Reid Robinson is a seasoned professional with a diverse background as a businessman and educator. He skillfully managed O. C. Tanner's Canadian operation for an impressive 16-year tenure, while also sharing his knowledge with students at BYU for 22 years, both within the Marriott School and the ...

Alexander L. Baugh is a professor and former chair of the Department of Church History and Doctrine at Brigham Young University, where he has been a full-time faculty member since 1995. He received his BS from Utah State University and his MA and PhD degrees from Brigham Young University. He ...

Allan Gunnerson completed a bachelor’s degree in cultural geography and international relations at the University of Utah, and a master’s degree and a doctorate degree in college and university administration at Brigham Young University.

Dr. Alonzo L. Gaskill was reared in Independence, Missouri (as a practicing member of the Greek Orthodox Church). His grandparents came to the United States (from Greece) at the turn of the 20th century, and he was reared in a traditional Greek home in the heart of what early members of the Church ...

Anthony Sweat is a Latter-day Saint religion professor. He is the author of several books such as The Holy Invitation and The Holy Covenants, Repicturing the Restoration, and Seekers Wanted. He received his PhD in education from Utah State University and is a regular speaker at various church ...

Bill was born in San Diego, California, but grew up in Vernal, Utah and Seward, Alaska. He served as a missionary in the Northeast British Mission. He received a BA (English/History) and MEd (International Education) from BYU and taught seminary for 8 years. For 8 years he wrote and published Old ...

Blair G. Van Dyke is a full-time instructor at the Orem Institute of Religion adjacent to Utah Valley University. He earned his BA in English literature from BYU in 1989. At that time he was hired to teach in the Church Educational System (CES) of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. ...

Brad Wilcox is a professor in the Department of Teacher Education at Brigham Young University where he also enjoys working with such programs as Especially for Youth, Women's Conference, Campus Education Week and Time Out for Woman. He is the author of the books, The Continuous Atonement and The ...

Dr. Brady Allred is Artistic Director and Conductor of the Salt Lake Choral Artists, an organization of seven choral ensembles. Honored as “one of Utah’s Top 25 Cultural Power Brokers,” he has guest conducted, adjudicated, and given master classes throughout Europe, Asia, South America and the ...

I grew up in a family that had the opportunity to travel quite often. My father worked in the airline industry so we were able to take family trips every year to Hawaii, Mexico, or other great destinations. When I was 16 my father and I had the opportunity to travel to Kenya, Africa on a wildlife ...

Brian Hollien has enjoyed a career encompassing over thirty years in the travel industry. His first job after graduating from Brigham Young University with a B.S. in Legal Research and Business was with a small travel agency in Salt Lake City. Through various acquisitions and mergers Mr. Hollien helped ...

Bruce Newbold has worked as an actor, writer, and media producer throughout his career. While working in Hollywood, he has guest- or co-starred in television programs such as Hill Street Blues, L.A. Law, Touched by an Angel, Highway to Heaven, Tour of Duty, Major Dad, Everwood, and Father Dowling ...

Chad S. Hawkins began his series of temple artwork in 1989, at the age of seventeen to support his two-year mission in Frankfurt, Germany, for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Upon his return in 1993, he continued with his artwork while pursuing his education of becoming a dentist. ...

Dr. Craig K. Manscill is an Associate Professor of Church History and Doctrine at Brigham Young University. He has served as a religious educator for forty-years—twenty-two years with Seminaries and Institutes (S&I) and eighteen years with BYU. In 2009-10 he served on the faculty of the BYU ...

Dr. Craig James Ostler and his wife, Sandy, have a special love for sharing sacred and meaningful sites with fellow travelers. They help others to feel the power of being on site as they read, study, and ponder the scriptures on their tours. Participants return home with increased appreciation and ...

Dann W Hone has nearly 50 years of travel to the Near East and is one of the founding members of the BYU Jerusalem Center for Near Eastern Studies. He held virtually every position at the Jerusalem Center, including Academic Coordinator where he was responsible for training and teaching all ...

Dean Garner's educational experiences reflect a great love of learning and of ancient history. He earned a bachelor’s degree in art, with an emphasis in education and photography, from Weber State University in 1987. He received a master’s degree from Lesley College in Cambridge, Massachusetts, focusing ...

Dr. L. Dean Marriott has taught the Life of Jesus from Holy Scripture to thousands of students at BYU, Univ. of Utah and other colleges for over 30 years. His love of the scriptures and knowledge of biblical locations enables him to present a powerful and unique holy land experience for the many ...

