New General Primary Presidency 2026 Brings a Quiet Leadership Shift With a Human Face
At the Conference Center on Temple Square in Salt Lake City, the announcement of the new general primary presidency 2026 landed in a room already carrying the weight of change. On April 4, 2026, during the Saturday afternoon session of the April 2026 general conference of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, leaders were sustained, released, and prepared for a season that will begin in August.
The moment was administrative on paper, but personal in practice. For families, teachers, and children connected to the Primary program, it marked the handoff of responsibility from one presidency to the next. The transition is part of a broader conference session that also included the announcement of eight new General Authority Seventies.
What changed in the new general primary presidency 2026?
The new Primary General Presidency will begin serving in August. President Rosemary K. Chibota was called as president, with Sister Nina M. Garfield as first counselor and Sister Theresa A. Collins as second counselor. President D. Todd Christofferson of the First Presidency announced the leadership changes during the sustaining of General Authorities, Area Seventies, and General Officers of the Church.
The outgoing Primary general presidency — President Susan H. Porter and her counselors, Sister Amy A. Wright and Sister Tracy Y. Browning — will complete their service on August 1. The timing makes the transition orderly rather than abrupt, with both presidencies overlapping across the calendar as the handoff is completed.
President Chibota’s background reflects a life shaped by both migration and service. She lives in South Jordan, Utah, was raised in Zimbabwe, and is of Malawian origin. She works as a human resources generalist for the Church and has also served in a range of local Church assignments, including Sunday School teacher and stake mission preparation instructor with her husband, Brother Joel B. Chibota. The couple served as mission leaders in the Alabama Birmingham Mission from 2022 to 2025 and have one child.
Why does this transition matter beyond one presidency?
The broader pattern in the session was one of continuity through change. Alongside the new general primary presidency 2026, eight new General Authority Seventies were sustained with calls effective immediately. The session also included leaders speaking about Christlike service, spiritual discernment, and the value of every person.
That larger frame gives the Primary announcement added meaning. The Primary program oversees Latter-day Saint youth, which places the presidency at the center of how the Church thinks about children, teaching, and early formation. In that sense, the leadership change is not only about titles. It is about who will shape the tone of care, instruction, and support for young members in the months ahead.
Sister Garfield brings another form of lived experience to the role. She lives in Orem, Utah, was born in Japan to a Japanese mother and an American father, and joined the Church in high school through the influence of friends and their families. She is a homemaker and currently serves as stake Relief Society president. Her family life, including five children and the loss of her husband, Brother David Garfield, adds another layer of human understanding to the presidency.
Who are the new leaders, and what do they represent?
Sister Theresa A. Collins, who will serve as second counselor, lives in Draper, Utah. She is a homemaker and studied special education at Utah State University. She currently serves as a nursery leader, a temple ordinance worker, and with her husband, Brother Richard E. Collins, as a stake mission preparation instructor. The couple served together as mission leaders in the Arkansas Bentonville Mission from 2021 to 2024 and have four children.
The presidencies that came before them also show how the role is built on years of local service before global responsibility. President Porter and her counselors began serving in August 2022 and had previously served together in related leadership roles.
Other voices in the session reinforced the same theme: service that begins in the home and extends outward. Elder Gary E. Stevenson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles invited listeners to offer help and comfort, while Elder Ulisses Soares emphasized that abiding in Christ is a constant choice. Elder Gérald Caussé taught that each person is personally known, remembered, and loved.
What happens next for families and members?
For now, the practical timeline is clear. The new general primary presidency 2026 will begin serving in August, while the outgoing presidency completes its service on August 1. Until then, the announcement stands as a signal of transition and trust: new leaders are being prepared to serve a program that touches children, parents, and teachers in everyday ways.
In the conference hall, the change may have looked formal. Outside it, in classrooms, homes, and weekly meetings, it will be felt as continuity with a new face. The same children who are taught today will still need guidance in August. The question is not whether the work continues. It is how this new presidency will carry it forward.
Image alt text: new general primary presidency 2026 announced during the April 2026 general conference in Salt Lake City
