Although The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is becoming more visible, it still is often misunderstood. You may interact with members of my faith (there are over 31,000 members in Minnesota) and still be unsure about what members of my church believe or how they live, so please join us in learning about “The Mormon’s Next Door”— we will present topics that range from history and health to charitable giving.
Paul W. Wilson III, a lifelong member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, is a native Minnesotan and a graduate of Robbinsdale Armstrong High School. He currently resides in Plymouth with his wife and two daughters. He has a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology from Brigham Young University and has worked in IT consulting for 15 years. He is currently employed at Best Buy as a Senior Manager in Application Development. In addition to his full-time employment, Paul Wilson currently holds a position in the church as the First Counselor in the Anoka MN Stake Presidency (a stake is a geographic subdivision made up of multiple smaller congregations). Previous to his current church assignment, he served for five and a half years as a bishop of one of these local congregations (known as a ward) with duties similar to those of a pastor, priest or rabbi. These positions are volunteer and unpaid. In addition, before his marriage, Paul served as a voluntary, full-time, Spanish-speaking missionary in Tucson, Arizona. Paul loves spending time with his family, especially doing active things like riding bikes, jumping on the trampoline or playing tennis and golf. To learn more about Paul, please visit his profile on Mormon.org: http://mormon.org/me/1XY4
Dana Willis, originally from Las Vegas, NV, has resided in Minnesota for the past 19 years. Dana, who joined the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in 1985, has done extensive volunteer work, both in the church and in the community. She served a humanitarian mission for the Church in the Philippines. She has a Bachelor’s Degree in Recreation Management from Brigham Young University and has worked for several local city Parks and Recreation Departments as a program planner. She has organized multiple humanitarian service projects in the past ten years for local food shelves and schools. She has also served extensively in the PTO, including as president, at Oxbow Creek Elementary and on the Mayor’s Prayer Breakfast Committee for the City of Brooklyn Park. An entrepreneur, Dana created and currently runs a small wedding and design business where she has developed her own line of custom wedding products. Dana and her husband have two teenage daughters, and even with all of the many hats she wears and activities and professions she has involved herself with, she considers herself a Mother first, which is her true “dream job.” Dana’s interests include hiking and exploring the North Shore, taking long road trips with her family and spending time with her daughters and husband. To learn more about Dana, please visit her profile at http://mormon.org/me/1VHT/Dana.
For more information contact:
Sally Higgins763.421.5166 or mnnise@gmail.com