SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Dallin H. Oaks, a former Utah Supreme Court justice, was named Tuesday to lead The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and its more than 17 million members worldwide.

Oaks’ selection as president of what is widely known as the Mormon church follows the recent death of his 101-year-old predecessor, Russell M. Nelson. His ascension is not a surprise; a longstanding church policy says the longest-tenured member of a top leadership body called the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles becomes the next president. The tradition is meant to ensure a seamless transition and prevent internal or public lobbying.

As president, Oaks is considered a prophet and seer who will guide the church through divine revelation from God alongside two top counselors and members of the Quorum. He’ll set policy and oversee the church’s many business interests.

The church’s leadership transition comes as many of its members have been shaken by a deadly attack on a Michigan congregation, and are grappling with the high-profile assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk in Utah, where the denomination is based.

At 93, Oaks will be one of the church’s oldest presidents. He will serve in the role until he dies. Tenures for past presidents have varied, with the longest reaching nearly 30 years and the shortest being just nine months.

Experts are doubtful Oaks will pivot sharply from Nelson’s approach to leadership because he was one of Nelson’s closest advisers. But experts say Oaks might shift from Nelson’s focus on the faith’s global footprint to domestic issues.

In the first major difference from Nelson’s presidency, Oaks announced during the faith’s recent general conference that the church will slow the announcement of new temples.

He also emphasized the importance of family while acknowledging that not all families look the same. In a departure from his typical sermons, which often appeal more to reason than emotion, Oaks shared a story about the day his grandfather told him at age 7 that his father had died. He went on to describe the value of being raised by a single mother and others who stepped into parental roles for him and his siblings.

Oaks is known for his jurist sensibilities and traditionalist beliefs on marriage and religious freedom. He has been a driving force in the church against same-sex marriage and in upholding a teaching that homosexuality is a sin — a position that causes uneasiness among LGBTQ+ members and their allies.

He said in 2022 that social and legal pressure would not influence the church to change its posture on same-sex marriage and matters of gender identity.

Yet in recent years, Oaks has been part of some key church moves that suggest he might not make the topic a centerpiece of his administration, experts say. Oaks was Nelson’s closest adviser in 2019 when Nelson rescinded a policy that banned baptisms for children of gay parents and labeled same-sex couples as sinners eligible for expulsion.

Oaks has also been a strong advocate for civil public discourse.

Early on as an apostle, he was involved in a crackdown on far-right extremism that resulted in some excommunications. In 2020, he gave a speech about having faith in elections without resorting to radicalism or violence.

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A festivalgoer was killed outside a popular country music festival in Utah when she was struck by a piece of falling debris from a nearby construction site while fleeing from the intense weather.

Ava Ahlander was outside Redwest Music Festival at the Utah State Fairpark in Salt Lake City when powerful gusts of wind ripped a large plank from a scaffold and sent it flying towards her, the Salt Lake Tribune reported.

The 23-year-old was evacuating the fairgrounds with other attendees and three friends to find shelter from the high winds when the massive plank fell about 30 feet as she and her friends stepped out of her car — crushing her and her vehicle.

She was rushed to the hospital with critical, life-threatening injuries, police said.

The young country music fan died from her injuries, a family representative told KSL on Monday.

Ahlander, who grew up in American Fork and had been living in Seattle, returned to the Beehive State with friends to enjoy the music festival and see Post Malone, her uncle, Bobby Ahlander wrote in a heartbreaking Facebook post.

“She just always loved having fun. It was really fun to be around her,” he told KSL.

“Honestly, it’s been excruciating. The grief and the sorrow, and of course, it’s such a big surprise; and it’s just such a huge loss.”

Her uncle said, as his niece and her friends stood outside the vehicle, the plank hit her in what he called a “freak accident.”

Though first responders managed to revive her at the scene, doctors later found she had no brain activity, he revealed.

Her family said she was kept on life support just long enough for them to say their goodbyes.

“Ava was a beautiful soul whose kindness, warmth, and adventurous spirit touched everyone around her,” family members wrote on a GoFundMe to help them with funeral and medical expenses, and to provide funds for her friends who witnessed the tragedy to attend grief counseling.

“Even in her passing, Ava continues to give the gift of life to others as an organ donor—a final act of generosity that truly reflects her caring nature and desire to help those in need.”

Ahlander’s love for music was matched only by her love for the outdoors, the ocean, and her life in the Pacific Northwest, her uncle Bobby revealed to KSL.

After graduating from American Fork High School, she headed to Oregon for college before settling in Seattle, where she’d fallen in love with her new surroundings.

“Ava was an absolute delight of a human being. Everyone loved her. She had the best smile,” her uncle wrote on Facebook.

SALT LAKE CITY — A woman who was critically injured by flying debris over the weekend while trying to escape a storm that disrupted Redwest Music Festival has died, according to her family.

Ava Ahlander, 23, originally from American Fork but residing in Seattle, died at a hospital after her organs were donated, a family representative said. They said she had returned to Utah to attend the music festival at Utah State Fairpark with a friend, as she loved music festivals.

“Ava was a beautiful soul whose kindness, warmth, and adventurous spirit touched everyone around her,” her family wrote on a GoFundMe* page. “Even in her passing, Ava continues to give the gift of life to others as an organ donor — a final act of generosity that truly reflects her caring nature and desire to help those in need.”

Officers and firefighters responded to a report of an injured person near 1055 W. North Temple shortly after 5 p.m. Saturday, according to Salt Lake Police Lt. Leigh Willis. The concert had been suspended as a thunderstorm rolled into the Wasatch Front, and many attendees started running for cover to avoid the lightning, rain and strong winds.

Ahlander was near her car, which was parked near a construction site, when she was struck by a large plank from scaffolding that also fell onto her car, Willis said. She was transported to a nearby hospital in critical condition. Doctors ultimately determined that she had lost brain activity, according to her family. They say she was kept on life support long enough for her family to say goodbye, and for organ donation.

Saturday’s storm prompted a high wind warning from the National Weather Service, which said wind gusts of 60 mph were possible as a cold front swept through the region. Willis said a strong wind burst likely caused the scaffolding to fall.

The concert’s Saturday festivities, including a performance from headliner Post Malone, were ultimately canceled because of the weather.

Contributing: Eric Cabrera

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