Gerrit W. Gong

Gerrit Walter Gong (born December 23, 1953) has been a general authority of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) since 2010 and a member of the church's Presidency of the Seventy since October 2015.^[3] Prior to becoming a general authority he served as Assistant to the President of Brigham Young University (BYU) for Planning and Assessment.^[4]

Biography

Gong was born in Redwood City, California, to Walter Gong and Jean Char. Gerrit was named after Gerrit de Jong because his mother had lived with de Jong and his family while she was a student at BYU. His mother's family were ethnic Chinese in Hawaii, while his father's family lived in California and other parts of the United States after his ancestors emigrated from China in the late 19th century.

Education and career

Gong graduated from Cubberley High School in Palo Alto, California, in 1972. He served as a missionary for the LDS Church in Taiwan.^[5] He received a bachelor's degree from BYU and then was a Rhodes Scholar, receiving both a master's degree and D.Phil. from Oxford University.^[6] Gong was a professor at various times at Georgetown University and Johns Hopkins University. He later served as a special assistant in the United States State Department, as well as in the United States Embassy in China. He also served as China Chair and Asia Director of the Center for Strategic and International Studies.

Even before joining the administration at BYU, Gong was involved in educational policy issues. He served as a member of the United States Department of Education's National Advisory Committee on Institutional Quality and Integrity and participated in multiple national education summits.^[7]

Marriage and family

Gong is married to Susan Lindsay, a daughter of Richard P. Lindsay. They first met when Gong was a BYU student who would give presentations on Taiwan's culture to missionaries about to depart for Taiwan from the Missionary Training Center, among whom was Lindsay. They began dating a few years later, in the summer when Gong had returned from Oxford to spend a few weeks with his parents, during a time his father was a BYU professor. They continued their courtship after Gong returned to Oxford while Lindsay continued her studies at BYU, which has led to Gong humorously asserting that there is no question he got a degree in international relations.^[8] The Gongs married in the Salt Lake Temple on January 2, 1980, and are the parents of four sons.^[9]

LDS Church service

Prior to becoming a general authority, Gong served in the church as a bishop, stake president, and area seventy. After his call to the First Quorum of the Seventy, he served as a counselor in the church's Asia Area from 2011 to 2013,^[10][11] then as the area's president beginning in August 2013.^[12][13]

In October 2015, Gong was appointed to the Presidency of the Seventy, filling a vacancy created by Ronald A. Rasband's call to the church's Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.^[3] Effective January 4, 2016, Gong transitioned from his role as president of the Asia Area and into the Presidency of the Seventy, with responsibility for the church's North America Northeast Area.^[14]

Publications

Gong is the author of the book Memory and History in East and Southeast Asia.

References

External links

• "General Authorities: Elder Gerrit W. Gong", lds.org