100 Notable alumni of
Brigham Young University - Provo
Updated:
Brigham Young University - Provo is 104th in the world, 47th in North America, and 45th in the United States by aggregated alumni prominence. Below is the list of 100 notable alumni from Brigham Young University - Provo sorted by their wiki pages popularity. The directory includes famous graduates and former students along with research and academic staff.
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Mitt Romney
- Enrolled in Brigham Young University - Provo
- In 1971 graduated with Bachelor of Arts in English studies
- Occupations
- Mormon missionarybusiness executivepoliticiannon-fiction writerconsultant
- Biography
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Willard Mitt Romney is an American businessman and retired politician. He served as a United States senator from Utah from 2019 to 2025 and as the 70th governor of Massachusetts from 2003 to 2007. He was the Republican Party's nominee in the 2012 U.S. presidential election.
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Aaron Eckhart
- Occupations
- film actortelevision actorfilm produceractor
- Biography
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Aaron Edward Eckhart is an American actor. Born in Cupertino, California, Eckhart moved to the United Kingdom at an early age. He began his acting career by performing in school plays, before moving to Australia for his high school senior year. He left high school without graduating, but earned a diploma through a professional education course, and then graduated from Brigham Young University (BYU) in Provo, Utah, in 1994 with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in film.
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Matthew Modine
- Occupations
- screenwriterfilm producerfilm actormodelfilm director
- Biography
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Matthew Avery Modine is an American actor and filmmaker. He shared the Venice Film Festival‘s Volpi Cup for Best Actor as part of the ensemble cast of Robert Altman film Streamers (1983). He went on to play lead roles in several high-profile films throughout the 1980s, including Birdy (1984), Vision Quest (1985), and Married to the Mob (1988). He gained further prominence for playing U.S. Marine James T. "Joker" Davis in Stanley Kubrick's Full Metal Jacket (1987).
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Andy Reid
- Occupations
- American football coachAmerican football player
- Biography
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Andrew Walter Reid is an American professional football coach who is the head coach for the Kansas City Chiefs of the National Football League (NFL). Reid was previously the head coach of the Philadelphia Eagles from 1999 to 2012. From 2001 to 2012, he was also the Eagles' executive vice president of football operations. Reid is the only NFL coach to win 100 games with two different franchises and also the only coach to appear in four consecutive conference championships with two different franchises. He is considered one of the greatest NFL coaches of all time.
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Brandon Sanderson
- Occupations
- writernovelistshort story writer
- Biography
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Brandon Winn Sanderson is an American author of high fantasy, science fiction, and young adult books. He is best known for the Cosmere fictional universe, in which most of his fantasy novels, most notably the Mistborn series and The Stormlight Archive, are set. Outside of the Cosmere, he has written several young adult and juvenile series including The Reckoners, the Skyward series, and the Alcatraz series. He is also known for finishing Robert Jordan's high fantasy series The Wheel of Time. Sanderson has created two graphic novels, including White Sand and Dark One.
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Lindsey Stirling
- Occupations
- television producercomposerdancerYouTuberperforming artist
- Biography
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Lindsey Stirling is an American violinist, songwriter and dancer. She presents choreographed violin performances, in live and music videos found on her official YouTube channel, which she created in 2007.
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Ken Jennings
- Occupations
- non-fiction writergame show contestantsoftware engineergame show hostmind gamer
- Biography
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Kenneth Wayne Jennings III is an American game show host, former contestant, and author. He is best known for his work on the syndicated quiz show Jeopardy! as a contestant and later its host. Jennings was born in Seattle, Washington but grew up in South Korea and Singapore. He worked as a computer programmer before he tried out for Jeopardy! in 2004. During his initial run, Jennings secured a consecutive 74 wins, setting the record as the highest-earning American game show contestant and bringing significant media attention and viewership.
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Kyrsten Sinema
- Enrolled in Brigham Young University - Provo
- Graduated with Bachelor of Arts
- Occupations
- social workeradjunct professorlawyerpolitician
- Biography
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Kyrsten Lea Sinema is an American politician and former social worker who served from 2019 to 2025 as a United States senator from Arizona. A former member of the Democratic Party, Sinema became an independent in December 2022.
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Mireille Enos
- Occupations
- film actortelevision actorstage actoractor
- Biography
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Marie Mireille Enos is an American actress known for the lead role as homicide detective Sarah Linden in the drama series The Killing.
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Elizabeth Smart
- Occupations
- activistmusicianharpistmemoiristhistorian
- Biography
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Elizabeth Ann Gilmour is an American child safety activist and commentator for ABC News. She gained national attention at age 14 when she was abducted from her home in Salt Lake City by Brian David Mitchell. Mitchell and his wife, Wanda Barzee, held Smart captive for nine months until she was rescued by police officers on a street in Sandy, Utah.
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Stephenie Meyer
- Enrolled in Brigham Young University - Provo
- In 1997 graduated with Bachelor of Arts in English
- Occupations
- children's writernovelistwriterentrepreneurscience fiction writer
- Biography
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Stephenie Meyer is an American novelist and film producer. She is best known for writing the vampire romance series Twilight, which has sold over 160 million copies, with translations into 37 different languages. She was the bestselling author of 2008 and 2009 in the United States, having sold over 29 million books in 2008 and 26.5 million in 2009.
