found in Exodus 24:1, and they are later referred to in Numbers 11:16–17, 25, when they are gathered to assist Moses.
During Christ’s mortal ministry, He called the Seventy, instructed them in a manner similar to the Twelve Apostles, and sent them out “before his face,” explaining that those who heard their voices would hear His voice (see Matthew 10:1, 16–17; Luke 10).
“We believe in the same organization that existed in the primitive Church,” President Packer said. “And it included Seventies.” (See Articles of Faith 1:6.) In today’s rapidly growing Church, the Seventy play an important role in assisting the Twelve. “Seventies by delegation can do anything the Twelve tell them to do,” President Packer said.2

Presidency of the Seventy

Ronald A. Rasband
Assists in all areas

L. Whitney Clayton
Utah North
Utah Salt Lake City
Utah South

Donald L. Hallstrom
North America Northeast

Richard J. Maynes
North America Northwest
North America West

Craig C. Christensen
Idaho
North America Central

Ulisses Soares
North America Southeast

Lynn G. Robbins
North America Southwest
Africa Southeast

Stanley G. Ellis
First Counselor

Carl B. Cook
President

Kevin S. Hamilton
Second Counselor
Africa West

Terence M. Vinson
First Counselor

LeGrand R. Curtis Jr.
President

David F. Evans
Second Counselor
Asia

Randy D. Funk
First Counselor

Gerrit W. Gong
President

Chi Hong (Sam) Wong
Second Counselor
Asia North

Kazuhiko Yamashita
First Counselor

Scott D. Whiting
President

Yoon Hwan Choi
Second Counselor
Brazil

Jairo Mazzagardi
First Counselor

Claudio R. M. Costa
President

Marcos A. Aidukaitis
Second Counselor
Caribbean

Claudio D. Zivic
First Counselor

J. Devn Cornish
President

Hugo E. Martinez
Second Counselor
Central America

Adrián Ochoa
First Counselor

Kevin R. Duncan
President

Jose L. Alonso
Second Counselor
Europe

Paul V. Johnson
First Counselor

Patrick Kearon
President

Timothy J. Dyches
Second Counselor
Europe East

Jörg Klebingat
First Counselor

Bruce D. Porter
President

Larry S. Kacher
Second Counselor
Mexico

Paul B. Pieper
First Counselor

Benjamín De Hoyos
President

Arnulfo Valenzuela
Second Counselor
Middle East/Africa North

Larry R. Lawrence

Wilford W. Andersen
Administered from Church headquarters
Pacific

O. Vincent Haleck
First Counselor

Kevin W. Pearson
President

S. Gifford Nielsen
Second Counselor
Philippines

Shayne M. Bowen
First Counselor

Ian S. Ardern
President

Allen D. Haynie
Second Counselor
South America Northwest

W. Christopher Waddell
First Counselor

Juan A. Uceda
President

Carlos A. Godoy
Second Counselor
South America South

Francisco J. Viñas
First Counselor

Walter F. González
President

José A. Teixeira
Second Counselor