The First Presidency of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints announced this week that the new Pacific Area Presidency of the Church will be Elder O. Vincent Haleck, President; Elder S. Gifford Nielsen, First Counsellor; and Elder Craig A. Cardon, Second Counsellor.
Elder Haleck succeeds Elder Kevin W. Pearson who has served alongside his wife June for the last five years in the Pacific Area.
The changes will take effect on 1 August.
Members of Latter-day Saint Area Presidencies are witnesses of Jesus Christ who teach the gospel and administer ecclesiastical and temporal affairs for the Church in various parts of the world.
The Pacific Area includes New Zealand, Australia, Papua New Guinea and the islands of the South Pacific. There are over 500,000 Latter-day Saints in the Pacific Area—part of a worldwide membership approaching 16 million.
Members, missionaries and congregations of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints have been in the South Pacific since 1840.
Elder O. Vincent Haleck was sustained as a General Authority Seventy of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on April 2, 2011. At the time of his call, he was serving as president of the Samoa Apia Mission. He is currently serving as a member of the Pacific Area Presidency.
Elder Haleck received a bachelor's degree in advertising and marketing from Brigham Young University in 1973. He owns a number of businesses in American Samoa, including Tuna Ventures, Inc. and Tropical Beverage Distributors, Inc.
Since joining the Church in 1966, Elder Haleck has served in numerous Church callings, including full-time missionary in the Samoa Apia Mission, stake high councilor, bishop, patriarch, and stake president.
Otto Vincent Haleck was born in Utulei, American Samoa, on January 19, 1949. He married Peggy Ann Cameron in June 1972. They are the parents of three children.
Elder S. Gifford Nielsen was sustained as a General Authority Seventy of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on April 6, 2013. At the time of his call he had been serving as a member of the Sixth Quorum of the Seventy in the North America Southwest Area. He is currently serving as a member of the Pacific Area Presidency.
Elder Nielsen received a bachelor’s degree in 1977 from Brigham Young University. In 1978 the Houston Oilers selected him in the third round of the NFL draft. Following a six-year career as quarterback for the Oilers he worked as the sports director for KHOU-TV in Houston for twenty-five years. In 1994, Elder Nielsen was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame. In 2008 he was one of the organizers of Memorial City Bank, becoming a board member and chairman of the executive committee.
Elder Nielsen has served in numerous Church callings, including seminary teacher, elders quorum president, Young Men president, Sunday School president, counselor in a mission presidency, bishop, stake president, and Area Seventy.
Stanley Gifford Nielsen was born in Provo, Utah, on October 25, 1954. He married Wendy Olson in April 1975. They are the parents of six children.
Elder Craig A. Cardon was sustained as a General Authority Seventy of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on April 1, 2006. He has served as President of the Africa West Area and as editor of Church magazines. He is currently serving as an Assistant Executive Director in the Priesthood and Family Department.
Elder Cardon studied accounting and earned a bachelor of arts from Arizona State University. He received a master of public administration from the Harvard Kennedy School with a methodological area of concentration in leadership and was named a Littauer Fellow. Prior to his call in 2006 he was an entrepreneur with multiple business interests.
Elder Cardon has served in a number of Church callings, including full-time missionary in the Italian Mission, president of the Italy Rome Mission (1983–1986), stake president, bishop, high councilor, counsellor in a stake presidency, counsellor in a bishopric, elders quorum president, institute instructor, and Gospel Doctrine teacher.
Craig Allen Cardon was born on December 30, 1948. He married Deborah Louise Dana in November 1970. They are the parents of eight children.