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Jon Heder
- Occupations
- film produceractorfilm actortelevision actorvoice actor
- Biography
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Jonathan Joseph Heder is an American actor and comedian. He is best known for his breakout lead role as the title character of the comedy film Napoleon Dynamite (2004). He also voiced the character in the Fox animated series of the same name (2012).
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Steve Young
- Enrolled in Brigham Young University - Provo
- Graduated with Juris Doctor
- Occupations
- television actorAmerican football player
- Biography
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Jon Steven Young is an American former professional football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 15 seasons, most notably with the San Francisco 49ers. He was drafted by and played for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Prior to his NFL career, Young was a member of the Los Angeles Express in the United States Football League (USFL) for two seasons. He played college football for the BYU Cougars, setting school and NCAA records en route to being runner-up for the 1983 Heisman Trophy.
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Orrin Hatch
- Enrolled in Brigham Young University - Provo
- Studied in 1959
- Occupations
- politicianclerichymnwriterlawyeranti-abortion activist
- Biography
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Orrin Grant Hatch was an American attorney and politician who served as a United States senator from Utah from 1977 to 2019. Hatch's 42-year Senate tenure made him the longest-serving Republican U.S. senator in history, overtaking Ted Stevens, until Chuck Grassley surpassed him in 2023.
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Mike Leach
- Occupations
- American football coach
- Biography
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Michael Charles Leach was an American college football coach who primarily coached at the NCAA Division I FBS level. Nicknamed "The Pirate", he was a two-time national coach of the year, three-time conference coach of the year and the mastermind behind the NCAA record-setting air raid offense. He was the head coach at Texas Tech University from 2000 to 2009, where he became the winningest coach in school history. After Texas Tech, he coached at Washington State University from 2012 to 2019, where he recorded the third-most wins of any coach in school history. He then coached at Mississippi State University from 2020 until his death in 2022.
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Don Bluth
- Enrolled in Brigham Young University - Provo
- In 1955 studied English literature
- Studied English literature
- Occupations
- film producerscreenwritercharacter animatordirectorfilm director
- Biography
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Donald Virgil Bluth is an American filmmaker, animator, video game designer and author. He is best known for directing the animated films The Secret of NIMH, An American Tail, The Land Before Time, All Dogs Go to Heaven, Anastasia and Titan A.E., for his involvement in the LaserDisc games Dragon's Lair and Space Ace, and for competing with former employer Walt Disney Productions during the years leading up to the films that became the Disney Renaissance.
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Steve Sarkisian
- Occupations
- Canadian football playercoachAmerican football player
- Biography
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Stephen Sarkisian is an American football coach and former player who is the head football coach at the University of Texas at Austin. He previously was the head football coach at the University of Washington from 2009 to 2013 and the University of Southern California (USC) from 2014 to 2015.
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Taysom Hill
- Occupations
- American football player
- Biography
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Taysom Shawn Hill is an American professional football utility player for the New Orleans Saints of the National Football League (NFL). Hill is officially designated as a tight end. He was previously officially listed as a quarterback first five seasons of his career, before being designated as a tight end in his sixth season, reverting back to a quarterback designation in his seventh season, and then returning to a tight end designation in his eighth season. Hill's versatility has earned him a reputation as a unique player in the NFL. Due to his versatility, he is known as "the Human Swiss Army Knife" by Saints' media.
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Shawn Bradley
- Occupations
- basketball playerpolitician
- Biography
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Shawn Paul Bradley is a German-American former professional basketball player who played center for the Philadelphia 76ers, New Jersey Nets, and Dallas Mavericks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He is one of the tallest players in NBA history at 7 ft 6 in (2.29 m). Bradley was born in Landstuhl, West Germany, as his family was stationed at the U.S. military base medical facility, and grew up in Castle Dale, Utah. He holds citizenship in both the United States and Germany.
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Orson Scott Card
- Occupations
- children's writerscreenwriternovelistwriterscience fiction writer
- Biography
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Orson Scott Card is an American writer known best for his science fiction works. As of 2024, he is the only person to have won a Hugo Award and a Nebula Award in consecutive years, winning both awards for his novel Ender's Game (1985) and its sequel Speaker for the Dead (1986). A feature film adaptation of Ender's Game, which Card coproduced, was released in 2013. Card also wrote the Locus Fantasy Award-winning series The Tales of Alvin Maker (1987–2003). Card's fiction often features characters with exceptional gifts who make difficult choices with high stakes. Card has also written political, religious, and social commentary in his columns and other writing; his opposition to homosexuality has provoked public criticism.
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Jimmer Fredette
- Enrolled in Brigham Young University - Provo
- Studied in 2007-2011
- Occupations
- basketball player
- Biography
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James Taft "Jimmer" Fredette is an American basketball player. Fredette was the 2011 National Player of the Year in college basketball after ranking as the leading scorer in all of NCAA Division I during his senior season for the BYU Cougars. He was subsequently selected with the 10th overall pick in the 2011 NBA draft.
