Don H. Staheli

Don H. Staheli was the personal secretary to Gordon B. Hinckley, former president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He is the author of The Story of the Walnut Tree, a children’s book about the tree from President’s Hinckley’s property that became the pulpit at the Church Conference Center. He is also the author of It’s the Principle of the Thing; Just Hold Me: Embraced by the Savior; Healer’s Art: Faith and the Healing Power of Jesus Christ (with Lloyd Newell); and What to Know Before You Go.

Staheli holds a bachelor’s degree in history and master’s degrees in international management and social work. He is a licensed clinical social worker and trainer. He has worked for over thirty-seven years with the Church Educational System, the Family History Department, the Missionary Department, LDS Family Services, and most currently with the Office of the Quorum of the Twelve. He frequently writes for “Music and the Spoken Word,” the Sunday morning broadcast of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir.

Staheli was born on May 9, 1949, and reared in Spanish Fork, Utah. He and his wife, Cyndy, are the parents of five children. He presided over the France Paris Mission from 2008 to 2011. He has also served in the Church as a bishop, stake president, and regional representative.