Institute Faculty
- Office : Southeast Wing Next to Main Office
- Office Hours : 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM
- Office Phone :
- Email : ChristensenRO@ldschurch.org
Biography :
Brother Richard Christensen was born in Logan, Utah and raised there and in Sacramento, California. He served a mission to the Netherlands and attended Utah State University where he met the lovely Dayna Carter. They were married in the Salt Lake Temple and have been blessed with six children. He received his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from USU and has taught for over thirty years with the Church Educational System. He has taught in Phoenix, Arizona, various places in the Salt Lake Valley, and is currently the director of the Cedar City Institute adjacent to Southern Utah University. For eleven years he worked in the Church Office Building as a curriculum designer for the Church Educational System. Brother Christensen has served in four bishoprics, the stake high council, and as a bishop. He also served on the committee that produced the “Teachings of the Presidents of the Church” manual on John Taylor. He is also co-author and editor of seven books designed to help families study the scriptures together more effectively.
- Office : West Wing
- Office Hours : 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM
- Office Phone :
- Email : CoxDJ@ldschurch.org
Biography :
Sister Cox was born at Anaconda, Montana and spent her youth at Magna, Utah. She married Richard Oveson of Cleveland, Utah and has four children-two sons and two daughters. He died while she was working for the Church Educational System at Castle Dale Seminary in Emery County, Utah, where she was known as "Sister O" for seven years. After moving to Cedar City, Utah she finished her B.S. degree in Social Sciences at Southern Utah University, where she is about to receive her Master of Education Degree. Sister O met Dennis Cox, the father of five children and married him to become Sister Cox. She loves being a mother, stepmother, and a grandmother, which she describes as being "the best!" She taught at Canyon View Seminary for its first nine years, then at Cedar Seminary for three years. She is excited about this new opportunity to teach at the Cedar Institute. Sister Cox loves the Lord, loves teaching and loves young people. She is living her dream.
Biography :
Volunteer Instructors that will be teaching the Tuesday evening Book of Mormon class.
- Office : East Wing
- Office Hours : 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM
- Office Phone :
- Email : EsplinBR@ldschurch.org
Biography :
Brother Esplin was born and raised in Cedar City, Utah. He attended Southern Utah University (called SUSC when he attended) and graduated with a degree in Business Administration. He served his mission in what was called then the Great Canadian Mission (Ontario and Quebec). He met and married Pauline Swenson. They are the parents of five sons. He received a Masters degree from BYU in Educational Psychology in 1980. He has taught seminary in Monroe, Utah and Othello, Washington. His CES assignments also include being the institute director at Ohio State University and here at SUU. He also served as pre-service director for five years prior to his current assignment.
Biography :
Volunteer teacher who will be the instructor for the Thursday Evening Gospel and Productive Life.
- Office : West Wing
- Office Hours : 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM
- Office Phone :
- Email : GarnerDE@ldschurch.org
Biography :
Brother Garner was born in Provo, Utah moving twenty-one times before his mission to the Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. He married Lisa Badders from Pamona, California. They are the parents of four children. Brother Garners' family filled seminary assignments in Arizona, New Mexico, Texas and Utah. Since being employed by CES he has received is M.ED from Lesly College of Cambridge, Massachusetts and upper graduate at the University of Arizona, and Southern Utah University.
Biography :
Volunteer instructor teaching the Tuesday evening Building an Eternal Marriage class.
- Office : West Wing
- Office Hours : 8:00am to 4:00pm
- Office Phone :
- Email : GudmundsonAG@ldschurch.org
Biography :
Brother Gudmundson was born in west L.A., Santa Monica, California. He has two degrees from Utah State University. He served a mission in British Columbia, Canada. He fell in love with Elizabeth Higham and they were married in the Logan temple. They have 4 children. As a seminary teacher he has taught at Bear Lake high school in Montpelier, Idaho and Sky View high school in Smithfield, Utah. As an institute teacher he has taught at Logan Institute at USU. Directed the Institute at the University of Wisconsin and at the Cedar Institute. He loves running, triathlons, rock climbing, canyoneering, scuba diving, four wheeling but most of all teaching the gospel to the youth of the church. IF you asked he would say; “I have the best job in the world. My text is the scriptures, my colleges are all wholesome men and women and my audience is the life blood of the church. I get to teach the next generation of leadership who will sit in the red seats at General Conference.”