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Zach Wilson
- Occupations
- American football player
- Biography
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Zachary Kapono Wilson is an American professional football quarterback for the Denver Broncos of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the BYU Cougars and was selected second overall by the New York Jets in the 2021 NFL draft. Wilson served as the Jets' starter during his first three seasons, but inconsistent play led to him being traded to the Broncos in 2024.
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Stephen Covey
- Occupations
- businesspersonprofessorwriter
- Biography
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Stephen Richards Covey was an American educator, author, businessman, and speaker. His most popular book is The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. His other books include First Things First, Principle-Centered Leadership, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Families, The 8th Habit, and The Leader In Me: How Schools and Parents Around the World Are Inspiring Greatness, One Child at a Time. In 1996, Time magazine named him one of the 25 most influential people. He was a professor at the Jon M. Huntsman School of Business at Utah State University (USU) at the time of his death.
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Danny Ainge
- Occupations
- baseball playerbasketball coachbasketball playerbusinessperson
- Biography
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Daniel Ray Ainge is an American former professional basketball player, coach, and professional baseball player who serves as an executive for the Utah Jazz of the National Basketball Association (NBA). During his 18-year career as general manager for the Boston Celtics, Ainge was known for making bold moves to help the team rebuild, and clearing cap space. He served as the Celtics' president of basketball operations from 2003 until his retirement in 2021.
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Mark Rober
- Enrolled in Brigham Young University - Provo
- 1998-2004 graduated with Bachelor of Science in mechanical engineering
- Occupations
- inventorweb video producerYouTubermechanical engineerscience communicator
- Biography
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Mark Rober is an American YouTuber, engineer, inventor, and educator. He is known for his YouTube videos on popular science and do-it-yourself gadgets. Before he became a YouTuber, Rober was an engineer with NASA for nine years, where he spent seven years working on the Curiosity rover at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory. He later worked for four years at Apple Inc. as a product designer in their Special Projects Group, where he authored patents involving virtual reality in self-driving cars.
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Jeff Flake
- Enrolled in Brigham Young University - Provo
- Studied in 1986
- In 1987 graduated with Master of Arts
- Occupations
- politician
- Biography
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Jeffry Lane Flake is an American politician and diplomat who served in the United States House of Representatives from 2001 to 2013 and in the United States Senate from 2013 to 2019, representing Arizona. A member of the Republican Party, Flake later served as the United States ambassador to Turkey from 2022 to 2024 under President Joe Biden.
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Tara Westover
- Occupations
- historianwriter
- Biography
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Tara Westover is an American memoirist, essayist and historian. Her memoir Educated (2018) debuted at No. 1 on The New York Times bestseller list and was a finalist for a number of national awards, including the LA Times Book Prize, PEN America's Jean Stein Book Award, and two awards from the National Book Critics Circle Award. The New York Times ranked Educated as one of the 10 Best Books of 2018. Westover was chosen by Time magazine as one of the 100 most influential people of 2019.
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Jim McMahon
- Occupations
- American football player
- Biography
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James Robert McMahon Jr. is an American former professional football player who was a quarterback in the National Football League (NFL) for 15 seasons, most notably with the Chicago Bears. McMahon played college football for the BYU Cougars, winning the Davey O'Brien Award and the Sammy Baugh Trophy as a senior. He was selected by the Bears fifth overall in the 1982 NFL draft.
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Ronna Romney McDaniel
- Occupations
- politician
- Biography
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Ronna Romney McDaniel is an American political strategist who served as chair of the Republican National Committee (RNC) from 2017 until her resignation in 2024. A member of the Republican Party and the Romney family, McDaniel was chair of the Michigan Republican Party from 2015 to 2017.
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Philo Farnsworth
- Occupations
- inventor
- Biography
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Philo Taylor Farnsworth was an American inventor and television pioneer. He made the critical contributions to electronic television that made possible all the video in the world today. He is best known for his 1927 invention of the first fully functional all-electronic image pickup device (video camera tube), the image dissector, as well as the first fully functional and complete all-electronic television system. Farnsworth developed a television system complete with receiver and camera—which he produced commercially through the Farnsworth Television and Radio Corporation from 1938 to 1951, in Fort Wayne, Indiana.
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Jason Chaffetz
- Enrolled in Brigham Young University - Provo
- In 1989 graduated with Bachelor of Arts
- Occupations
- business executivepoliticianAmerican football player
- Biography
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Jason E. Chaffetz is an American retired politician who served as the U.S. representative for Utah's 3rd congressional district from 2009 until his resignation in 2017. He chaired the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform from 2015 until 2017.
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Johnny Whitaker
- Occupations
- film actortelevision actorfilm directoractor
- Biography
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John Orson Whitaker, Jr. is an American actor notable for several film and television performances during his childhood. The redheaded Whitaker played Jody Davis on Family Affair from 1966 to 1971. He originated the role of Scotty Baldwin on General Hospital in 1965, played the lead in Hallmark's 1969 The Littlest Angel, and portrayed the title character in the 1973 musical version of Tom Sawyer.
