Mark Paredes

Mark Paredes is the author of the "Middle East Matters" column for the Deseret News, the "Jews and Mormons" blog for the Jewish Journal of Greater Los Angeles, and a monthly column for Meridian Magazine. He served as a U.S. diplomat at the United States Embassy in Tel Aviv from 1994–1996 and the U.S. Consulate General in Guadalajara, Mexico from 1991-1993. He also worked as the press attaché for the Consulate General of Israel in Los Angeles, the National Director of Hispanic Outreach for the American Jewish Congress, and the Executive Director of the Western Region of the ZOA.

A native of Michigan, Mark joined The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) in 1979. He served a mission for the LDS Church in Italy. He studied law at the University of Texas, received a B.A. in Italian from Brigham Young University and studied Russian at the Moscow University of Steel and Alloys. He speaks seven languages fluently and has lived in five countries.

Mark served on the High Council of the Los Angeles California Santa Monica stake for 7 years. He is also a member of the Board of Directors of the BYU Management Society's Los Angeles chapter. Mark lost a brother, Tony, to leukemia in 1988 and has one surviving sibling, a sister who lives in Michigan with her husband and three sons. His mother is a retired social worker.

Mark has been speaking on LDS-Jewish relations around the world for nine years, both in the U.S. and in 13 European countries. He will begin leading tours to Israel for Morris Murdock Travel beginning in March 2012.

Sources

• compilation of multiple articles on Paredes
• article about Paredes
• LDS Church News, Aug 22, 2009
• Mormon Times, Sep. 23, 2009
• another bio of Paredes
• short bio of Paredes

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Name	Paredes, Mark
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Date of birth	1967
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