Readers of Interpreter: A Journal of Latter-day Saint Faith and Scholarship are typically unaware of how much behind-the-scenes work goes into publishing quality academic articles and reviews week after week. Most of that work is done by volunteers who give selflessly of their time and utilize their skills to help make Interpreter possible.
It is not unusual, particularly in an organization supported by volunteers, to periodically have staffing changes. Most of these changes go unannounced, but I thought it necessary to bring to your attention three editorial position changes that are currently taking place.
Jeff Lindsay
Speaking personally, it has been an honor to work with Jeff these past four years. I will miss his editorial insights and skills; they have benefitted Interpreter tremendously. He joined Interpreter as my Co-editor in the middle of 2020 and quickly became responsible for evaluating submissions and helping to choose those that would eventually be published. He has worked with almost 400 papers since joining Interpreter and shepherded over a hundred of them into publication. When Godfrey Ellis joined us as an Associate Editor in 2022, Jeff mentored him and helped him learn how to evaluate, review, and develop papers. Jeff’s impact will be felt for years to come.
Earlier this year both Jeff and Godfrey received a new title, Executive Editor, as it better fit the great work they were doing with Interpreter. The primary responsibility of an Executive Editor is to evaluate submissions to determine which papers should be considered for publication, arrange for and manage peer review, and help the authors develop their papers based on the reviews. In a very real way, Executive Editors are gatekeepers to what we publish. The position can be demanding, and Jeff has fulfilled that position admirably.
With Jeff’s departure, we were left with Godfrey as the only Executive Editor. Despite his considerable skills, the publication load of Interpreter is too much for one Executive Editor, and sometimes too much for two. So, I’m very pleased to announce that Brant Gardner and Rebecca Lambert have accepted the invitation to serve as additional Executive Editors for Interpreter.
The names of these two new Executive Editors may be familiar to many, but I think it important to share a bit about their backgrounds. It is true that both have written articles for Interpreter, but there is much more that they bring to the table.
Brant did his undergraduate work at BYU. He received a Master’s in Anthropology from the State University of New York at Albany, specializing in Mesoamerican ethnohistory. He has worked as a part-time Research Associate for Scripture Central. He has published numerous books, including the six-volume Second Witness: Analytical and Contextual Commentary on the Book of Mormon. His most recent books are Engraven Upon Plates, Printed Upon Paper: Textual and Narrative Structures of the Book of Mormon, and The Plates of Mormon: A Book of Mormon Study Edition Based on Textual and Narrative Structures in the English Translation. He has also contributed a Book of Mormon Minute to the ScripturePlus app, a condensed commentary on two or three verses at a time from the Book of Mormon. In addition, he has also handled comment moderation for Interpreter for the past 12 years.
Rebecca studied Comparative Literature and Latin at BYU, and subsequently received an MA and M.Phil. in History at Columbia University as she was studying for her PhD in Enlightenment Political Philosophy. She was awarded an Olin Fellowship, which allowed her to also earn an M.Phil. at Cambridge University in Social and Political Thought.
 Godfrey Ellis |
 Brant Gardner |
 Rebecca Lambert |
I look forward to continuing to work with Godfrey and working more closely with both Brant and Rebecca in their new positions. The background, knowledge, and dedication to the gospel and the Church possessed by all of our Executive Editors will benefit Interpreter in ways yet to be discovered.
—Allen Wyatt, Managing Editor
Thank you all for your contributions to our faith.
Having been the recipient of Jeff’s formidable skills in seeing submissions with new eyes, I feel enormous regret to see him step down from his editing role. His abilities have helped Interpreter to reach a level of scholarship publication that matches, or even exceeds, many other academic venues that I am familiar with. But, I understand the reasons.
Grateful he has mentored Godfrey in his expanded editorial role, and look forward to the two new editors maintaining the excellence.
I have worked closely with Godfrey on several papers, and I find him both very pleasant to work with and extremely knowledgeable and skilled! I am glad that Brant and Rebecca will be able to help divide the load with Godfrey.
Many thanks to Jeff Lindsay for his hours and hours of dedicated work. I’m very pleased that he’s staying on as a member of the Interpreter Foundation’s Board of Directors.
Thanks, too, to Allen Wyatt and Godfrey Ellis for their continuing service, and a hearty welcome and thank-you to Brant Gardner and Rebecca Lambert. We’re excited to have them join the team.