Jack N. Gerard

Jack N. Gerard (born Dec. 15, 1957) has been a general authority of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) since April 2018. He previously served for ten years as head of the American Petroleum Institute (API), the petroleum and natural gas industry lobby group in the United States.

Gerard was raised in Mud Lake, Idaho. His father was a salesman of John Deere tractors. He served as a mission for the LDS Church in Sydney, Australia. He later graduated from George Washington University. Following college, he worked on the staffs of George V. Hansen and James A. McClure, who served in the U.S. Congress and Senate respectively, representing Idaho.

Gerard for a time ran a lobbying firm with McClure. He then was head of the National Mining Association and then the American Chemistry Council.

In his role as head of API, Gerard fought successfully to allow crude oil exports. He also fought against increased taxes and other measures that would hurt industry profits. Gerard lead out in a strong and positive public relations campaign building a positive image of the oil industry.

In the 2012 U.S. presidential election, Gerard was a major backer of Mitt Romney's bid for president.[1]

Gerard is married to the former Claudette Neff and they are the parents of eight children.[2]

In the LDS Church Gerard has held several positions of leadership. He has been a bishop, stake president, and from 2010 to 2016 was an area seventy.[3] After he became a general authority, he was appointed as the executive director of the LDS Church's Public Affairs Department. One public action he took in this role early on was speaking at the July 2018 National Meeting of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). He spoke at their opening mass meeting where he announced an educational and employment skills joint initiative between the LDS Church and the NAACP.[4][5]

References

  1. ↑ Huffinton Post article on Gerard and a meeting of Romney backers he organized
  2. ↑ Mormon Newsroom bio of Gerard
  3. ↑ Mormon Newsroom article on Gerard
  4. ↑ Deseret News article on announcment of joint initiative
  5. ↑ this article highlights Gerard speaking, and what he said, but does not identify his position as executive director of LDS public relations

Sources

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