Tad R. Callister

Tad Richards Callister (born December 17, 1945) was the 21st Sunday School General President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) from April 2014 to April 2019. He served previously in the church as a general authority from 2008 to 2014, including as a member of the Presidency of the Seventy from August 2011 to April 2014.

Biography
Callister was born in Glendale, California to Effie Norine Richards and Reed Eddington Callister. His parents were both natives of Salt Lake City. Reed Callister served a mission in the United Kingdom for the LDS Church. Callister's mother, Norine, was a daughter of LeGrand Richards, who was the Presiding Bishop of the LDS Church when Callister was born and would later serve as a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. At the time Callister's parents married in 1932, LeGrand Richards was their stake president in southern California

During the mid-1960s, Callister served as a missionary for the LDS Church in the Eastern Atlantic States Mission, based in Washington, D.C. He holds a bachelor's degree in accounting from Brigham Young University (BYU), a juris doctorate degree from UCLA, and a master of laws degree from New York University, specializing in tax law.  Callister spent his career as a lawyer in southern California. Callister also served for a time as president of the Verdugo Hills Council of the Boy Scouts of America.

He previously served in the LDS Church as a bishop, stake president, regional representative, and area seventy.  From 2005 to 2008 he served as president of the church's Canada Toronto East Mission. While still serving in Canada, he was called as a general authority and member of the Second Quorum of the Seventy in 2008. He later served first as a counselor and then as president of the Pacific Area, residing in Auckland and overseeing the operations of the LDS Church in New Zealand, Australia, and the islands of the Pacific. In 2011 he was appointed as a member of the church's seven-man Presidency of the Seventy, replacing Claudio R. M. Costa.

At the church's April 2014 General Conference, Callister was released as a general authority and from the Presidency of the Seventy; the resulting vacancy in the Presidency of the Seventy was filled by Lynn G. Robbins. Callister was simultaneously accepted by the membership as the general president of the church's Sunday School, succeeding Russell T. Osguthorpe. Callister selected John S. Tanner and Devin G. Durrant as his counselors.  In May 2015, the church announced that Tanner had been appointed as the next president of Brigham Young University-Hawaii.  As a result, in June 2015 Durrant was called as first counselor, with Brian K. Ashton succeeding Durrant as second counselor.  Consistent with recent practice of the church's auxiliary presidencies serving for 5 years, Callister and his counselors were released in April 2019, with Mark L. Pace called as the new Sunday School General President.

Callister met his wife, Kathryn Louise Saporiti, while they were students at BYU, they were married in 1968 and are the parents of six children. Her mother was a lifelong member of the church and Kathryn's father, Angelo Louis Saporiti, joined the church while serving in the military in Hawaii some time after he had married.

Callister's older brother, Douglas L. Callister, was a member of the Second Quorum of the Seventy from 2000 to 2009.

Selected works 
Books
 
 
 Callister, Tad R. (2015), The Blueprint of Christ's Church, Salt Lake City, Utah: Deseret Book, 
 Callister, Tad R. (2019), A Case for the Book of Mormon, Salt Lake City, Utah: Deseret Book,

Notes

References
"Tad R. Callister", Liahona, May 2014
"Elder Tad R. Callister", Liahona, November 2011
"Elder Tad R. Callister of the Seventy", Liahona, May 2008
"Elder Tad R. Callister", Church News 2008-07-26
Deseret News Church Almanac (Salt Lake City, Utah: Deseret News, 2011) p. 72
Joseph Walker, "Leadership changes announced during Saturday afternoon LDS general conference session", Deseret News, 2011-10-01.

External links
"General Authorities: Elder Tad R. Callister", lds.org

Category:1945 births
Category:American general authorities (LDS Church)
Category:Brigham Young University alumni
Category:Living people
Category:Members of the Second Quorum of the Seventy (LDS Church)
Category:New York University School of Law alumni
Category:UCLA School of Law alumni
Category:Presidents of the Seventy (LDS Church)
Category:Area seventies (LDS Church)
Category:Regional representatives of the Twelve
Category:American Mormon missionaries in the United States
Category:American Mormon missionaries in Canada
Category:Mission presidents (LDS Church)
Category:20th-century Mormon missionaries
Category:21st-century Mormon missionaries
Category:California lawyers
Category:People from Glendale, California
Category:Richards–Young family
Category:General Presidents of the Sunday School (LDS Church)
Category:Religious leaders from California
Category:Latter Day Saints from California