President
Ted N. C. Wilson was elected as president of the Seventh-day Adventist world church in July 2010 during the General Conference Session in Atlanta. Born in Takoma Park, Maryland on May 10, 1950, the son of former Adventist world church President Neal C. Wilson and Elinor E. Wilson, Wilson spent part of his childhood in Egypt.
Wilson began his church career as a pastor in 1974 in the Greater New York Conference. He married Nancy Louise Vollmer Wilson, a physical therapist, in 1975. The couple has three daughters: Emille Louise, married to Pastor Kameron de Vasher; Elizabeth Esther, married to Pastor David Wright; and Catherine Anne, married to Dr. Robert Renck. The Wilsons have eight wonderful grandchildren.
Wilson served as an assistant director and then director of Metropolitan Ministries in New York from 1976 to 1981. He went on to serve in the church’s then Africa-Indian Ocean Division, based in Abidjan, Cote d'Ivoire, until 1990. There he served as a departmental director and later as executive secretary.
Following his post in West Africa, he served for two years at the Adventist world church’s world headquarters in Silver Spring, Maryland, United States, as an associate secretary. He went on to accept the position of president of the church's Euro Asia-Division in Moscow, Russia, which he held from 1992 to 1996.
Pastor Wilson returned to the United States to serve as president of the Review and Herald Publishing Association in Hagerstown, Maryland, until his election as an Adventist world church vice president in 2000.
An ordained minister, Pastor Wilson holds a doctor of philosophy degree in religious education from New York University, a master of divinity degree from Andrews University, and a master of science degree in public health from the Loma Linda University School of Public Health. In addition to English, he speaks French and some Russian.
G.T. Ng
Secretary, General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists
G.T. NG
Secretary
Longtime mission advocate G. T. Ng serves the Seventh-day Adventist world church as its executive secretary, a position he has held since the 2010 General Conference Session. Previously, Ng worked as an associate secretary for the world church, where he oversaw the Church’s Northern Asia-Pacific, Southern Asia, and Trans-European divisions.
Ng’s denominational service began in the 1970s in Cambodia, where ministry in the war-torn country first kindled his enthusiasm for mission. Shortly before Phnom Penh fell to Khmer Rouge forces, Ng and his wife, Ivy, were evacuated from Cambodia. Later, Ng served in Thailand, Malaysia, and his native Singapore, where he served as a pastor, health educator and regional department director.
For much of the 1990s, Ng served as professor and dean of the Theological Seminary at the Adventist International Institute of Advanced Studies (AIIAS) in the Philippines. In 2000, Ng accepted a call to serve as the executive secretary of the church’s Southern Asia-Pacific Division.
Ng moved to the Washington, D.C. area in 2004 to serve as associate secretary of the Adventist world church. Ng spurred numerous church membership audits, challenging church officials worldwide to reconcile membership tallies with actual church attendance. He also encouraged missionaries to serve in regions of acute need, including the 10/40 Window – a region spanning from West Africa across Asia and covering two-thirds of the world’s population where only 1 percent is Christian.
Ng holds a bachelor’s degree from Southeast Asia Union College in Singapore. His post-graduate work includes a master’s degree from the Adventist Theological Seminary in the Philippines and a Ph.D. from the Theological Seminary at Andrews University in Berrien Springs, Michigan.
Ng and his wife have two married children, Jocelyn and Mervyn.
Juan Rafael Prestol-Puesán
Treasurer, General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists
JUAN RAFAEL PRESTOL-PUESÁN
Treasurer
Juan Rafael Prestol-Puesán, elected as Treasurer of the Adventist world church in 2015, has served in treasury functions through the Adventist church since graduating from college. A 4th generation Adventist, Prestol-Puesán was born in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. He was ordained in 1976.
Prestol-Puesán began his work for the church in 1969 as an accountant in the Dominican Conference in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. In 1972 he began serving as Treasurer of the North Dominican Mission and continued there till 1977 when he took some time out to complete a Masters of Business Administration at Andrews University.
At the completion of his MBA in 1980, Prestol-Puesán served as Treasurer at the Greater New York Conference, in Manhasset, New York. And in 1987 he began serving as Treasurer of the Atlantic Union Conference in South Lancaster, Massachusetts. In 1993, Prestol-Puesán moved to Moscow, Russia, to serve as Treasurer of the Euro-Asian Division.
Following his term in Russia, Prestol-Puesán relocated to Silver Spring, Maryland in 1996 where he served as Associate Treasurer and then Treasurer, of the North American Division, before he joined the General Conference as Undertreasurer in 2007.
Prestol-Puesán is married to Belkis and has two grown daughters and two grandchildren.
GENERAL VICE PRESIDENTS
Guillermo E. Biaggi
General Vice President, General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists
GUILLERMO E. BIAGGI
General Vice President
Guillermo E. Biaggi served as president to the Euro-Asia Division since 2010, and prior to that served as treasurer of the same from 2000-2010.
