Brother Bradley R. Wilcox

First Counselor in the Young Men General Presidency

Years before serving as a counselor in the Young Men General Presidency, Brother Bradley R. Wilcox and his wife, Debi, sent their reluctant 14-year-old son to Especially for Youth (EFY) at Brigham Young University.

They worried that he “didn’t have a spiritual bone in his body.” The teen came home different—more focused and sensitive to spiritual things. Now, years later, he is serving in a bishopric and mentoring the youth in his own ward.

That is what Brother Wilcox observed repeatedly last summer as Latter-day Saint youth across the globe participated in For the Strength of Youth (FSY) conferences. Repeatedly, those “who were not sure they wanted to come” returned home different and better.

Brother Wilcox—who has served as Second Counselor in the Young Men General Presidency since 2020 and was sustained as First Counselor during April 2023 general conference—said this has been an exciting time to serve Latter-day Saint youth. The Young Men and Young Women General Presidencies are working together regularly, and “the FSY conferences, guide, and magazine are reaching more youth than ever.”

Bradley Ray Wilcox, 63, was born in Provo, Utah, USA, on December 25, 1959, to Ray T. Wilcox and Val C. Wilcox. He grew up in Provo but spent a few childhood years in Ethiopia.

After serving a full-time mission in Viña del Mar, Chile, Brother Wilcox married Deborah Gunnell in the Provo Utah Temple in October 1982. They are the parents of four children and live in Provo, Utah.

Brother Wilcox received his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Brigham Young University (BYU) and his doctorate in education from the University of Wyoming. He is a professor in the Department of Ancient Scripture at BYU. Since 1985, he has devoted most of his summers to BYU’s EFY program.

Brother Wilcox has served as a bishop and in a stake presidency, as president of the Chile Santiago East Mission, and on the Sunday School general board.