This Devotional address with Jon Linford was delivered on Tuesday, March 31, 2026, at 11:30 AM MST in the BYU-Idaho I-Center. Jon Linford currently serves as the Academic Vice President at Brigham Young University–Idaho, where he oversees Academic Administration, college deans, and faculty.
Jon attended Ricks College before earning both a bachelor’s and a master’s degree from Brigham Young University. He also earned a doctoral degree from Arizona State University.
Prior to joining BYU–Idaho, Jon was an operatic baritone and Professor of Voice and Opera at New Mexico State University in Las Cruces, New Mexico. He later joined the BYU-Idaho Music Department teaching voice and opera. In 2010, Jon was invited to serve as the Dean of Foundations and Interdisciplinary Studies. In 2015, he became the Online Vice President and served in this role until April 2021.
Jon was raised on a sheep ranch in southeastern Idaho. He served in the Scotland Glasgow mission from 1978 to 1980. He and his wife Evelyn are the parents of three children and grandparents of three grandchildren. Jon is a passionate gardener and spends most of his free time in his own and others’ gardens.