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Evan McMullin
- Enrolled in Brigham Young University - Provo
- 1997-2001 graduated with Bachelor of Arts in international law
- Occupations
- politician
- Biography
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David Evan McMullin is an American political candidate and former Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) officer. McMullin ran as an independent in the 2016 United States presidential election and in the 2022 United States Senate election in Utah.
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Puka Nacua
- Enrolled in Brigham Young University - Provo
- Studied family science
- Occupations
- American football player
- Biography
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Makea "Puka" Nacua is an American professional football wide receiver for the Los Angeles Rams of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the BYU Cougars after transferring from Washington. Selected by the Rams in the fifth round of the 2023 NFL draft, Nacua set rookie records for receiving yards and receptions, along with being named to the Pro Bowl and as a second-team All-Pro.
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James Dashner
- Occupations
- writerscience fiction writerchildren's writernovelist
- Biography
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James Smith Dashner is an American writer known for speculative fiction. Many of his books are primarily aimed at children or young adults. He is best known for The Maze Runner series and the young adult fantasy series The 13th Reality. His 2008 novel The Journal of Curious Letters, first in the series, was one of the annual Borders Original Voices picks.
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Kevin Rahm
- Occupations
- film actorscreenwritervoice actortelevision actor
- Biography
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Kevin Rahm is an American actor. He is known for his television roles as Kyle McCarty on Judging Amy, Lee McDermott on Desperate Housewives, and Ted Chaough on Mad Men.
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Thomas S. Monson
- Occupations
- writerpriestprophet
- Biography
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Thomas Spencer Monson was an American religious leader, author, and the 16th president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). As president, he was considered by adherents of the religion to be a prophet, seer, and revelator. Monson's early career was as a manager at the Deseret News, a Utah newspaper owned by the LDS Church. He spent most of his life engaged in various church leadership positions and public service.
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Kaskade
- Occupations
- composerrecord producermusicianclub DJdisc jockey
- Biography
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Ryan Gary Raddon, better known by his stage name Kaskade, is an American DJ, music producer and remixer. DJ Times voted Kaskade "America's Best DJ" in 2011 and 2013. DJ Mag named Kaskade fifty-first on its 2009 list of Top 100 DJs.
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Bryan Johnson
- Occupations
- entrepreneur
- Biography
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Bryan Johnson is an American entrepreneur, venture capitalist, writer and author. He is the founder and former CEO of Kernel, a company creating devices that monitor and record brain activity, and OS Fund, a venture capital firm that invests in early-stage science and technology companies.
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Ann Romney
- Occupations
- homemakerpolitician
- Biography
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Ann Lois Romney is an American author and philanthropist. She is the wife of businessman and politician Senator Mitt Romney of Utah. From 2003 to 2007, Romney was First Lady of Massachusetts, while her husband served as governor.
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Will Swenson
- Occupations
- film producerfilm directoractorsingertelevision actor
- Biography
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Will Swenson is an American actor and singer best known for his work in musical theatre. He also has developed a film career, primarily in LDS cinema.
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Tagg Romney
- Occupations
- businessperson
- Biography
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Taggart Mitt Romney is an American management consultant, businessman, venture capitalist and political advisor. He is the eldest son of businessman and former U.S. Senator Mitt Romney.
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Jack Morris
- Occupations
- baseball player
- Biography
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John Scott Morris is an American former professional baseball starting pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) between 1977 and 1994, mainly for the Detroit Tigers. Morris won 254 games throughout his career.
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Ken Patera
- Occupations
- weightlifterstrongmanprofessional wrestler
- Biography
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Kenneth Wayne Patera is an American retired professional wrestler, Olympic weightlifter, and strongman competitor. He was well known in the World Wrestling Federation from 1976 to 1981, 1984 to 1985 and 1987 to 1988 and American Wrestling Association.
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Marie Windsor
- Occupations
- film actortelevision actorstage actoractor
- Biography
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Marie Windsor was an American actress known for her femme fatale characters in the classic film noir features Force of Evil, The Narrow Margin and The Killing. Windsor's height (5'9", 175 cm) created problems for her in scenes with all but the tallest actors. She was the female lead in so many B movies that she became dubbed the "Queen" of the genre.
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Mike Weir
- Occupations
- golfer
- Biography
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Michael Richard Weir, CM OOnt is a Canadian professional golfer. He currently plays on the PGA Tour Champions. He spent over 110 weeks in the top-10 of the Official World Golf Ranking between 2001 and 2005. He plays golf left-handed and is best known for winning the Masters Tournament in 2003, making him the only Canadian man to ever win a major championship.
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Aaron Ruell
- Occupations
- photographeractor
- Biography
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Derek Aaron Ruell is an American director, photographer and actor. He is most recognized for his performance as Kip Dynamite in the indie movie Napoleon Dynamite.
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Dallin H. Oaks
- Occupations
- religious leaderjudgeuniversity teacherlawyerwriter
- Biography
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Dallin Harris Oaks is an American religious leader and former jurist and academic who since 2018 has been the first counselor in the First Presidency of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). He was called as a member of the church's Quorum of the Twelve Apostles in 1984. Currently, he is the second most senior apostle by years of service and is the President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.
