Dr. Mark Mendenhall has been called to serve as branch president, or ecclesiastical leader, for the Signal Mountain branch (congregation) of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Dr. Mendenhall holds the J. Burton Frierson Chair of Excellence in Business Leadership at the University of Tennessee, Chattanooga (UTC). He received his B.S. in psychology and Ph.D. in social pathology – both from Brigham Young University. He has been on the faculty of UTC since 1989.
“We moved to Signal Mountain in 1989 fully expecting to stay here for five years or so before moving on to another university,” Dr.
Mendenhall said. “We soon realized we loved it here, and that it was a perfect place to raise our four children. Three of our four children graduated from Red Bank High School, and our youngest graduated from SMMSHS. At UTC, my colleagues are and always have been fantastic. They are teachers who truly care about their students. Although we have had multiple opportunities to move, the greater Chattanooga community, including Signal Mountain, is one of the best places to live in the United States – perhaps even the best. We feel so blessed to live here and I look forward to ministering to the good people of our congregation in my new responsibility.”
A branch president presides over a congregation in a specific geographic location. A branch president is called to serve without pay. He is assisted by two counselors. Radge Harrison and Chad Mcghie have been called to serve as first and second counselors, respectively, in the Signal Mountain branch presidency. The purpose of any congregation of the Church is to invite everyone to come unto Christ. A branch president is also called to watch over the poor and needy in the boundaries of the congregation. Congregations are organized after the way Christ set up His Church on the earth, officials said.
Dr. Mendenhall, who is an internationally recognized scholar in the field of global leadership and international human resource management, will continue his work at UTC. He has coauthored numerous books and published numerous journal articles and scholarly book chapters. He consults with international and local organizations such as Volkswagen, IBM-Asia Pacific, General Motors, IBM-Japan, Japan Airlines Corporate Group, TVA, Blue-Cross Blue-Shield of Tennessee and so forth. He has traveled widely and lived in New Zealand, Japan, Switzerland and Germany.
President Mendenhall looks forward to sharing what is in his heart about Jesus Christ.
The Signal Mountain branch of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints meets at 9 a.m. on Sundays, and is located at 1160 Ridgeway Avenue. All are welcome.