David A. Bednar

Bednar was born in Oakland, California to Lavina Whitney Bednar and Anthony George Bednar.^[6][7] His mother came from a long line of Latter-day Saints, but his father did not join the church until Bednar was in his late twenties. He served as a full-time missionary in Southern Germany and then attended Brigham Young University, where he received a Bachelor of Arts degree in communication in 1976 and a Master of Arts degree in organizational communication in 1977.^[8] He received a doctorate degree in organizational behavior from Purdue University in 1980.^[9][10]

From 1980 to 1984, Bednar was an assistant professor of management at the University of Arkansas College of Business Administration (now Sam M. Walton College of Business). He was an assistant professor of management at Texas Tech University from 1984 to 1986. He returned to the University of Arkansas in 1987, serving as the Associate Dean for Graduate Studies in the Sam M. Walton College of Business until 1992, and was then the director of the Management Decision-Making Lab from 1992 to 1997. In 1994, he was recognized as the outstanding teacher at the University of Arkansas and received the Burlington Northern Foundation Award for Excellence in Teaching. He was twice the recipient of the Outstanding Teacher Award in the College of Business Administration.^[11]

Bednar served as the president of Ricks College/BYU–Idaho in Rexburg, Idaho, from July 1, 1997, to December 1, 2004.^[3] There, he oversaw and managed the transition of the school from, what was at the time, the largest private junior college in the United States, Ricks College, to a four-year university, BYU–Idaho.^[8]

Bednar has served in the LDS Church as a bishop (Fayetteville Ward, 1987), twice as stake president (Fort Smith Arkansas Stake, 1987–1991 and Rogers Arkansas Stake, 1991–1995), regional representative (1994–95), and area seventy (1997–2004).

In 2016, Bednar dedicated the Star Valley Wyoming Temple, the LDS Church's 154th temple.^[12]

Bednar attended the 2019 dedication of the Rome Italy Temple with all 15 of the LDS Church apostles.^[13] This is believed to be the first time the entire First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve Apostles were in the same location outside the United States.^[13]

Bednar addressed the National Press Club in Washington, D.C., on May 26, 2022.^[14][15]

Bednar married Susan Kae Robinson in the Salt Lake Temple on March 20, 1975. The Bednars have three sons.^[8]

Books

• White, Donald D.; Bednar, David A. (1991), Organizational Behavior: Understanding and Managing People at Work, Allyn & Bacon, ISBN 0-205-12851-3
• Sims, Ronald R.; White, Donald D.; Bednar, David A. (1992), Readings in Organizational Behavior, Allyn & Bacon, ISBN 0-205-12857-2
• Bednar, David A. (2011), Increase in Learning, Deseret Book Company, ISBN 978-1-60908-943-6
• Bednar, David A. (2012), Act in Doctrine, Deseret Book Company, ISBN 978-1-60907-227-8
• Bednar, David A. (2014), Power to Become: Spiritual Patterns for Pressing Forward with a Steadfastness in Christ, Deseret Book Company, ISBN 978-1-60907-859-1
• Bednar, David A. (2017), One by One, Deseret Book Company, ISBN 978-1-62972-382-2

Academic articles

—— (2001), "In the Strength of the Lord", BYU Speeches —— (2005), "Quick to Observe", BYU Speeches —— (2007), "Reservoir of Living Water", BYU Speeches —— (2009), "Things as They Really Are", BYU Speeches —— (2010), "Watching with All Perseverance", BYU Speeches —— (2011), "The Spirit of Revelation", BYU Speeches —— (2012), "That They Might Have Joy", BYU Speeches —— (2013), "Meek and Lowly of Heart", BYU Speeches —— (2014), "Bear Up Their Burdens with Ease", BYU Speeches —— (2015), "Accepting the Lord’s Will and Timing", BYU Speeches —— (2016), "Learning to Love Learning", BYU Speeches —— (2017), "Walk in the Meekness of My Spirit", BYU Speeches —— (2019), "Watchful unto Prayer Continually", BYU Speeches —— (2020), "Look unto Me in Every Thought; Doubt Not, Fear Not", BYU Speeches —— (2022), "Consider the Wondrous Works of God", BYU Speeches —— (2024), "The Wonderful Flood of Light", BYU Speeches —— (2025), "The World Shall Stand", BYU Speeches

• Burlington Northern Foundation Award for Excellence in Teaching (1994)^[19][8]

• Council on the Disposition of the Tithes