Dennis Leavitt married Nykele Gagon in 1985. They are the parents of 4 children and 4 grandchildren. Dennis was employed by the LDS Church Educational System from 1985 – 2011. His assignments included the MTC, various seminaries and institutes of religion, EFY, and adult religion. He was also part of the ...

With a professional background distinguished by public service and community involvement, Doug Wright has long been recognized as a rational, dependable voice on a myriad of local and national topics. Most of his over 40 years in the broadcast industry have been spent at KSL Radio in Salt Lake ...

Gerrit J. Dirkmaat is an assistant professor of Church History and Doctrine at Brigham Young University. He received his PhD in American History from the University of Colorado in 2010 where he studied nineteenth-century American expansionism and foreign relations. His dissertation was titled “Enemies ...

Dr. Henry "Hank" Smithgrew up the son of a golf professional in sunny St. George, Utah. After earning a Bachelor's Degree from Dixie State University, he earned a Master's Degree in Business Administration from Utah State University. Most recently, Hank completed his PhD at Brigham Young ...

Hany Tawfik has been escorting groups in Egypt since 1987. He holds a Master’s degree in Egyptology and is an international lecturer in his field. He was awarded the title of Egyptian Ambassador of Tourism in 2007 and was the President of the Tourist Guides Union of Alexandria from 2007 until ...

Howard and Shari Lyon are a dynamic and artistic duo! They met while attending high school in Mesa, Arizona. After graduation Howard served a mission and then they married and went on to BYU. Howard began his career studying illustration working with artists such as Robert Barrett, Don Seegmiller, ...

Jack Marshall worked for the LDS Church Educational System for forty years. He was a Faculty member and Associate Director at the University Of Utah Institute Of Religion for the last 20 years. Brother Marshall is an author and has had talk CD's produced. He has also taught at religious ...

Jared and Margaret Ludlow love to travel together and experience new places, foods, cultures, and sacred sites. They both love the scriptures and try to appreciate not only their teachings, but the people and places in them. Jared has been teaching in the Ancient Scripture Department at BYU since ...

Jay Osmond is a member of the famous performing Osmond family. He has been performing with them since the age 2 1/2. Jay is the drummer of the group and was voted one of the top drummers of the country in the 70’s. The brothers were discovered by Walt Disney which led to nine years as regulars on ...

America's Violinist, Jenny Oaks Baker, is a Grammy Nominated, Billboard No. 1 recording artist, and performer. Whether her music is experienced live or through one of her many recordings, it is impossible to escape the magic of her artistry. Jenny began playing the violin at age four, and made her solo ...

After a 16-year career in the exciting winter sport of bobsled, author, speaker and historian Jeremy C. Holm now finds himself traveling the world to share the experiences of America's World War II-era soldiers, sailors and airmen. "After spending so many years telling my own bobsled story and ...

Jerry Borrowman is an award-winning and best-selling author of historical fiction, co-authored biography, nonfiction, and science fiction. He focuses primarily on the late 19th and early 20th centuries, including World War I, the Great Depression, World War II, and Vietnam. Jerry and his wife ...

Jim Gee grew up in Utah where he learned to love nature and the outdoors. After realizing his true passion is travel, Jim left a successful career to become and International tour guide and photographer; he hasn’t looked back. Though is tours span the world, he finds the wildlife and sense of ...

Joel Judd was born in Salt Lake City, Utah and grew up in West Point, Utah before graduating from Davis High School. He served an LDS mission to New England under President Truman G. Madsen. He earned his Bachelor of Arts Degree in History, Sociology and Psychology at Weber State College in 1970, ...

Jonathan Brinley is a professional religious educator with over 25 years of teaching experience and has been a regular speaker for Especially for Youth. He graduated from Brigham Young University with a degree in Near-Eastern Studies including a semester in Israel and later received a master’s ...

Kay Godfrey is a period historian of the life of the prophet Joseph Smith. He is a graduate of Brigham Young University.  He holds degrees in Historic Archaeology and Anthropology as well as Law Enforcement and Justice Administration. He has studied and researched the life of the Prophet Joseph Smith ...

Ken Peterson served as a Mission President of the Cleveland Ohio Mission and has been a seminary and Institute teacher for 40 years. He will tell you that one of his passions is Church History and it is one of his favorite subjects to teach. He earned his Computer Science degree at the University of ...