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Ty Detmer
- Occupations
- American football player
- Biography
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Ty Hubert Detmer is an American former football quarterback. He won the Heisman Trophy, Maxwell Award, and Davey O'Brien Award in 1990 while playing college football for the Brigham Young University (BYU) Cougars. Detmer broke numerous National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) records with BYU and was twice recognized as a consensus All-American. He also played professionally in the National Football League (NFL). A late-round pick in the 1992 NFL draft, Detmer played for six NFL teams over 14 seasons, mostly in a backup role. He is currently the athletic director at American Leadership Academy – Gilbert North High School in Gilbert, Arizona.
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Andy Biggs
- Enrolled in Brigham Young University - Provo
- In 1982 graduated with Bachelor of Arts
- Occupations
- lawyerpolitician
- Biography
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Andrew Steven Biggs is an American attorney and politician who represents Arizona's 5th congressional district in the United States House of Representatives. The district, which was once represented by U.S. Senators John McCain and Jeff Flake, is in the heart of the East Valley and includes most of Mesa and Chandler and all of Queen Creek and Biggs's hometown of Gilbert.
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Neil LaBute
- Occupations
- screenwriterwriterfilm directordirector
- Biography
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Neil N. LaBute is an American playwright, film director, and screenwriter. He is best known for a play that he wrote and later adapted for film, In the Company of Men (1997), which won awards from the Sundance Film Festival, the Independent Spirit Awards, and the New York Film Critics Circle. He wrote and directed the films Your Friends & Neighbors (1998), Possession (2002) (based on the A. S. Byatt novel), The Shape of Things (2003) (based on his play of the same name), The Wicker Man (2006), Some Velvet Morning (2013), and Dirty Weekend (2015). He directed the films Nurse Betty (2000), Lakeview Terrace (2008), and the American adaptation of Death at a Funeral (2010). LaBute created the TV series Billy & Billie, writing and directing all of the episodes. He is also the creator of the TV series Van Helsing. Recently, he executive produced, co-directed and co-wrote Netflix's The I-Land. He also directed several episodes for shows such as Hell on Wheels and Billions.
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Clayton Christensen
- Occupations
- university teacherwritermissionarypriest
- Biography
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Clayton Magleby Christensen was an American academic and business consultant who developed the theory of "disruptive innovation", which has been called the most influential business idea of the early 21st century. Christensen introduced "disruption" in his 1997 book The Innovator's Dilemma, and it led The Economist to term him "the most influential management thinker of his time." He served as the Kim B. Clark Professor of Business Administration at the Harvard Business School (HBS), and was also a leader and writer in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). He was one of the founders of the Jobs to Be Done development methodology.
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Mike Crapo
- Enrolled in Brigham Young University - Provo
- In 1973 graduated with Bachelor of Arts
- Occupations
- lawyerpolitician
- Biography
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Michael Dean Crapo is an American lawyer and politician serving as the senior United States senator from Idaho, a seat he has held since 1999. A member of the Republican Party, Crapo served as the U.S. representative for Idaho's 2nd congressional district from 1993 to 1999. He is the dean of Idaho's congressional delegation, having served since 1993.
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Brandon Davies
- Occupations
- basketball player
- Biography
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Brandon Davies is an American-born naturalized Ugandan professional basketball player for Partizan Belgrade of the Basketball League of Serbia (KLS), the Adriatic League and the EuroLeague. He also represents the senior Ugandan national team. He was an all-conference college player at Brigham Young University. Davies is a two time All-EuroLeague selection.
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Ezra Taft Benson
- Occupations
- prophetpolitician
- Biography
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Ezra Taft Benson was an American farmer, government official, and religious leader who served as the 15th United States Secretary of Agriculture during both presidential terms of Dwight D. Eisenhower and as the 13th president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) from 1985 until his death in 1994.
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Mike Lee
- Enrolled in Brigham Young University - Provo
- In 1994 graduated with Bachelor of Arts
- Occupations
- assistantpoliticianlawyerlaw clerkcounsel
- Biography
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Michael Shumway Lee is an American lawyer and politician serving as the senior United States senator from Utah, a seat he has held since 2011. A member of the Republican Party, Lee became Utah's senior senator in 2019 and dean of Utah's congressional delegation in 2021.
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Richard McCoy, Jr
- Occupations
- military personnel
- Biography
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Richard Floyd McCoy Jr. was an American aircraft hijacker. McCoy hijacked a United Airlines passenger jet for ransom in April 1972. Due to a similar modus operandi, McCoy has been proposed as the person responsible for the November 1971 hijacking of Northwest Orient Airlines Flight 305, attributed to the still-unidentified "D. B. Cooper".
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Krešimir Ćosić
- Enrolled in Brigham Young University - Provo
- Studied in 1970-1973
- Occupations
- translatorbasketball coachbasketball playerdiplomatlinguist
- Biography
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Krešimir "Krešo" Ćosić was a Croatian professional basketball player and coach. He was a collegiate All-American at Brigham Young University. He revolutionized basketball in Yugoslavia and was the first basketball player in the world to play all five positions.
