Jata T. Packer

Jata T. Packer is the 18th and current Desereti President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. He is most known for increasing church funding of the arts, exhorting church members to learn and preserve the many languages that Deseret has record of from Old Earth, and calling the first foreign serving missionaries in Deseret's 228 year history.

Early life and education

Jata Packer was born in Deseret's capitol city of Zarahemla June 13th, DE 147 (PD XXXX) to his parents Busar Packer and Catherine Alexander. He has three sisters Huseina, Tanya, and Mikayla. Packer's father Busar was a partner for the architectural firm Molinero-Paora and later became a member of the Taumata City Council. Packer's mother Catherine held a PhD in Agricultural Chemistry and was Vice-President of the Taumata Chapter of the Desereti Greenhouse Association.
Upon turning 18 years old Packer applied to join the Desereti Marines for his two years of National Service, attached to patrol ships on the outer rim of the solar system. After the end of his term of service Packer attended the University of Zarahemla where he earned a Doctorate in Aerospace Engineering. During his studies he married Rosália Amorim and had the first of his four children, Richard.

Aerospace career

After graduation Packer moved to Rivendell to join the Coutinho Aerospace Firm where he designed luxury travel airships. The 300 passenger Obsidian-class zeppelin that Packer designed won him the coveted Golden Beehive Award and is still in service to this day. During this time he would go on to have his three remaining children, Hyrum, Sarah, and Noel. Packer would go on to join the Society of Aesthetical Engineering where he would promote architecture and design.

Church service

In addition to his aerospace work, Packer was called several times to serve as a leader in the LDS Church. During his time at the University of Zarahemla and the early years of his marriage he served as a counselor in several youth bishoprics and as a member of a stake high council. After joining the Coutinho Aerospace Firm, he served as a stake president in Rivendell from XXXX to XXXX, with Wakamatsu Kaemon serving as his second counselor. Packer also served for ten years as president of the Young Men general presidency.
Apostleship
Packer was called as an apostle by church president Suto Hirokichi and was sustained as a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles on May 8th, XXXX, during the church's general conference. He was ordained an apostle on May 11th, XXXX, by Gordon S. Rochefort. Packer filled the vacancy in the Quorum created by the death of Andrew Galloway. As an apostle, Packer was an adviser to the church's Presiding Bishopric where he worked to support upgrading the Bishop's Storehouse System.
In XXXX, Packer represented the LDS Church during hearings with Congress and the Federal Revenue Service over allegations that the church had used church funds to bribe elected officials. Packer's complete transparency and calm demeanor in responding to questioning helped the church defuse the situation without incident.
President of the Church
With the death of Nicolas McKinney on January 13th, XXX, Packer was ordained and set apart as church president. Packer was introduced to church members and the media two days later, along with Emmanuel Avery as his First Counselor and Gordon S. Rochefort as Second Counselor.
Marble Protests One of the earliest controversies during Packer's tenure as president of the church was during the Marble Riots of XXX. With immigrants appearing on Deseret for the first time there were many in the more conservative branches of the population who made demands of President Gideon Caldwell to deny the sale of Desereti Ocean Marble, a culturally significant building material, to any non Christians. When that did not result in the outcome they wanted they traveled to Church Headquarters in Zarahemla where they demanded President Packer force the government's hand. Instead, Packer would rebuke the protectors stating:

These people, your brothers and sisters and equal sons and daughters of God, have come to you in their time of need. Now they are here, hoping to create a new home for themselves and their families. Surely, we of all people can understand that desire?

I hear accusations that the church is abandoning its purpose in defending and spreading the gospel of Christ. I am here to tell you no, we are not. We are defending a principle vital to the spread of the gospel, that all are free to worship God as their conscience dictates. How we act now will have ripples in the future that none here will live to see.

— LDS Church President Jata T Packer, addressing the Marble Protest

Packer would go on to help the immigrants, predominately hindu and buddhist in establishing their own places of worship.  It is commonly believed that this sign of magnanimity is what triggered the wave of conversions that came in the following years.