The Executive Committee of the North American Division (NAD) of the Seventh-day Adventist Church voted on August 18, 2020, to recommend the name of Kyoshin Ahn for the position of NAD executive secretary. Ahn’s name was presented to the executive committee by the nominating committee, which met on Aug. 17. G. Alexander Bryant, officially voted in to the position of NAD president on July 9, 2020, chaired both committees.

On Thursday, Aug. 20, the General Conference Executive Committee will meet to vote the name recommended by the NAD Executive Committee. The NAD executive secretary, along with the two other NAD officer positions of president and treasurer, are voted by the General Conference Executive Committee and then assigned to work for the North American Division.  

The division's nominating committee is termed a standing committee appointed by the NAD Executive Committee in 2015. The nominating committee has recommended the names of individuals to the executive committee for vote during the past five years in order to fill division vacancies.

Kyoshin Ahn is currently serving as undersecretary for the NAD, a position he’s held since February 2016. He also served the division as an associate secretary from 2013 to 2016.

Before coming to the division, Ahn served almost eight years as executive secretary for the Illinois Conference.

Ahn began his pastoral ministry in 1995 in the Potomac Conference, and served there until 2001. He was then president of the Korean Churches Association in North America from June 2001 to October 2005.

He graduated with a bachelor’s degree from Sahmyook University in Korea, followed by a Master of Divinity from Andrews University Theological Seminary in Michigan, U.S., and a Ph.D. in New Testament and Early Christianity from Vanderbilt University.