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Gary Herbert
- Occupations
- real estate agentpolitician
- Biography
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Gary Richard Herbert is an American politician who served as the 17th governor of Utah from 2009 to 2021. A member of the Republican Party, he chaired the National Governors Association during the 2015–2016 cycle.
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Frankie Fredericks
- Occupations
- athletics competitorsprinter
- Biography
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Frank "Frankie" Fredericks is a former track and field athlete from Namibia. Running in the 100 metres and 200 metres, he won four silver medals at the Olympic Games (two in 1992 and two in 1996), making him Namibia's only Olympic medalist until Christine Mboma's silver medal at the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo. He also won gold medals at the World Championships, World Indoor Championships, All-Africa Games and Commonwealth Games. He is the world indoor record-holder for 200 metres, with a time of 19.92 seconds set in 1996.
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Jeffrey R. Holland
- Occupations
- writerpriest
- Biography
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Jeffrey Roy Holland is an American educator and religious leader. He served as the ninth president of Brigham Young University (BYU) and is the acting president of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). As a member of the Quorum of the Twelve, Holland is accepted by the church as a prophet, seer, and revelator. Currently, he is the third most senior apostle in the church.
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Brandon Mull
- Occupations
- children's writernovelist
- Biography
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Brandon Mull is an American author best known for his children's fantasy series, Fablehaven, as well as Dragonwatch, The Candy Shop War, the Beyonders trilogy, and the Five Kingdoms series. He also began the Spirit Animals series.
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Heather B. Armstrong
- Enrolled in Brigham Young University - Provo
- Studied English
- Occupations
- writerbloggerpodcaster
- Biography
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Heather Brooke Armstrong was an American blogger and internet personality from Salt Lake City, Utah, who began writing under the pseudonym Dooce. She was best known for her website dooce.com, which peaked at nearly 8.5 million monthly readers in 2004 before declining due to various factors including the rise of social media; she had actively blogged from c. 2001 until her death by suicide in 2023.
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Amy Freeze
- Enrolled in Brigham Young University - Provo
- Graduated with Bachelor of Arts
- Occupations
- weather presentermeteorologist
- Biography
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Amy Elizabeth Freeze is an American television meteorologist. She was previously a co-anchor of Weather Command on Fox Weather. Freeze left Fox Weather in 2024.
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Don Collier
- Occupations
- film actoractorradio personalitytelevision actorAmerican football player
- Biography
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Donald Mounger Collier was an American actor best known for Western films and NBC television shows such as The High Chaparral, Bonanza, Gunsmoke, and Outlaws as Marshal Will Foreman.
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Taylor Sander
- Occupations
- beach volleyball playervolleyball player
- Biography
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Taylor Lee Sander is an American professional beach volleyball player and former indoor volleyball player. As a member of the U.S. national team, he won a bronze medal at the 2016 Summer Olympics and the 2018 World Championship. The 2014 World League and the 2015 World Cup winner.
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Norm Chow
- Occupations
- head coach
- Biography
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Norman Yew Heen Chow is an American football coach and former player. He is currently the head coach for the Helvetic Guards in the European League of Football (ELF). He was the head football coach at the University of Hawaii at Manoa, a position he held from December 2011 until November 2015 and previously held the offensive coordinator position for the Utah Utes, UCLA Bruins, the NFL's Tennessee Titans, USC Trojans, NC State Wolfpack, and BYU Cougars.
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Raúl Labrador
- Enrolled in Brigham Young University - Provo
- In 1992 graduated with Bachelor of Arts
- Occupations
- lawyerpolitician
- Biography
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Raúl Rafael Labrador is an American lawyer and politician who has served as the 33rd attorney general of Idaho since 2023. A member of the Republican Party, he was the U.S. representative for Idaho's 1st congressional district from 2011 to 2019 and chaired the Idaho Republican Party from 2019 to 2020. Prior to this, Labrador represented the 14B district in the Idaho House of Representatives from 2006 to 2010.
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Matt Meese
- Occupations
- comedianactor
- Biography
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Matthew Ryan Meese is a sketch comedian and actor who is best known for his role as an actor, head writer, and co-creator of Studio C, a sketch comedy show produced by BYUtv.
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Becca Fitzpatrick
- Occupations
- writerchildren's writernovelist
- Biography
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Becca Fitzpatrick is an American author, best known for having written the New York Times bestseller Hush, Hush, a young adult novel published in 2009 by Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers. She wrote three sequels to Hush, Hush (Crescendo, Silence, and Finale), along with two separate novels (Black Ice and Dangerous Lies). Fitzpatrick also contributed to the short story collection Kiss Me Deadly: 13 Tales of Paranormal Love.
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Matthew S. Petersen
- Occupations
- lawyer
- Biography
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Matthew Spencer Petersen is an American attorney who served as a member of the United States Federal Election Commission. In 2017, he was nominated by President Donald Trump to be a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the District of Columbia. Petersen withdrew his nomination following an exchange with Senator John Kennedy during his confirmation hearing. On August 26, 2019, Petersen announced his resignation from the FEC, effective August 31. In September 2019, Petersen joined the law firm Holtzman Vogel Josefiak Torchinsky as a partner where he practices political law.
