Keith McMullin, former CEO of Deseret Management, dies at age 85

SALT LAKE CITY — Keith B. McMullin, a former member of the Presiding Bishopric of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and business leader who spent over a decade working as CEO and president of Deseret Management Corporation, died Wednesday. He was 85.

McMullin "was always inclined to think in terms of the needs of people," said David H. Burton, who served with McMullin for nearly two decades in the church's Presiding Bishopric.

He had an "unusual affinity and love for people" and did a lot to advance the church's "involvement in caring for the poor and the needy," he said.

"When deliberating decisions," Burton said, "he thought in terms of how to benefit people."

McMullin led DMC, which includes the Deseret News, from April 2012 to December 2023, after serving as second counselor in the Presiding Bishopric of The Church of Jesus Christ.

"Keith McMullin was one of a kind," said Sheri Dew, executive vice president and chief content officer at DMC. "As a boss, he always had my back. As a leader, he had an uncanny knack for pointing the way while being sensitive to the needs of all involved.

"As an example of decency, humility and dignity, he was the consummate gentleman. My life is so much better because of the time I spent with him," Dew said.

McMullin's service in the Presiding Bishopric, which manages the church's global temporal affairs and welfare programs, followed a line of service and leadership opportunities that prepared and enabled McMullin to be tutored by the Lord.

Throughout his life, McMullin also served his family as a son, husband and father of eight children.

"There is nothing flashy about us, but we have been blessed with a wonderful family," McMullin told the Church News soon after his call to the Presiding Bishopric in December 1995. "We do everything possible to fulfill what the Lord has called us to do and will give our all in this new assignment."

McMullin dedicated himself to his responsibilities within this calling and others at various times, including his callings to serve as bishop, high councilor, stake president, stake patriarch, young proselyting missionary and later mission president in Germany.

Before his call to the Presiding Bishopric, McMullin also served in the faith's Welfare Services Department for 20 years, 10 of which he served as managing director.

McMullin was "always so kind" and his ideas "reflected his wealth of knowledge and experience," said Gary Porter, senior vice president at DMC. "He was really wise in the counsel he gave."

Porter worked with McMullin at the church's Welfare Services Department and later followed him to DMC. He also served with him as secretary in the Presiding Bishopric.

From decades of working with him, Porter said he most enjoyed McMullin's "bright" mind, his "power of reasoning," and their shared country background.

McMullin "was a really good mentor for me," Porter said.

In his professional life, McMullin did not divide his faith from his work, but rather viewed his career and responsibilities as another type of calling and a part of his becoming.

"The gospel is true," he testified in one devotional, where he spoke of how a career can help one fulfill their life's mission. "Jesus is the Redeemer. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is true. And you are on the Lord's errand. That is your mission, in whatever circumstance you find yourself."

McMullin's work and leadership were recognized various times, including by receiving the 2024 Utah Business Leader Community Impact Award and the 2024 South Valley Chamber Titan Award.

"A piece of advice I would share with other Utah businesses is this," McMullin said upon receiving the Utah Business Leader Award at One Utah Summit. "There is a cultural heritage, an ethos here, that can be embraced and incorporated into your own business experiences and culture that will serve you very well. Study it, embrace it and adopt it."

Under McMullin's leadership, DMC's media companies — including Deseret News, KSL and its partners under Bonneville International, Bonneville Communications, Deseret Book and Deseret Digital Media — underwent transformation and became "industry leaders for innovation," according to a Deseret News report in 2023.

McMullin was born in St. George on Aug. 18, 1941, and grew up in Leeds, Washington County, and later Salt Lake City. He studied banking and finance at the University of Utah and married Carolyn Jean Gibbs in June 1964 in the Salt Lake Temple.

Prior to his time at DMC, McMullin managed several small businesses and worked as an investment and financial analyst at Ford Motor Company. He believed in God and served him faithfully.

"I bear witness God is our Eternal Father and dwells in yonder heavens," McMullin said in his final general conference address, which he delivered in 2011. "Jesus the Christ is God's holy Son, the Redeemer of the world."

McMullin's full list of general conference addresses can be accessed here. A list of his BYU speeches is available here.

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