Biography :
Volunteer instructor for the Book of Mormon classes.
- Office : West Wing
- Office Hours : 8:00 am to 4:00 pm
- Office Phone :
- Email : McAffeeRM@ldschurch.org
Biography :
Brother McAffee was born in Idaho and raised on a farm in Washington State. He received a B.A. and M.S. degrees from Brigham Young University. After which he attended school at Pacifica Coast Law School in Long Beach California. He married the former Ann Marie Morrill and together they have six children. Brother McAffee taught seminary at Brighton and Skyline seminaries in Salt Lake City. He was also the principle of Granite Seminary, the first seminary in the Church. (Few people know that he is that old.) He taught Institute at the Salt Lake Community College and the Institute adjacent to the University of Utah. For ten years he served as the Institute director at Cerritos College in Southern California before coming to Cedar City. He has also directed choirs in many different places, and currently directs the Institute Choirs and H.O.P.E. Choir at the Cedar City Institute of Religion.
Biography :
Brother Pace was born in Southern California and spent his growing up years there as well as in Boulder City, Nevada and Bishop, California. He served in the Colorado, Denver Mission. He married the former Carolyn Hales of Vernal, Utah in the Provo Temple and together they have a family of four children. He completed his B.S. degree in Psychology from the University of Utah and his M.Ed. from the University of Phoenix. He taught seminary for sixteen years in the Salt Lake Valley then accepted an assignment in 2001 as Principal at Canyon View and then Cedar Seminary until 2007. The Pace's enjoy raising apples, cattle and of course their children. He is now assigned to his dream-job of teaching on the faculty of the Cedar City Institute, where he attended as a freshman and met his eternal companion.
- Office : West Wing
- Office Hours : 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM
- Office Phone :
- Email : PetersonKM@ldschurch.org
Biography :
Kim Peterson has served with the Department of Seminaries and Institutes in Utah and Colorado. He enjoys teaching anything related to the gospel and believes truly that, "all things testify of Christ" and His atonement. Brother Peterson is constantly amanzed by the strength, valor, commitment, and dedication of Young Single Adults in the church. Brother Peterson received his B.A. Phychology and Sociology from the U of U, M.A. Communication (HRD) from BYU and his Phd Education from CU. He has the privilege of being husband to Terri Metcalf-Peterson and father to one son and one daughter, they enjoy studying the gospel, opera, riding horses, hiking, climbing, skiing, camping, serving in the temple, fishing, backpacking, classical music, and musicals (jut not all at the same time).
- Office : West Wing
- Office Hours : 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM
- Office Phone :
- Email : RauAD@ldschurch.org
Biography :
Allan Rau was born and raised in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. He served a full-time mission in the Pennsylvania Philadelphia Mission. After his missionary service Brother Rau obtained a B.A. and MOB from Brigham Young University. He and his wife Susan are the parents of six children. Prior to his current assignment Brother Rau spent 8 years as a seminary and institute instructor in Alberta, Canada.
- Office : East Wing
- Office Hours : 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM
- Office Phone :
- Email : StaplesBJ@ldschurch.org
Biography :
Born in Fillmore, Utah Mission to El Salvador Married Debbie Swapp (Kanab roots) Mission with Debbie to Adam-0ndi-Ahman Have three beautiful children Degrees from the University of Utah BA - Behavioral Science and Health - Psychology MBA - Masters in Business Administration Taught seminary in various places in Salt Lake Valley Institute Director adjacent to the University of Kansas (KU-Jayhawks!) Excited to be a part of a great faculty at Cedar City Hobbies: woodworking, basketball, and movies