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David A. Bednar
- Occupations
- priestuniversity teacher
- Biography
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David Allan Bednar is a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). A former educator, Bednar was president of Brigham Young University–Idaho (BYU–Idaho) from 1997 to 2004.
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Julie Stoffer
- Occupations
- television presenter
- Biography
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Julie A. Stoffer is an American reality show personality, television host, and property manager. She is best known as a cast member on MTV's reality television series The Real World: New Orleans, the ninth season of The Real World series. Stoffer grew up mostly in Wisconsin, and was attending college at Brigham Young University when she was cast on The Real World, becoming the first Mormon to be featured on the show. She left the church with her husband in 2008 after realizing that her beliefs were no longer aligned with Mormonism and its roots. She identifies as an atheist.
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Ben Swann
- Occupations
- journalist
- Biography
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Benjamin Swann is an American television news anchor, investigative journalist, and conspiracy theorist. He became a TV sports producer, and later a news journalist and producer, and managing editor on network affiliates, FOX, and RT America of the Russian state-owned TV network RT.
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Tracy Hickman
- Occupations
- role-playing game designerscience fiction writerscreenwriterwriternovelist
- Biography
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Tracy Raye Hickman is an American fantasy author and designer of games and virtual reality (VR) experiences. He co-authored the original Dragonlance novels with Margaret Weis as well as numerous other books. He also designed and created role playing game material while working for TSR and has cowritten novels with his wife, Laura Hickman. He is the author or co-author of over 60 books.
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Vai Sikahema
- Years
- 1962-.. (age 63)
- Occupations
- missionaryAmerican football player
- Biography
-
Vai Sikahema is a Tongan broadcaster and former professional American football player. He played as a running back and return specialist in the National Football League (NFL). He has served as a general authority seventy of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) since April 2021.
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Gerrit W. Gong
- Years
- 1953-.. (age 72)
- Occupations
- priest
- Biography
-
Gerrit Walter Gong is an American academic administrator and member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). He has been a general authority since 2010 and served as a member of the church's Presidency of the Seventy from October 2015 until his calling to the Quorum of the Twelve in March 2018. He is the LDS Church's first apostle of Asian descent. Prior to becoming a general authority, he served as assistant to the president of Brigham Young University (BYU) for planning and assessment. As a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, Gong is accepted by the church as a prophet, seer, and revelator. Currently, he is the thirteenth most senior apostle in the church.
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LaVell Edwards
- Occupations
- head coach
- Biography
-
Reuben LaVell Edwards was an American college football head coach for Brigham Young University (BYU). With 257 career victories, he ranks as one of the most successful college football coaches of all time. Among his many notable accomplishments, Edwards guided BYU to a national championship in 1984 and coached Heisman Trophy winner Ty Detmer in 1990.
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Chen Ying
- Occupations
- politician
- Biography
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Chen Ying, also known as Asenay Daliyalrep in Puyuma language, is a Taiwanese politician and musician who is currently serving as a member of the Legislative Yuan. A member of the Democratic Progressive Party, Chen served previous terms in the Legislative Yuan, from 2005 to 2012. Chen is a Puyuma Taiwanese and currently represents the Lowland Aborigine Constituency.
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Dax Milne
- Occupations
- American football player
- Biography
-
Dax Milne is an American professional football wide receiver for the Carolina Panthers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the BYU Cougars and was drafted by the Washington Football Team in the seventh round of the 2021 NFL draft.
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Casey Jennings
- Occupations
- beach volleyball playervolleyball player
- Biography
-
Casey Thomas Jennings is an American beach volleyball player. He teams up with Kevin Wong and has teamed up with Brad Keenan or Matt Fuerbringer during most of his career. He married Kerri Walsh, a beach volleyball player with three gold and one bronze Olympic medals, in 2005.
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Boyd K. Packer
- Occupations
- non-fiction writerreligious leader
- Biography
-
Boyd Kenneth Packer was an American religious leader and educator who served as president of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) from 2008 until his death. He also served as the quorum's acting president from 1994 to 2008 and was an apostle and member of the Quorum of the Twelve from 1970 until his death. He served as a general authority of the church from 1961 until his death.
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George Albert Smith
- Occupations
- prophet
- Biography
-
George Albert Smith Sr. was an American religious leader who served as the eighth president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church).
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Erin Chambers
- Occupations
- television actorfilm actor
- Biography
-
Erin Chambers is an American actress, best known for her role as Siobhan McKenna Spencer on ABC soap opera General Hospital. She has made guest appearances in a number of television shows.
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Joe Navarro
- Occupations
- writer
- Biography
-
Joe Navarro is a Cuban-born American author, public speaker, and former FBI agent and supervisor. Navarro specializes in the area of nonverbal communication and body language, and has authored numerous books, including What Every Body Is Saying, Dangerous Personalities, Louder Than Words, Three Minutes to Doomsday, and The Dictionary of Body Language.
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D. Todd Christofferson
- Occupations
- lawyerpriest
- Biography
-
David Todd Christofferson is an American religious leader and former lawyer who serves as a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). He has been a general authority of the church since 1993. Currently, he is the eighth most senior apostle in the church.
