The JWHA newsletter is published quarterly. Members receive updates to access the latest articles before the next issue is available.
Outgoing JWHA President, Matt Harris, looks back over his term as president.
2026 Business Meeting Update
Newell G. Bringhurst Receives Lifetime Achievement Award
Newell G. Bringhurst is this year’s winner of the JWHA Lifetime Achievement Award. For decades, Newell has been a mainstay at JWHA, both as a longtime attendee of JWHA conferences, a frequent contributor to the JWHA Journal, a frequent publisher with John Whitmer Books, and also the society’s past president and board member. His books published by John Whitmer Books–The Mormon Quest for the Presidency and The Persistence of Polygamy series, co-written and co-edited with Craig L. Foster—are widely admired. And his extensive scholarship on LDS, RLDS, and Fundamentalist traditions published by various presses and scholarly journals have been instrumental in shaping narratives, challenging assumptions, and providing new guideposts to follow. Moreover, Newell has been a mentor, friend, and guide to so many young and seasoned scholars in the JWHA community, offering sage advice and gentle encouragement in their work. His scholarship and mentorship are models of excellence of what we strive for at JWHA, and it gives me great pleasure to honor him with the Lifetime Achievement Award.
There is no one more deserving.
Matt Harris
Outgoing JWHA President
Thank You for Serving
I want to extend a warm welcome back to Magen Edvalson, who is returning for another term, and to Roger Rose* and Taunalyn Ford for accepting positions on the Board. We are eager to work with them, learn from them, and collaborate on the important work of moving JWHA forward.
We also want to extend our heartfelt thanks to Mark Staker and Sally Roth as they conclude their service on the JWHA Board. Mark has finished his three-year cycle on the Executive Committee, serving adeptly as President-Elect, President, and Immediate Past President. His leadership, calm presence, and wise counsel will be missed. Sally has completed her term as the Membership Chair. Her valuable input at Board meetings, her innovative ideas to grow our membership, and her friendly voice are just a few of the many things I will miss about working alongside her.
Please join me in thanking these exceptional individuals for their outstanding contributions to JWHA.
2026 – 2027 Board Member Roster
Matt Harris
Outgoing JWHA President
2026 Conference Recap
It was wonderful to see friends old and new at the conference in Council Bluffs! I love to be reminded that this community has a camaraderie and openness to ideas that are unique. I had been looking forward to Matthew Breay Bolton’s keynote on nuclear colonialism and the RLDS Church for months and was well rewarded for the wait. I know that many of us were also eagerly anticipating Matt Harris’ presidential address on the many relationships that Latter-day Saint historians have with the institutional church and I appreciated his thoughtful comments. Our broader program included presentations on numerous Latter Day Saint traditions, peoples, and issues spanning 200 years and I’m proud of the variety of approaches and topics we have cultivated in our historical community. Tour participants got to see parts of historical Omaha and the Durham Museum, offering many tie-ins to the topics covered in presentations. I especially enjoyed our final panel on disaffiliation, featuring top scholars in this area discussing the data and background to this important topic.
I want to offer many thanks to my program co-chair, Eric Paul Rogers and our executive director Cheryle Grinter, who have organized the conference in its many details. I also want to thank Matt Harris for his leadership and investment in this organization and in this community.
Finally, we are grateful to our conference sponsor, Council Bluffs. Click on their logo to learn more about them.
Nancy Ross
Conference Chair
JWHA is Proud to Announce the 2026 Awards
Scholarship Recipients Find a Home
How are you related to Joseph Smith? There is an easy way to find out!
JW Books Happenings – Seth Bryant reports the activities
Closing This Chapter
Seth Bryant has resigned from his position as the John Whitmer Books Manager to take a position with the Community of Christ. Under Seth’s careful guidance, John Whitmer Books produced two outstanding books: Matthew Bolton’s From Militarized Mission to Global Solidarity: The Life and Work of Missionary and Humanitarian Charles D. Neff and Gregory Edwards’ book A Life of the Mind: An Intimate Biography of Paul M. Edwards. It takes an enormous amount of time, talent, and energy to publish and market books and Seth has done all of that and more exceptionally well. To say that he will be difficult to replace is an understatement.
I want to personally thank him for all that he has done in this important assignment, and I wish him the very best in his next position with the Community of Christ.
Seth, we will miss you!
Matt Harris
Outgoing JWHA President
Updates from the JWHA Journal Editor
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