ST. GEORGE — The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints announced the call of Emerson Carnavale as an Area Seventy in the Southern Utah Region. He was one of 61 new Area Seventies named and sustained in the leadership session of the April 2023 general conference. He was serving as president of the Washington Utah Stake at the time of this call. Elder Carnavale is married to his wife Jennae and they have three children.
Elder Carnavale is the CEO of Sunwarrior (a company based here in Southern Utah). Elder Carnavale and Jennae have been married for 21 years this September. They met and were married in Salt Lake City and lived there while he studied at LDS Business College and then Brigham Young University – Provo. They had their first daughter, Ana Elisa, during that time. Upon graduation, they moved to Gilbert, AZ to begin his career in Supply Chain Management. They lived there for 5 years and were blessed with two more children, Bryan and Katie. Just before moving back to Utah, he obtained his Masters Degree in International Business from Thunderbird University in Glendale, AZ.
After a brief year living in Lehi, UT, they moved to southern Utah in March of 2014. They have lived in southern Utah, specifically Washington, for 10 years and have loved raising their family in such a beautiful and family friendly area. Their children are now 16, 14, and 11 years old and are the light of their lives. Ana and Katie enjoy singing and theater while Bryan is an avid soccer fan. Jennae enjoys cooking and family history, and they both love cheering the kids on in all of their hobbies and interests. Elder Carnavale loves soccer, and continues to play 3-4 times per week. He also enjoys golfing and mountain biking.
Elder Carnavale was born and raised in Sao Paulo, Brazil. He came to the USA first as a missionary for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the Salt Lake City South Mission (where he learned both Spanish and English) and then returned as a student to study at LDS Business College and BYU. One of his main goals in life is to raise his family in righteousness, and to instill in his children the core principles of the gospel of loving God and our neighbors. Jennae was born and raised in the Salt Lake area, and she attended Salt Lake Community College. She also served a full-time mission in the Padova Italy Mission.
As an Area Seventy, Elder Carnavale presides over Santa Clara and the St. George West coordinating councils. A coordinating council includes specified stakes in those areas and the Utah St. George Mission. Stake and mission presidents attend coordinating council meetings and the temple presidents whose temple districts are within the boundaries of the coordinating council are invited to attend when practical. Others may attend part or all of the meetings when needed and when invited by the Area Seventy. The purpose of coordinating council meetings is to help stake, mission, and temple presidents exercise priesthood keys in unity. Together they counsel about and coordinate efforts to help members in their responsibilities to participate in God’s work of salvation and exaltation.
Elder Carnavale is also assigned to attend and speak at various stake conferences around the Utah Area and any other assignments that the Utah Area Presidency sends his way. His other duties include work with the Family History Center in St. George and the Latino Initiative, which offers programs and hosts events that create a place of belonging for the Latino community, celebrate Latino excellence and culture, and advocate for the needs of the Latino community.
According to Elder Carnavale, “Growing up in the projects of Brazil, I didn’t realize there was so much opportunity out there. When membership in the church came into my life when I was 15 years old, it changed the whole course of my life. My love and gratitude for the church and to my Savior for blessing my life so richly, have helped me in this calling because I want to share the good news of the gospel with everyone. I want everyone to experience the joy the gospel has brought into my life and my family’s lives.
Also, I have been blessed to work with and have counseled with people in most of my positions at work and at church. This has helped me understand better what challenges, dreams, fears, and hopes people have and I’ve seen how the gospel helps them.”
Elder Carnavale further stated, “I know that no matter how hard a task is or intimidating a calling might be, the Lord always prepares a way. I have witnessed his goodness throughout my life. Even when situations seem bleak and perhaps hopeless, I have learned that there is always hope when we trust in God and in His goodness. He loves us beyond what we can comprehend.”