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Sheri Linn Dew (born November 21, 1953) is an American author, publisher, the executive vice president of
Deseret Management Corporation Deseret Management Corporation (DMC) () is an American operating company, managing select global, for-profit entities affiliated with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). It was established in 1966 by church president D ...
, and
chief executive officer A chief executive officer (CEO), also known as a chief executive or managing director, is the top-ranking corporate officer charged with the management of an organization, usually a company or a nonprofit organization. CEOs find roles in variou ...
of the
Deseret Book Company Deseret Book () is an American publishing company headquartered in Salt Lake City, Utah, that also operates a chain of bookstores throughout the western United States. It is a wholly owned subsidiary of Deseret Management Corporation (DMC), the ...
, headquartered in
Salt Lake City, Utah Salt Lake City, often shortened to Salt Lake or SLC, is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of cities and towns in Utah, most populous city of the U.S. state of Utah. It is the county seat of Salt Lake County, Utah, Salt ...
. Dew has also been a religious leader in
the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, informally known as the LDS Church or Mormon Church, is a Nontrinitarianism, nontrinitarian Restorationism, restorationist Christianity, Christian Christian denomination, denomination and the ...
(LDS Church) and an inspirational speaker. In 2003, she was described as "the most prominent single nmarriedLDS woman right now." Deseret Book Company owns two retail chains (Deseret Book and Seagull), two publishing companies (Deseret Book and Covenant), an events division (Time Out for Women), a digital division, a magazine (''
LDS Living ''LDS Living'' is a bi-monthly magazine published by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). It is published through the church's Deseret Book Company in Salt Lake City, Utah Salt Lake City, often shortened to Salt L ...
'') and a film-distribution company (Excel).


Personal life

Dew was born November 21, 1953, in Ulysses,
Kansas Kansas ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to the west. Kansas is named a ...
, to Charles and JoAnn Peterson Dew. The oldest of five children, she grew up on a "sprawling grain farm" and attended local schools. Of this time, she has said:
I drove a tractor almost as soon as I could reach the pedals. I know how to set an irrigation tube, and I helped with the harvest. . . . On the farm you learn early that you reap what you sow. . . . I am innately very shy, and I have struggled with that challenge for years. My work has helped because I've had to interview people from all walks of life.
Dew told interviewers in 2002 and 2004 that as a teenager she was 5 feet, 10 inches tall and was a standout in high school basketball, averaging 23 points and 17 rebounds a game."Sheri L. Dew, Second Counselor, Relief Society General Presidency,"
''
Ensign Ensign most often refers to: * Ensign (flag), a flag flown on a vessel to indicate nationality * Ensign (rank), a navy (and former army) officer rank Ensign or The Ensign may also refer to: Places * Ensign, Alberta, Alberta, Canada * Ensign, Ka ...
'', May 1997, p. 109.
"Sheri L. Dew," MormonWiki
/ref> A ''Bloomberg Businessweek'' reporter wrote in 2012 that Dew had the "friendly, no-nonsense manner" of a high school basketball coach." Another writer noted in 2010 that Dew's "confident and collected demeanor always kept her on task." She learned the piano and traveled on three
USO The United Service Organizations Inc. (USO) is an American nonprofit-charitable corporation that provides live entertainment, such as comedians, actors and musicians, social facilities, and other programs to members of the United States Armed F ...
tours to Alaska, Europe, the Mediterranean and Asia as an accompanist during her college years at
Brigham Young University Brigham Young University (BYU) is a Private education, private research university in Provo, Utah, United States. It was founded in 1875 by religious leader Brigham Young and is the flagship university of the Church Educational System sponsore ...
(BYU), where she earned a
bachelor's degree A bachelor's degree (from Medieval Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six years ...
in history, with an emphasis in American religious history.''Bloomberg Business Week'' profile
/ref> Dew is close friends with Wendy Watson Nelson, and they presented together at the 2016 RootsTech conference.


Career


Beginning

After graduating from BYU, Dew moved into the publishing business associated with the LDS Church, starting out as an assistant editor at Bookcraft beginning in 1978. She spent the next six years as an editor and associate publisher at ''This People'' magazine.


