For the first time a Filipina has been called to serve on a general board of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Memnet Lopez joined eight other newly called members of the Relief Society and Primary general boards on the stand Saturday evening, 23 September 2017, for the general women's session of general conference.
The nine women, who currently live in Utah, will work with the general presidencies to help meet the global needs of the Church.
General board members visit with members, review, and provide recommendations regarding curriculum and other resources, work on committees and projects, and provide training and support as assigned by the Relief Society and Primary general presidencies.
Relief Society General Board
The four new Relief Society board members are Melinda (Mindy) Booth, Memnet Lopez, Rebecca Mehr, and Susan Porter.
Sister Booth has worked in international development and financial compliance and is now a chef in Salt Lake City. She served as a Church-service missionary for the Relief Society general presidency. She enjoys spending time with her 13 nieces and nephews.
Sister Lopez was born in the Philippines and raised in Guam. She graduated with a bachelor’s degree in chemistry from Brigham Young University and attended Far Eastern University Medical School in the Philippines for two years. Sister Lopez served a mission in the Illinois Chicago mission. She served with her husband, Marlo, when he was president of the Philippines Bacolod Mission. They have three sons and eight grandchildren.
Sister Mehr worked as an engineer and marketing executive in the computer industry and as director of audience needs for the Church History Department. She and her husband, Daniel, served as public affairs missionaries in the Caribbean Area. They also served together in the West Indies Mission when her husband was mission president. Sister Mehr also sang for eight years as a soprano with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir.
Sister Porter graduated with a bachelor’s degree in chemistry from Brigham Young University, where she met her husband, Bruce D. Porter, who served as a general authority seventy. Elder Porter passed away in December 2016. They are the parents of two sons and two daughters and have 11 grandchildren.
Primary General Board
The five new Primary board members are Michelle Craig, Jennefer Free, Lisa Harkness, Salote Tukuafu, and Dana Wiest.
Sister Craig served a mission in the Dominican Republic Santo Domingo Mission. She received a bachelor’s degree in elementary education from Brigham Young University. She is married to E. Boyd Craig. They have three children and six grandchildren.
Sister Free is currently studying marriage and family science at Brigham Young University–Idaho. She has served in many capacities for the BYU women’s conference. She and her husband, Brian, have two children and one grandchild.
Sister Harkness has a bachelor’s degree in political science and secondary teaching from Brigham Young University. She served a full-time mission in the Louisiana Baton Rouge Mission, where she taught in Spanish. She and her husband, David, have five children and two grandchildren.
Sister Tukuafu was born in Tonga. She studied at LDS Business College and owns her own catering business. She is currently serving as a temple worker in the Salt Lake Temple. She and her husband, Suliasi, have four children and four grandchildren.
Sister Wiest earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Utah and an MPA from Brigham Young University. She and her husband, Mark, have four children and one grandchild. She served a full-time mission in Oslo, Norway, and is currently serving as a temple worker in the Salt Lake Temple.
