Gerrit W. Gong
Encyclopedia
Gerrit Walter Gong has been a general authority
of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) since April 2010. He is a member of the First Quorum of the Seventy. Prior to this he had served as Assistant to the President of Brigham Young University
(BYU) for Planning and Assessment.
Gong was born in Redwood City, California
, to Walter Gong
and Jean Char. Gerrit was named after Gerrit de Jong because his mother had lived with de Jong and his wife and children while a student at BYU.
Gong served as a missionary
for the LDS Church in Taiwan
. He received his bachelor's degree from BYU and then was a Rhodes Scholar, receiving both his master's degree and D.Phil. from Christ Church, Oxford
. Gong was a professor at various times at Georgetown University
and Johns Hopkins University
. He later served as a special assistant in the United States State Department as well as in the United States Embassy in China. He also served as China Chair and Asia Director of the Center for Strategic and International Studies
.
Even before joining the BYU Administration as Assistant to the President for Planning and Assessment, Gong was involved in educational policy issues. He served as a member of the United States Department of Education's National Advisory Committee for Institutional Quality and Integrity and participated in multiple National education summits.
Gong is married to Susan Lindsay, a daughter of Richard P. Lindsay
. They first met when Gong was a BYU student who would give presentations on Taiwan's culture to missionaries in the Missionary Training Center
about to depart for Taiwan among whom was Lindsay. However this was only a brief meeting. They began dating a few years later in the summer when Gong had returned from Oxford to spend a few weeks with his parents during the short time his father was a professor at BYU. They then continued their courtship after Gong returned to Oxford while Lindsay continued her studies at BYU, which has led to Gong humorously asserting that there is no question he got a degree in international relations. Gerrit and Susan married in the Salt Lake Temple
on January 2, 1980. They are the parents of four sons.
Prior to becoming a general authority, Gong has served as a bishop, a stake president, and an area seventy.
Gong is the author of the book Memory and History in East and Southeast Asia.
General authority
In The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints , a general authority is a member of certain leadership organizations who are given administrative and ecclesiastical authority over the church...
of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) since April 2010. He is a member of the First Quorum of the Seventy. Prior to this he had served as Assistant to the President of Brigham Young University
Brigham Young University
Brigham Young University is a private university located in Provo, Utah. It is owned and operated by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints , and is the United States' largest religious university and third-largest private university.Approximately 98% of the university's 34,000 students...
(BYU) for Planning and Assessment.
Gong was born in Redwood City, California
Redwood City, California
Redwood City is a California charter city located on the San Francisco Peninsula in Northern California, approximately 27 miles south of San Francisco, and 24 miles north of San Jose. Redwood City's history spans from its earliest inhabitation by the Ohlone people, to its tradition as a port for...
, to Walter Gong
Walter Gong
Walter Gong was a professor of natural sciences at San Jose State University and Brigham Young University and an educational theorist....
and Jean Char. Gerrit was named after Gerrit de Jong because his mother had lived with de Jong and his wife and children while a student at BYU.
Gong served as a missionary
Mormon missionary
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is one of the most active modern practitioners of missionary work, with over 52,000 full-time missionaries worldwide, as of the end of 2010...
for the LDS Church in Taiwan
Taiwan
Taiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...
. He received his bachelor's degree from BYU and then was a Rhodes Scholar, receiving both his master's degree and D.Phil. from Christ Church, Oxford
Christ Church, Oxford
Christ Church or house of Christ, and thus sometimes known as The House), is one of the largest constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England...
. Gong was a professor at various times at Georgetown University
Georgetown University
Georgetown University is a private, Jesuit, research university whose main campus is in the Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, D.C. Founded in 1789, it is the oldest Catholic university in the United States...
and Johns Hopkins University
Johns Hopkins University
The Johns Hopkins University, commonly referred to as Johns Hopkins, JHU, or simply Hopkins, is a private research university based in Baltimore, Maryland, United States...
. He later served as a special assistant in the United States State Department as well as in the United States Embassy in China. He also served as China Chair and Asia Director of the Center for Strategic and International Studies
Center for Strategic and International Studies
The Center for Strategic and International Studies is a bipartisan Washington, D.C., foreign policy think tank. The center was founded in 1962 by Admiral Arleigh Burke and Ambassador David Manker Abshire, originally as part of Georgetown University...
.
Even before joining the BYU Administration as Assistant to the President for Planning and Assessment, Gong was involved in educational policy issues. He served as a member of the United States Department of Education's National Advisory Committee for Institutional Quality and Integrity and participated in multiple National education summits.
Gong is married to Susan Lindsay, a daughter of Richard P. Lindsay
Richard P. Lindsay
Richard Powell Lindsay was a Utah politician and a general authority of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from 1989 to 1994. He was a Democratic Utah State Senator in 1965 and a member of the Utah House of Representatives from 1973 to 1976.Lindsay was born in Salt Lake City, Utah to...
. They first met when Gong was a BYU student who would give presentations on Taiwan's culture to missionaries in the Missionary Training Center
Missionary Training Center
Missionary Training Centers are centers devoted to training missionaries for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The flagship MTC is located in Provo, Utah, USA, adjacent to the campus of Brigham Young University....
about to depart for Taiwan among whom was Lindsay. However this was only a brief meeting. They began dating a few years later in the summer when Gong had returned from Oxford to spend a few weeks with his parents during the short time his father was a professor at BYU. They then continued their courtship after Gong returned to Oxford while Lindsay continued her studies at BYU, which has led to Gong humorously asserting that there is no question he got a degree in international relations. Gerrit and Susan married in the Salt Lake Temple
Salt Lake Temple
The Salt Lake Temple is the largest and best-known of more than 130 temples of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It is the sixth temple built by the church, requiring 40 years to complete, and the fourth operating temple built since the Mormon exodus from Nauvoo,...
on January 2, 1980. They are the parents of four sons.
Prior to becoming a general authority, Gong has served as a bishop, a stake president, and an area seventy.
Gong is the author of the book Memory and History in East and Southeast Asia.