Deseret Book

Dew joined Deseret Book in 1988 as an associate editor and became director of publishing in 1989, vice president of publishing in 1993, and executive vice president in 2000. She was named the president and CEO of the company in March 2002, succeeding Ronald A. Millett. At the time Deseret Book consisted of a retail chain of some 40 stores and a publishing division."Deseret Book Appoints New President," ''Church News,'' March 2, 2002
/ref> ''Bloomberg Businessweek'' reported in 2012 that Deseret Book was a "flailing" business when Dew took it over but that she "pulled the publisher and distributor out of the red 10 years ago."Caroline Winter, "How the Mormons Make Money," ''Bloomberg Businessweek,'' July 18, 2012
/ref> In 2002 the company launched its Time Out for Women event series, and in 2004 it acquired Excel Entertainment, which brought Deseret Book into film distribution. Some of Excel's films include '' Saints and Soldiers, Forever Strong, The Work and the Glory, 17 Miracles and Saints and Soldiers: Airborne Creed.'' In 2006, Deseret Book acquired the Seagull retail chain of twenty-six bookstores and Covenant Publishing, which publishes and distributes books, games, and gifts. In June 2011, the company introduced Deseret Bookshelf, a free e-reader application for Apple and Android mobile devices, with nearly 1,500 digital titles for purchase. On a personal level, Dew noted that the Bookshelf app had "changed the way I research and study the gospel" because "I can always have my full library with me." The app allows the researcher to search all Deseret Book titles at one time as well as other associated Gospel references.Ryan Morgenegg
"Deseret Bookshelf: Learning the Gospel Like Never Before,"
''
Church News The ''Church News'' (formerly ''LDS Church News'') is a multi-platform supplement and subdivision of the ''Deseret News'', a Salt Lake City, Utah newspaper owned by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (informally, the LDS Church). ...
'', March 10, 2012.


Broadcasting

Dew is a director of the
Bonneville International Corporation Bonneville International Corporation is a media and broadcasting company, wholly owned by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) through its for-profit arm, Deseret Management Corporation. It began as a radio and TV network ...
, a broadcasting organization owned by the LDS Church.


Public activities


Politics, government, and charity

Dew is a member of both the BYU Marriott School of Management's National Advisory Council and the President's Leadership Council for BYU-Hawaii. In March 2003, the White House appointed her a member of the U.S. Delegation to the Commission on the Status of Women and Girls at the United Nations. After a 1999 trip to Ghana, Dew began to spearhead Chapters of Hope, a program to send children's books to impoverished areas of the world. Through 2011, nearly 50,000 books had been shipped to Ghana, the Pacific Islands, Russia, Eastern Europe, Zimbabwe and elsewhere by that organization. Dew has said she has a greater liking for Republican political positions, particularly on social issues, explaining that "I am a
Midwestern The Midwestern United States (also referred to as the Midwest, the Heartland or the American Midwest) is one of the four census regions defined by the United States Census Bureau. It occupies the northern central part of the United States. It ...
farmer's daughter," but that she has "many, many times" voted for Democrats. She has been asked to run for political office, but said she is so shy she "can't even ask for the full can of apple juice on the airplane" so she couldn't very well ask for votes.Jerry Spangler, "Prayer by Dew Gets GOP Going," ''Deseret Morning News,'' August 31, 2004
/ref> Dew opened the 2004 Republican National Convention with a prayer after, she said, she had received a telephone request from "out of the blue and after she "had to ask myself if this would appear too partisan, and I decided it was never inappropriate to pray." She said she thought it "remarkable" that an LDS Church member was invited for the honor, "and even more so a woman."


LDS Church

Dew was a counselor to Mary Ellen W. Smoot in the general presidency of the women's
Relief Society The Relief Society is a philanthropic and educational women's organization of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). It was founded in 1842 in Nauvoo, Illinois, United States, and has more than 7 million members in over 1 ...
from 1997 to 2002, the first unmarried woman called to this position.Doug Robinson, "Sheri Dew: Living the Unexpected Life," ''Deseret News,'' October 28, 2002
/ref> As an author, Dew was the authorized biographer for three church presidents: Ezra Taft Benson, Gordon B. Hinckley, and Russell M. Nelson. Since 2009, Dew has contributed to the Mormon Channel's ''Conversations'' program, where she has interviewed some high-profile members of the LDS Church.


Cancer survivor

In 2006, Dew was diagnosed with
breast cancer Breast cancer is a cancer that develops from breast tissue. Signs of breast cancer may include a Breast lump, lump in the breast, a change in breast shape, dimpling of the skin, Milk-rejection sign, milk rejection, fluid coming from the nipp ...
, revealed as "three tiny spots, almost invisible to the naked eye," and since 2010 she has been active in promoting awareness of the disease among Utah women. "I'm actually a poster child for early diagnosis," Dew said.Wendy Leonard, "Sheri Dew Inspires With Story of Breast Cancer Survival, Encourages Mammograms," KSL.com
/ref>


