Mid-America Union Conference Selects Gary Thurber as President

The Mid-America Union Conference of Seventh-day Adventists selected Gary Thurber as its next president today. Thurber replaces Thomas Lemon, who left the Mid-America Union to take a position as a General Conference vice-president. Thurber is pursuing a Ph.D. in Leadership at Andrews University and holds a master's degree in Religion from Andrews University and a bachelor's degree in Religion from Southern Adventist University.

Thurber served as president of the Indiana Conference, then as president of the Rocky Mountain Conference from 2009 to 2013 when he accepted a call to serve as executive secretary of the Lake Union Conference, a position he has held to the present. He also held the office of Indiana Conference president for seven years, and Northern New England Conference president for two years. Thurber currently serves on seven boards including the Adventist Health System, Andrews University, and ASI. 

North American Division president Daniel Jackson chaired the session during which Thurber was selected from among 18 candidates, according to a news release in Outlook Magazine, the official publication of the Mid-America Union. Outlook quoted Jackson as saying after the votes were tallied, “Gary is a deeply spiritual and effective leader for Christ. Mid-America Union has just voted a prince to be their president. I have every confidence in Gary.”

Thurber will serve as board chair of the Union College Board of Trustees. Union College president Vinita Sauder wrote in an email memo to Union College faculty and staff, "I look forward to working with Elder Thurber as the chair of the Union College Board of Trustees, and I’m confident he will be a strong supporter as we build the future of Union and continue to provide an extraordinary environment for the education for our students."

Jared Wright is Managing Editor of SpectrumMagazine.org.

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