Discover how a BYU–Hawaii basketball scholarship forged the path for the Church’s first African American General Authority Seventy
Elder Peter M. Johnson, a Brigham Young University–Hawaii alumnus and former basketball student-athlete, rose from a difficult upbringing in Queens, New York, to become the first African American General Authority Seventy of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
According to the BYUH website, Johnson’s journey from a non-reading student on academic probation to a global church leader and educator was anchored by his time at BYU–Hawaii, where he converted from Islam to Christianity.
Against the odds
Johnson was born and raised in an inner-city neighborhood in Queens, New York City. His parents divorced when he was 11 years old. His mother, Geneva Mahelona, eventually moved to Hawaii to assist her oldest son, a U.S. Army soldier stationed at Schofield Barracks who was expecting a child, according to Johnson.
While his mother relocated, Johnson said he spent two years living with his father in New York City. Johnson described the neighborhood as an environment heavy with gang violence and drug use. He credited his Muslim faith, which he began practicing at age 12, with keeping him grounded during his adolescence.
“The Muslims have a strict code of health,” Johnson said. “That helped me stay away from drugs and alcohol. I was grateful for my Muslim upbringing to help me stay away from some of the craziness that some of my friends were getting involved in my early days.”
When Johnson was nearly 15, he shared, his mother invited him to live with her in Hawaii, where she worked two to three jobs to support the family. “She came with nothing,” Johnson said.
From the court to the classroom
Johnson said he played basketball at Mililani High School and later accepted his only collegiate scholarship offer from BYU–Hawaii. He said he was heavily encouraged to attend by his teammate, Brian Clark, and Clark’s parents, Richard and Jan Clark, who were members of the Church.
“My financial circumstances at the time, with a single mom, college was not possible,” Johnson said. “So, to have a scholarship where I can get an education and a chance to play basketball? I was going to take that deal anytime.”
Upon arriving at the university, Johnson said he had spent very little of his life opening textbooks and was placed on academic probation before his first semester began. He credited the university’s small classrooms, faculty attention and mandatory athletic study halls with forcing him to develop academic discipline.
I got to know Jesus Christ. And so, from that love of Jesus Christ, that led me to His church.
“I had to learn how to study,” Johnson said. “I never even cracked open a book... When we had a study hall, all eyes were on me. My coaches wanted me to succeed academically.” To maintain his scholarship, Johnson worked approximately 20 hours a week as a custodian at the Cannon Activity Center (CAC).
On the court, he credited teammates such as Danny Frazier, Rick Barker, Will Bellow, Sam Johnson, Dave Stewart, Ron Durant and Rob Nelson with shaping his experience and push for excellence.
Conversion and ministry
During his first semester, Johnson encountered material he was unprepared for in a required New Testament course. “I fell in love with Jesus Christ,” Johnson said. “I got to know Jesus Christ. And so, from that love of Jesus Christ, that led me to His church.”
Johnson was baptized into the Church at age 19. He noted that his transition from Islam was aided by the spiritual disciplines he had already developed.
“I tell people the Muslim faith prepared me to be a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints,” Johnson said. “The importance of studying. The importance of prayer. Entering covenant relationships. That helped me.”
A year after his baptism, Johnson said he served a full-time mission for the Church in the Alabama Birmingham Mission, where he fell under the mentorship of his mission president, M. Dalton Cannon. Johnson called the mission instrumental in teaching him how to recognize the Holy Ghost.
Family and academic career
After completing his missionary service, Johnson said he transferred to Southern Utah University to finish his NCAA Division I basketball eligibility. It was there that he met Stephanie Lyn Chadwick, a fellow Division I basketball student-athlete, he shared. Following a first date on Dec. 5, 1989, the couple married six months later on June 4, 1990.
While his wife worked as a nurse, Johnson said he completed a master’s degree in accounting and later earned a doctorate at Arizona State University. The couple has four children and four grandchildren.
Johnson shared he began his professional career in 1992 as a staff accountant for Grant Thornton CPA in Salt Lake City. He returned to BYU–Hawaii as a faculty member, expecting to stay for a single year but ultimately teaching for four years. He said he later served as an associate professor at the University of Alabama, though he noted his time teaching at BYU–Hawaii was the most meaningful of his academic career.
Leadership callings
On April 6, 2019, after serving just one year as an Area Seventy, Johnson was sustained as a General Authority Seventy following a call extended by Church President Russell M. Nelson.
Johnson stated that the call brought a profound initial sense of personal inadequacy and spiritual struggle. “My soul was wracked with guilt and remembrance of all my past transgressions,” Johnson said. “I felt feelings of darkness and loneliness to the point where I told Stephanie: I cannot accept this assignment. I am not worthy to be a witness of the name of Christ in this capacity.”
He said he overcame the crisis of confidence through prayer and a reassurance that through Him, everything is possible. Since his sustaining, Johnson has served as the Executive Director in the Missionary Department, president of the England Manchester Mission (2020–2022), and currently serves in the United States West Area Presidency.
Tributes and reflections
Johnson attributed his life’s opportunities to the sacrifices of his mother, Geneva Mahelona, who passed away in February 2020. Though she did not join the Church, Johnson said she supported his faith and family.
Reflecting on the geography of the BYU–Hawaii campus, the Laie Hawaii Temple, and the Polynesian Cultural Center on Oahu’s North Shore, Johnson described the layout as a divinely designed proximity.
“You have sacred places right there to pursue both your spiritual development and your academic career,” Johnson said, urging current students to stay committed to their faith and utilize the unique spiritual environment of the university campus.