Kurt Bestor is perhaps best known for his innovative interpretation of seasonal carols found in his popular 5 CD boxed set “The Complete Kurt Bestor Christmas,” and his haunting musical prayer for peace “Prayer of the Children." This Utah-based composer and performer launched his career writing ...

Larry Gelwix is probably best known as the “Getaway Guru®” and host of the “Travel Show” radio broadcast on several radio stations. The weekly two-hour radio show highlights the best travel deals, lowest airline and cruise fares, and takes call-in questions from listeners. Larry also provides a ...

Patrick Degn has been an instructor in the Seminaries and Institutes of Religion for more than 25 years. He has traveled and taught in the Holy Land and loves the people and their culture. He holds degrees in classical history, Latin, and Military History specializing in ancient Greek and Roman ...

Matthew B. Christensen or Matt, as he is known to his friends, is passionate about the scriptures, the doctrines of the Restoration, history, and learning and teaching. “I am thrilled to be able to travel with like-minded individuals and share ways our lives intersect and are influenced by the ...

A veteran traveler and tour guide, Michael Phillips has designed and led tours the world-over and is always excited to have his groups learn and experience something new and exciting. The world is a beautiful place and each time we travel we are exposed to the wonders that await around every ...

Mick and Diane Smith recently returned as mission leaders from the Arizona Scottsdale/Flagstaff missions (Oct. 2020-June 2023). He retired from Seminary and Institutes after a 31-year career teaching in Idaho, Texas, Nebraska, and Utah. The last two years of his career were spent in the Ancient ...

Rich Robins recently returned from serving with his wife, Robyn, in the New York/Pennsylvania Historical Sites Mission. This was preceded by a 40-year teaching career in the public schools and in the Seminary and Institute programs of the Church. He was born and raised in Orem, Utah on a small ...

While visiting the lands of the Scriptures, it is a very special experience to open the scriptures and envision and relive the sights and events from the Scriptures. Each time we visit an archaeological site or view an ancient artifact that might have existed during the time of the Book of Mormon or ...

Ron Bartholomew is a former instructor at the Orem LDS Institute of Religion adjacent to Utah Valley University, where he taught for 20 years. His special interests include a class that he wrote the curriculum for entitled “The Gospel and Christian History,” which chronicles the great apostasy ...

Scot and Maurine Proctor are the founders of Meridian Magazine and they have written several books together, including Witness of the Light, Source of the Light, Light from the Dust and The Gathering. They were formerly the editors of This People magazine. After receiving her education from ...

Scott Read has been an instructor for the Seminaries and Institutes program for the past 34 years. He received a Bachelor’s degree from Brigham Young University in Psychology and a Master’s degree in Educational Counseling from the University of Phoenix. He has directed Book of Mormon and Church ...

Steven Kapp Perry is an award-winning songwriter, playwright, and broadcaster who has written for National Geographic, Deseret Book, and many other companies.  After many years on the KSL Sunday radio show "Soft Sunday Sounds", Steven currently can be heard on BYU Classical 89. His love of church ...

Although Stewart Glazier has directed Travel Study programs for over 20 years, he insists that his "next visit is always his first visit." It is this enthusiasm, coupled with a tremendous knowledge of the scriptures and a genuine concern for others that prompts those traveling with Brother Glazier ...

Tim Taggart has been a pioneer in LDS travel pretty much from the beginning of the industry, traveling to the lands of the scriptures in the Middle East and Europe the first time in 1981 and conducting tours since 1983. He was born and grew up in Cache Valley, Utah and served his first mission in ...

In the last 3 decades, Tom and Gayle Holdman have created internationally renowned art glass in all 50 states and 40 countries. Ten years of effort went into the hundreds of art glass windows in the Paris and Rome temples for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Over all, they have ...

Tyler J. Griffin was born and raised in Providence, Utah in the beautiful Cache Valley. After serving a mission in Brazil Curitiba, he returned home and married an Angel named Kiplin Crook. They have 10 children (5 boys and 5 girls). He began his career by teaching seminary for 6 years in Brigham ...

From Ugo: I was born in Milan, Italy and moved to the States when I was 21, first to serve as a full-time missionary in the California Sacramento Mission, and then to study at Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah. At BYU, I received first a BS (2000) and then a MS (2001) degree in Health ...

Dr. Victor L. Ludlow is a scholar of Isaiah and Judaism. He graduated with high honors from BYU and was a Danforth Fellow at Harvard and Brandeis Universities, where he received a Ph.D. in Near Eastern and Judaic Studies. Professor Ludlow's scholarship explores the areas of Bible studies, the ...