Elder Stanley G. Ellis was serving as an Area Seventy in the North America Southwest Area. He graduated from Harvard in government studies and earned a law degree at BYU. He is the chief executive officer of an insurance and financial services company. He has been a mission president, stake president and counselor to a stake president, high councilor, bishop's counselor, elders quorum president and Young Men president. He and his wife, Kathryn Kloepfer Ellis, are parents of nine children.

Elder Larry W. Gibbons was serving as a gospel doctrine teacher in his ward. He previously had been an Area Seventy, regional representative, stake president and counselor to a stake president and seminary teacher. He earned a degree in history from Stanford and a medical degree from the University of Utah, as well as a master of public health degree from Harvard. He is a practicing physician and president of a medical clinic. Two children were born of his marriage to LaDawn Anderson Gibbons.

Called as Area Seventies were Jose L. Alonso, San Nicolas, Mexico; Vladimiro J. Campero, Santa Cruz, Bolivia; Juan A. Etchegaray, Montevideo, Uruguay; Hernan I. Herrera, Santiago, Chile; David J. Hoare, Sunbury, Australia; Cesar H. Hooker, Lima, Peru; Javier Ibanez, San Cristobal, Venezuela; Daniel M. Jones, Cedar City; Stephen C. Kerr, Stirling, Scotland; Joni L. Koch, Bal Camboriu, Brazil; Daniel A. Moreno, Buenos Aires, Argentina; Kent H. Murdock, Salt Lake City; J. Michel Paya, Mougins, France; Stephen D. Posey, North Augusta, S.C.; Carlos F. Rivas, San Salvador, El Salvador; Juan M. Rodriguez, Mexico City; and Carlos Villanova, Porto Alegre, Brazil.

The release of 16 Area Seventies, effective May 1, was also announced. They are Salvador Aguirre, Jose C. Aleson, Daniel P. Alvarez, David A. Baxter, Shayne M. Bowen, Yatyr M. Cesar, Robert M. Cowan, Keith R. Edwards, Stanley G. Ellis, Franz R. Gaag, Daniel L. Johnson, Joel H. McKinnon, Marcus B. Nash, Armando A. Sierra, Jeffrey C. Swinton and Remus G. Villarete.