Latter-day Saint leaders hire new managing director for Church Communication
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The new director of global communications for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is Aaron Sherinian, a longtime global communications specialist who was instrumental in the creation of #GivingTuesday.
Sherinian, 51, was introduced Wednesday as the managing director of the Church Communication Department after spending two years as the senior vice president of global reach of Deseret Management Corp.
“In the meeting, my focus was on how the Savior’s way of communication was all about finding ways to reach everyone,” he told the Deseret News. “Communications for the Church of Jesus Christ should always be generous, inclusive and personal.”
Sherinian has more than two decades of experience in public relations and communications in corporate, philanthropic and diplomatic sectors both in the United States and internationally.
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The managing director of Church Communication is a trusted communication advisor to the church’s senior leadership, including the First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, and works under their direction. The managing director also leads the department’s work in global, external-facing communication strategies for the church, including news releases issued on Newsroom.ChurchofJesusChrist.org.
“Communications professionals are always looking for a job that has purpose, and this job is filled with not just purpose but the message of love for everyone,” Sherinian said.
Sherinian will oversee several teams within the department: media relations; government, community, and interfaith relations; international area relations; reputation management; channel management; and messaging, according to the job posting.
In 2015, PR Week magazine named Sherinian the Global Communicator of the Year.
Sherinian earned degrees at Brigham Young University in political science and Italian and at Johns Hopkins University in Advanced International Studies. He speaks Italian, Spanish, Armenian and French.
Sherinian served a mission for the church as a young man in Milan, Italy. He also served in a mission presidency while living in Armenia.
Sherinian said he pursued the new position because he believes “faith matters more than ever, both for our worldwide church and in the everyday lives of people,” he said. “Jesus Christ’s message is one that is relevant in every way every single day.”
Sherinian appeared on the Church News podcast last month and described himself as an extrovert who loves learning and making connections with people. The podcast episode and a transcript are available here.
“I believe that we are living in a time where we should share both the urgency but the excitement of what it means to be members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints today,” he said.
Sherinian and his wife, Emily, have four children and had been splitting their time between Washington, D.C., and Salt Lake City.
“I’m a person who loves to communicate,” he said on the podcast. “I love the church. I love the gospel. I love what connects us. And I am a person who’s lived around the world but pretty much feels at home when I’m with friends.”
Sherinian played a key role in building bridges for the church with the Washington D.C. Communications Council, especially during the public open house for the rededication of the Washington D.C. Temple.
Sherinian said on the podcast that he loves the media, though media members often make mistakes when reporting about religion or Latter-day Saints. He said what is needed is mutual respect and increased civil conversation about faith and beliefs.
“Sometimes when we see an article or listen to something in the media that we know is not right, we don’t have to immediately scream about it or go ballistic about something that we might have seen,” he said. “Sometimes it’s a matter of asking the question, either of the media outlet or of the person who shared it.”
Sherinian replaces Eric Hawkins due to health complications. The church has had five managing directors of public affairs/church communication over the past 34 years, from Bruce Olsen (1989-2008) to Michael Otterson (2008-16), Richard Turley Jr. (2016-20), Michael Colemere (2020-22) and Hawkins (2022-23).
“Each one of them is someone I admire,” Sherinian said of his predecessors. “I’ve learned something from each of them.”
Sherinian said he will spend more time listening than talking.
“I plan to do that as much as I can as I learn from my colleagues and the people who are part of this beautiful tapestry of communications that’s the worldwide church.”
Jeff Simpson, the new CEO and president of Deseret Management Corp., announced Sherinian’s departure Tuesday afternoon in an email to staff.
“We are deeply grateful for the important impact Aaron has had on our operations and global reach here at DMC and will miss having him on our team,” Simpson said. “Aaron has had an exceptional vision for our potential and has opened important doors for DMC, for which we are deeply grateful.”
Deseret Management Corp. is a global operating company that manages the Deseret News, Deseret Digital Media, Deseret Book, Bonneville Communications and Bonneville International, which operates KSL and other broadcasters.