Same-sex marriage

Dew "drew criticism"Tad Walch

''Deseret News,'' April 6, 2005.
resulting from remarks she made on February 28, 2004, at a Washington, D.C., meeting of the Family Action Council International,"Anti-Gay Coalition Meets Near Washington DC," Affirmation Gay and Lesbian Mormons, March 14, 2004
an interfaith group.Lee Davidson
"Deseret Book President Attacked Unfairly,"
''Deseret News,'' March 17, 2004.
According to Lee Davidson, a ''
Deseret News The ''Deseret News'' () is a multi-platform newspaper based in Salt Lake City, published by Deseret News Publishing Company, a subsidiary of Deseret Management Corporation, which is owned by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS ...
'' reporter who was present, Dew quoted a statement by journalist
Dorothy Thompson Dorothy Celene Thompson (July 9, 1893 – January 30, 1961) was an American journalist and radio broadcaster. She was the first American journalist to be expelled from Nazi Germany, in 1934, and was one of the few women news commentators broadc ...
in 1941:
saying that before World War II would be over, every person would either stand for or against erman dictator AdolfHitler—and that trying not to make any choice was in fact making one, for Hitler.
Dew said in calm tones that the same is true in the fight for the traditional family, and everyone will support or fight it. "If we do not act in behalf of the family, that is itself an act of opposition to the family," she said.
Dew did add, "At first it may be extreme to imply a comparison between the atrocities of Hitler and what is happening in terms of contemporary threats against the family—but maybe not," and added she feels that breaking up the family will break up society.
The next month the Affirmation: Gay & Lesbian Mormons organization, which is not officially affiliated with the LDS Church, issued a statement expressing "outrage" at Dew's remarks, and in September of the same year the president of the
Human Rights Campaign The Human Rights Campaign (HRC) is an American LGBTQ advocacy group. It is the largest LGBTQ political lobbying organization within the United States. Based in Washington, D.C., the organization focuses on protecting and expanding rights for L ...
and the strategic director of the National Black Justice Coalition called on President George W. Bush to repudiate Dew's "deeply offensive comments about LGBT Americans." In April 2005, Dew said that her point had nothing to do with Hitler. "I wasn't comparing anybody to Hitler," she said. "Hitler is irrelevant to the point I was trying to make." "I have friends living an openly gay lifestyle with kids," she added. "In every instance, they are caring parents who love their kids and their kids love them. They know I feel it's not my prerogative to judge them. It's their right to choose. ... Those that deal with same-sex attraction have my respect."


Awards

* 2009 Lifetime Achievement Award for "innovation and creativity" at Deseret Book * 2005 People of Vision Award by the People of Sight * Freedoms Foundation at Valley Forge Gold Medal and Certificate of Merit 2004 * Bay Area Distinguished Public Service Award by BYU Management Society 2001 * BYU Exemplary Womanhood Award 2000


Writings

She has authored several books, including the biographies of three LDS Church presidents (Benson, Hinckley, and Nelson). She also has written a biography of the 1985
Miss America Miss America is an annual competition that is open to women from the United States between the ages of 18 and 28. Originating in 1921 as a "bathing beauty revue", the contest is judged on competition segments with scoring percentages: ''Priva ...
, Sharlene Wells. All of Dew's works have been published in Salt Lake City by Deseret Book. * ''Prophets See Around Corners,'' 2023 * ''Women and the Priesthood: What One Latter-Day Saint Woman Believes: Revised Edition,'' 2021 * ''Insights from a Prophet's Life: Russell M. Nelson,'' 2019 * ''Worth the Wrestle,'' 2017 * ''Amazed By Grace,'' 2015 * ''Women and the Priesthood: What One Mormon Woman Believes,'' 2013 * ''The Beginning of Better Days: Divine Instruction to Women From the Prophet Joseph Smith,'' 2012 (with Virginia H. Pearce)Full text
* ''Are We Not All Mothers?'' 2009 * ''Saying It Like It Is,'' 2009 * ''God Wants a Powerful People,'' 2007 * ''If Life Were Easy, It Wouldn't Be Hard: And Other Reassuring Truths,'' 2005Open Library listing
/ref> * ''No One Can Take Your Place,'' 2004 * ''No Doubt About It,'' 2001 * ''Go Forward with Faith: The Biography of Gordon B. Hinckley,'' 1996 * ''Ezra Taft Benson: A Biography,'' 1987 * ''Sharlene Wells, Miss America,'' 1985


References


Further reading


Bonneville International website
* Lee Davidson

''Deseret News'', 29 February 2004 * Sheri L. Dew, “Defenders of the Faith,” Interfaith Conference on Defending Marriage and the Family: By Faith and by Reason, Washington DC, 28 February 2004. * �
As Gay Couples Marry, LDS Leaders Decry Efforts to Destroy the Family
” ''Sunstone Magazine'', March 2004, pp. 71–72.

* ttps://web.archive.org/web/20041220180143/http://www.bostonphoenix.com/boston/news_features/editorial/documents/04097844.asp “Debasing Our Culture” ''The Boston Phoenix'', 3–9 September 2004 * Paul Krugman, opinion column
“Feel the Hate”
''The New York Times'' 3 September 2004 {{DEFAULTSORT:Dew, Sheri L. Counselors in the General Presidency of the Relief Society Brigham Young University alumni Writers from Utah Living people 1953 births American women chief executives People from Ulysses, Kansas American Latter Day Saint writers American biographers American leaders of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints American women journalists American magazine editors American women biographers American publishing chief executives Latter Day Saints from Kansas Latter Day Saints from Utah American women magazine editors