Elder David A. Bednar of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and his wife Susan K. Bednar will address students, employees, and the community at a devotional on Thursday, October 8, 2026. The event will be held at 7:00 p.m. in the BYU-Idaho Center.
This devotional will be held as part of the university's Spirit Week events commemorating 25 years since Ricks College became Brigham Young University-Idaho. Elder Bednar served as the 14th president of Brigham Young University-Idaho from 1997 to 2004 and oversaw the transition from its junior college status to the four-year institution it is today.
David A. Bednar was born on June 15, 1952, in Oakland, California. He served as a full-time missionary in Southern Germany before attending Brigham Young University, where he received a bachelor’s degree and a master’s degree. He also received a doctoral degree in organizational behavior from Purdue University. After completing his education, Elder Bednar was a professor of business management at Texas Tech University and at the University of Arkansas.
David A. Bednar was ordained and set apart as a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on October 7, 2004. Prior to his call to the Quorum of the Twelve, Elder Bednar served as an Area Seventy, an Area Authority Seventy, a regional representative, twice as a stake president, and as a bishop.
David A. Bednar married Susan Kae Robinson in the Salt Lake Temple on March 20, 1975. They are the parents of three sons.