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Travis Hansen
- Occupations
- basketball player
- Biography
-
Travis Mitchell Hansen is an American former professional basketball player. He played for the Atlanta Hawks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Hansen played college basketball for Utah Valley and BYU.
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Wally Joyner
- Occupations
- baseball player
- Biography
-
Wallace Keith Joyner is an American former professional baseball player. He played for four major league teams during a 16-year career, most notably for the California Angels, for whom he was an All-Star. He was a member of the pennant-winning 1998 San Diego Padres.
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Brian McClellan
- Occupations
- writernovelist
- Biography
-
Brian McClellan is an American author of epic fantasy. He is best known for writing the trilogies The Powder Mage and Gods of Blood and Powder.
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Gordon H. Smith
- Enrolled in Brigham Young University - Provo
- Studied in 1976
- Occupations
- politicianpriestlawyer
- Biography
-
Gordon Harold Smith is an American politician, businessman, and academic administrator who served as a United States Senator from the state of Oregon. A Republican, he served two terms in the Senate from 1997 to 2009. On September 18, 2009, he was appointed president of the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB). As of 2025, he is the last Republican to represent Oregon in the U.S. Senate.
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David Nixon
- Occupations
- American football player
- Biography
-
David Nixon is a former American football linebacker. He was an undrafted free agent signing in the 2009 NFL draft with the Oakland Raiders. He played college football at Brigham Young University.
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William Brent Christensen
- Born in
-
United States - Occupations
- diplomatair force officer
- Biography
-
William Brent Christensen is a United States diplomat who served as the Director of the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT), the de facto embassy of the United States in Taiwan, from 2018 to 2021. Christensen's prior appointments include Deputy Director of American Institute in Taiwan and Director of the State Department’s Office of Taiwan coordination.
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John Dehlin
- Occupations
- psychologisthistorianpodcaster
- Biography
-
John Parkinson Dehlin is an American podcast host. He holds a PhD in psychology. Dehlin founded the Mormon Stories Podcast, as well as several other podcasts, blogs, and websites. He was an influential early participant in the "Mormon blogosphere," and blogs at Patheos.com. He advocates for LGBT rights and other views outside mainstream religious culture. In January 2015, Dehlin was excommunicated from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church).
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Sean Reyes
- Years
- 1971-.. (age 54)
- Occupations
- lawyer
- Biography
-
Sean David Reyes is an American lawyer and politician who has served as the Attorney General of Utah from 2013 to 2025. Appointed to the office by Governor Gary Herbert following the resignation of John Swallow, Reyes was reelected. Reyes is a member of the Republican Party and is a vocal and longtime supporter of Donald Trump. He has served as a county, state, and national delegate for the Republican Party and a member of the Utah Republican Party's State Central Committee.
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Rex E. Lee
- Occupations
- lawyeruniversity teacher
- Biography
-
Rex Edwin Lee was an American lawyer and academic who served as the 37th solicitor general of the United States from 1981 to 1985. He was responsible for bringing the solicitor general's office to the center of U.S. legal policymaking. During his tenure, Lee argued 59 cases before the U.S. Supreme Court.
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Lisa Barlow
- Years
- 1974-.. (age 51)
- Occupations
- musician
- Biography
-
Lisa Brandine Barlow is an American businesswoman and television personality. She is best known as a cast member of the reality television series The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City.
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Matt Salmon
- Enrolled in Brigham Young University - Provo
- In 1986 graduated with Master in Public Administration
- Occupations
- politicianacademic administratorcommunity association manager
- Biography
-
Matthew James Salmon is an American politician who served as a U.S. representative from Arizona from 1995 to 2001 and again from 2013 until 2017. A member of the Republican Party, he retired from office after representing Arizona's 5th congressional district. The district is based in Mesa and includes most of the East Valley; he previously represented Arizona's 1st congressional district. In 2002, he lost by less than 1% to Janet Napolitano in a highly competitive gubernatorial race. He regained a congressional seat in the 2012 election.
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Elaine Bradley
- Years
- 1984-.. (age 41)
- Occupations
- songwriter
- Biography
-
Elaine Gabrielle Bradley is an American musician and songwriter, and the drummer for the American rock band Neon Trees. She has also hosted BYUtv's unscripted series Grace Notes since 2020.
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Nathan Pacheco
- Occupations
- composersinger
- Biography
-
Nathan Armand Pacheco is an American tenor singer and songwriter of Brazilian origin. He was a featured vocalist during the 2009 tour for Yanni Voices, produced by Walt Disney Records, and is currently signed to the Disney Pearl Series sub-label.
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Neil L. Andersen
- Occupations
- missionary
- Biography
-
Neil Linden Andersen is an American religious leader and former business executive who serves as a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). He was sustained by church membership as an apostle on April 4, 2009, during the church's General Conference. At the time of his call to the Twelve, Andersen had been serving as an LDS general authority since 1993, including service in the Presidency of the Seventy from 2005 to 2009. Currently, he is the ninth apostle in order of seniority in the church.
