First Presidency Announces 2020 Area Leadership Assignments
Contributed By Scott Taylor, Church News Managing Editor
The First Presidency has announced changes in the Church’s area leadership assignments, which will become effective on August 1, 2020.
The First Presidency has announced the Church’s area leadership assignments for 2020–21, effective August 1. The changes affect the Presidency of the Seventy and Area Presidencies.
Changes include a third area in Africa—with last summer’s announcement of the planned division of the existing Africa Southeast Area into the Africa South and new Africa Central areas. Also last year, Nairobi, Kenya, was designated as headquarters for the new Africa Central Area.
The division and area creation in Africa bring the total number of Church areas to 22—6 that span the United States and Canada, with 16 more outside those two countries.
Area Presidencies direct the work of the Church in specific geographic locations. The presidencies for the North America and Utah areas are administered in Salt Lake City, as is the presidency for the Middle East/Africa North Area.
For 2020, there are no changes in the Presidency of the Seventy, and 4 of the 22 Area Presidencies remain intact from the current 2019-20 year.
The new assignments include eight new Area Presidents, with four of the outgoing presidents now assigned as counselors in other Area Presidencies. Two of the Area Presidency counselors are Area Seventies living in their respective areas, and three other counselors are newly called General Authority Seventies who were sustained in the April 2020 general conference.
The Quorum of the Twelve Apostles acts under the direction of the First Presidency “to build up the church, and regulate all the affairs of the same in all nations. . . .
“The Seventy are to act in the name of the Lord, under the direction of the Twelve . . . , in building up the church and regulating all the affairs of the same in all nations” (Doctrine and Covenants 107:33–34).
| Presidency of the Seventy | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 |  |  |
|
| Patrick Kearon President | Carl B. Cook President | Robert C. Gay President | Terence M. Vinson President |
 |  |  | |
| José A. Teixeira President | Carlos A. Godoy President | Brent H. Nielson President | |
| North America Central | ||
|---|---|---|
 |  |  |
| Chi Hong (Sam) Wong First Counselor | S. Gifford Nielsen President | Arnulfo Valenzuela Second Counselor |
| North America Northeast | ||
|---|---|---|
 |  |  |
| W. Mark Bassett First Counselor | Randall K. Bennett President | John A. McCune Second Counselor |
| North America Southeast | ||
|---|---|---|
 |  |  |
| Vern P. Stanfill First Counselor | James B. Martino President | Marcos A. Aidukaitis Second Counselor |
| North America Southwest | ||
|---|---|---|
 |  |  |
| Kyle S. McKay First Counselor | Paul B. Pieper President | Evan A. Schmutz Second Counselor |
| North America West | ||
|---|---|---|
 |  |  |
| Scott D. Whiting First Counselor | Kevin W. Pearson President | Rubén V. Alliaud Second Counselor |
| Utah | ||
|---|---|---|
 |  |  |
| Mark A. Bragg First Counselor | Craig C. Christensen President | Walter F. González Second Counselor |
| Africa Central | ||
|---|---|---|
 |  |  |
| Matthew L. Carpenter First Counselor | Joseph W. Sitati President | Thierry K. Mutombo Second Counselor |
| Africa South | ||
 |  |  |
| Edward Dube First Counselor | S. Mark Palmer President | Ciro Schmeil Second Counselor |
| Africa West | ||
|---|---|---|
 |  |  |
| Larry S. Kacher First Counselor | Hugo E. Martinez President | Jörg Klebingat Second Counselor |
| Asia | ||
|---|---|---|
 |  |  |
| Peter F. Meurs First Counselor | David F. Evans President | David P. Homer Second Counselor |
| Asia North Area | ||
|---|---|---|
 |  |  |
| L. Todd Budge First Counselor | Takashi Wada President | James R. Rasband Second Counselor |
| Brazil | ||
|---|---|---|
 |  |  |
| Joaquin E. Costa First Counselor | Adilson de Paula Parrella President | Joni L. Koch Second Counselor |
| Caribbean | ||
|---|---|---|
 |  |  |
| Eduardo Gavarret First Counselor | José L. Alonso President | Jorge M. Alvarado Second Counselor |
| Central America | ||
|---|---|---|
 |  |  |
| Taylor G. Godoy First Counselor | Brian K. Taylor President | Alan R. Walker Second Counselor |
| Europe | ||
|---|---|---|
 |  |  |
| Massimo De Feo First Counselor | Gary B. Sabin President | Erich W. Kopischke Second Counselor |
| Europe East | ||
|---|---|---|
 |  |  |
| Hans T. Boom First Counselor | Christoffel Golden President | Kyrylo Pokhylko Second Counselor |
| Mexico | ||
|---|---|---|
 |  |  |
| John C. Pingree Jr. First Counselor | Rafael E. Pino President | Hugo Montoya Second Counselor |
| Middle East/Africa North | ||
|---|---|---|
 |  |  |
| Randy D. Funk First Counselor | Anthony D. Perkins President | Jeffrey H. Singer Second Counselor |
| Pacific | ||
|---|---|---|
 |  |  |
| K. Brett Nattress First Counselor | Ian S. Ardern President | Kazuhiko Yamashita Second Counselor |
| Philippines | ||
|---|---|---|
 |  |  |
| Steven R. Bangerter First Counselor | Taniela B. Wakolo President | Yoon H. Choi Second Counselor |
| South America Northwest | ||
|---|---|---|
 |  |  |
| Mathias Held First Counselor | Jorge F. Zeballos President | Jorge T. Becerra Second Counselor |
| South America South | ||
|---|---|---|
 |  |  |
| Allen D. Haynie First Counselor | Benjamín De Hoyos President | Juan Pablo Villar Second Counselor |
