Julie B. Beck
Relief Society General President

Julie Bangerter Beck was born in Salt Lake City, Utah. Her earliest memories are of growing up in the mission home in the heart of São Paulo, Brazil, where her father presided over the Brazilian Mission. By the time she returned to Utah at age nine, she was fluent in Portuguese and had developed a strong love for the gospel of Jesus Christ. She grew up in Granger, Utah, with 10 siblings. During high school her family moved to Alpine, Utah.

After a year at Dixie College, she met her husband, Ramon, an Alpine native. Both graduated from Brigham Young University. Sister Beck has served in many callings in the auxiliaries of the Church and in Scouting. She served on the Young Women general board and as first counselor in the Young Women general presidency.

She currently serves as the Relief Society general president. As part of her responsibilities, she is a member of the Church Board of Education and the Boards of Trustees for Church schools and universities, and she is on the executive and general councils for Church welfare and the Perpetual Education Fund. She is the mother of 3 children and is the grandmother of 12. Sister Beck’s chief sources of joy are spending time with her family and serving the Lord.

Silvia H. Allred
First Counselor, Relief Society General Presidency

Silvia Henriquez Allred gained a testimony of and love for Relief Society at age 16, when her mother, a recent convert to the Church, was called as the Relief Society president in their branch in El Salvador. “She was overwhelmed,” Sister Allred says, “but my sister and I told her, ‘The Lord will help you.’ And He did.” As Sister Allred served alongside her mother as the Relief Society secretary, she was impressed by the opportunities that Relief Society offered in leadership, education, homemaking skills, and service—opportunities Sister Allred says are available “to every woman who embraces the gospel of Jesus Christ.”

Sister Allred was born to Carlos Florentino Henriquez and Hilda Alvarenga in San Salvador, El Salvador, the fourth of eight children. She attended the University of Arizona, Brigham Young University, and the General Francisco Morazán Institute (in El Salvador), studying mathematics and languages.

She married Jeffry A. Allred on September 7, 1966, in the Salt Lake Temple. They are the parents of 2 sons and 6 daughters and have 14 grandchildren. Motherhood, she says, has been her greatest joy.

Before being called as first counselor in the Relief Society general presidency, Sister Allred served in a variety of Church callings and as a full-time missionary in the Central America Mission. She also served with her husband when he presided over the Paraguay Asunción Mission and over the missionary training center in the Dominican Republic. The Allreds have also served as public affairs missionaries in Madrid, Spain.

Barbara Thompson
Second Counselor, Relief Society General Presidency

As a former ward activities committee chair, Barbara Thompson is more comfortable wearing jeans and putting together hygiene kits than as a member of the Relief Society general presidency. But she is grateful for her calling as second counselor in that presidency.

Sister Thompson has also served as a missionary in the Germany Hamburg Mission, Gospel Doctrine teacher, Young Women camp director, Laurel and Beehive adviser, ward Young Women president, ward Relief Society counselor, and Relief Society general board member. She believes that “when sisters have a testimony of the truthfulness of the gospel, they are moved to action.”

Born to Pete and Fern Thompson in San Luis Obispo, California, Sister Thompson later moved with her family to Granger, Utah. She has always loved sports and camping, but her favorite pastime is visiting with friends and family.

With a bachelor’s degree from Brigham Young University and a master’s degree from the University of Utah in social work, Sister Thompson worked for the Utah Department of Human Services for 30 years. After retiring, she served as the executive director of an international organization that serves abused and neglected children.

Sister Thompson enjoys hearing the testimonies of women and men throughout the world as she serves. Her message to her Relief Society sisters is: “Love the Lord. Come unto Christ with your whole heart. Women face incredible challenges, but by relying on the gospel and the sisterhood we have in Relief Society, our burdens will be lighter.”