Biaggi’s previous church work includes administration and finance throughout several church organizations around the world for more than 40 years.
His leadership in the Euro-Asia Division saw the expansion of evangelism impact in urban centers in dozens of cities across the territory. In addition, Adventist schools increased in number under his leadership from 5 to 26, and a theological seminary in Ukraine was established.
Born in Argentina, Biaggi worked 25 years in the South American Division as university vice president of financial affairs at the River Plate Adventist University, Argentina. He also served as treasurer of the Austral Union Conference and secretary-treasurer of the Uruguay Mission, as well as senior accountant and assistant accountant.
Biaggi, 62, is a certified public accountant, holds bachelor’s degrees in business and theology, and completed a master’s degree in administration and a doctorate in ministry from Andrews University.
He speaks fluent Spanish and English, and understands Portuguese and basic Russian.
Biaggi and his wife, Sybel, have four adult children all working for church organizations. He also has three grandchildren.
Abner De Los Santos
General Vice President, General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists
ABNER DE LOS SANTOS
General Vice President
Abner De Los Santos served as vice president in charge of member retention in the Inter-American Division since 2010.
Originally from Mexico, De Los Santos began his work as a church pastor in 1986 in southeast Mexico. He served as conference secretary and later conference president for 10 years. De Los Santos also worked 10 years as secretary and later president of the North Mexican Union from 2001 to 2010.
Ordained in 1991, De Los Santos, 52, earned a master’s in pastoral ministry from Andrews University and completed a doctorate degree in ministry from the Inter-American Theological Seminary in 2012.
De Los Santos is married to Leticia. The couple has two adult children.
Thomas L. Lemon
General Vice President, General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists
THOMAS L. LEMON
General Vice President
Thomas L. Lemon began his career as a pastor in Maryland and later pastured in Texas. In 1996, he accepted a call to serve as assistant to the president of the Rocky Mountain Conference. He then was ministerial director in Oregon (2002-2006) and president of the Minnesota Conference (2006-2009) before accepting the position of president for the Mid-America Union Conference.
Lemon has served as a member of boards of directors for a number of higher education and health-care institutions, as well as media and outreach ministries.
During his tenure as president of Mid-America Union, Lemon’s stated areas of focus were evangelism, education, and health care.
Lemon earned his bachelor’s degree in theology at Southwestern Union College (now Southwestern Adventist University) in Keene, Texas, and a master of divinity degree from the Seventh-day Adventist Theological Seminary at Andrews University in Berrien Springs, Michigan.
Lemon’s wife, Jan, is a career educator. The couple has two adult children and four grandchildren.
Geoffrey Mbwana
General Vice President, General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists
GEOFFREY MBWANA
General Vice President
Geoffrey Gabriel Mbwana was elected as a general vice president for the Seventh-day Adventist world church in 2010.
Born on October 20, 1955 in Tanzania, Mbwana spent time in high school and college working as a literature evangelist in India and Sweden. Mbwana graduated from Spicer Memorial College in 1982 with bachelor's degrees in religion and psychology.
He earned a master's degree in education from Andrews University in 1984 and completed a master's in educational psychology at Poona University in 1986. He is married to Nakku Mbwana and they have two daughters: Orupa and Upendo.
Ella Simmons
General Vice President, General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists
ELLA SIMMONS
General Vice President
Ella Simmons holds the distinction of being the first woman to serve as a vice president of the Seventh-day Adventist world church. Simmons was elected at the 2005 General Conference Session, held in St. Louis, Missouri.
An educator throughout her career, Simmons has served as chair for departments of education (Kentucky State University), associate dean (University of Louisville), and professor (Oakwood University, La Sierra University).
She gained administrative experience while serving as academic vice president of Oakwood University and provost and academic vice president for La Sierra University.
Simmons has been a prominent member of accreditation and corporate boards within the church and in the community. She holds a master's degrees from Andrews University and a doctorate from the University of Louisville.
Simmons and her husband, Nord, a retired high school teacher, have two adult sons who are also educators: Darryl and Christopher.
Artur Stele
General Vice President, General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists
ARTUR STELE
General Vice President
Artur A. Stele was elected as a general vice president for the Seventh-day Adventist world church at the 2010 General Conference Session in Atlanta, Georgia. He was born on January 30, 1961 in Kaskelen, a city in southern Kazakhstan.
He graduated from Almaty Medical College in Kazakhstan in 1979 with a degree in pharmacy and served in the German military from 1979 to 1981.
In 1986, Stele received a bachelor's degree in theology from Fridensau University in Germany. That same year Stele married Galina, the first woman to graduate from Andrews University with a doctoral degree in ministry.
The couple has a son named Alexander, who currently works for Hope Channel and the treasury department in the Euro-Asia Division. Stele earned his master's degree and doctorate in theology from Andrews University in 1993 and 1996.
Stele's denominational service includes time spent as academic dean and president for Zaokski Theological Seminary, as well as president of the Euro-Asia Division. Stele is fluent in Russian, German and English.
