Meet our Seminary Faculty

Kay Obermeyer

Kay loves to serve God’s children!

 She served a full time mission to Wisconsin Milwaukee from February 1981 to August 1982. 

 Kay graduated from the Institute of Religion three times while attending college. Her favorite place to study was the Institute library.

 In June 1989, Kay graduated with an associate degree in Transportation and Warehouse at Weber State University. 

 Kay was married to Jack Obermeyer in the Ogden Temple.

They have a son named Curtis. 

Later on, Kay graduated with the Bachelor of Science degree in Logistics at Weber State University. 

 She has worked as an Accounting Technician for the USDA Forest Service from 1994 to 2010.

 Kay and her husband served as Inservice missionaries for the adapted needs students in Northern Utah.  She and Jack also served as Teacher Aides in the Ogden Institute of Religion.

Laura Gough

Laura Gough grew up attending an oral school called the Utah School for the Deaf and Blind. She later mainstreamed to her local school and graduated. At the age of 14, Laura started learning ASL when she learned she would become completely Deaf.

Laura was baptized at the age of 12, but because of lack of support at home she did not fully attend church until she became 18, when she started attending the Deaf ward.

Laura met her husband at his twin brother’s wedding. They became friends first and then 2 and 1/2 years later they started dating. They have been married for 16 years and have 5 children together.

Laura is a stay at home mom most of the time. She works for her husband’s business as a secretary.

Laura loves learning the gospel and feels each calling she has received has helped her grow and learn different things in the gospel. She is so excited to be a seminary teacher and looks forward to helping others learn to love the gospel. 

Kayla Mcleod

Kayla McLeod lives in Kansas. She been married to her best friend Sam McLeod for 9 years and they have two boys (Chuck, and James).   She is a stay at home mom and has also worked part time as an ASL teacher.  She attended Brigham Young University-Idaho and graduated with a Health Science major in 2016. She has enjoyed being a seminary teacher since January 2023.  She is thrilled to have an opportunity to know you and work with you!

emmalee Christensen

For over 13 years Emmalee has been a part time employee teaching seminary and institute. Emmalee is currently a member of the first ASL Board of Education serving as the chairwoman over the children and youth sub-committee. Her current calling is the chairwoman for the Deaf Symposium and FSDY (For the Strength of Deaf Youth). She is also the owner of Deaf Saints 4 Christ since 2019; a social media platform to bring awareness of ASL content, resources for the deaf Latter-Day saint community. Since 2020 she has managed weekly vlogs via YouTube called "One by One Come Follow Me." Over the years Emmalee has been involved with various film management and productions. She has had assorted opportunities to serve as president or counselor in relief society, young women's, primary, temple worker. She served an ASL mission in Phoenix AZ. Emmalee is a graduate of Utah State University. She is married to her pre-school BFF, Dean. They have been married for 14 years with 3 energetic children (ages 13, 11, & 9). She loves to create opportunities for family and friends to gather. Someday she hopes to lead ASL church history tours. Her personal mantra she lives by, "When life gives you lemons, God can use them to change lives."  

Matt Jamison

Matt Jamison was born in Palo Alto, CA. He was born profoundly deaf since birth due to his mom having German measles and chicken pox while she was pregnant. Matt grew up both in the San Francisco Bay Area, CA and Southern CA. Matt was taught to read lips and attended mainstream public schools from K-12. Upon my graduation from high school, he attended BYU, where he first was exposed to ASL.  It was while he was at BYU he finally received his own testimony of the gospel of Jesus Christ. He decided to go on a 2-year mission where he served in Seattle Washington and Southern CA.  After his mission he resumed college at Gallaudet University in Washington, D.C. and graduated there with a BS degree in Computer Information System.  He started a career as a computer programmer and other various jobs for Lawrence Livermore National Lab (LLNL) in Livermore, CA for 22 years. He aslo taught ASL classes at the community colleges and high school. 


He has been married to his beautiful wife, Debora for 32 years. They have 3 beautiful children, including one who was adopted. Two of them are married and one still remains at home with them.  Matt has had several callings, which include the Branch Presidency, High Priest Quorum presidency, Elder Quorum President, Branch Mission Leader and Temple ASL ordinance worker. He has recently been called as an ASL seminary teacher and LOVES it!   Being a seminary instructor has been one of his favorite callings (besides being a fulltime missionary). He hopes he never gets released!

 

Matt and his wife currently live in Mesa, AZ. His hobbies are video editing, singing/signing church songs in ASL, creating short videos and sharing the gospel. One day he hopes to establish my own video studio. 

Amber Lund

Amber currently lives in New England with her husband and two children, along with a dog and two cats. She graduated from college with a degree in Deaf Education and taught junior high and high school for a few years before meeting her future husband when he was assigned to be her roommate’s home teacher. When their first child was born, she jumped at the chance to become a stay-at-home mom, and then eventually became a homeschooling mom.

She had opportunities to serve in the ASL program at the Bountiful Utah temple and in various callings at church, which usually included teaching. She is an avid reader and usually has a book or two close at hand. She and her family love to explore and discover random things. She also loves learning more about Jesus Christ and His gospel, and is looking forward to learning with her seminary students.

Sara PUtman

Sara Putman is a native Californian, growing up in the beautiful Los Angeles Valley. She is the middle (deaf) child of two hearing parents, with two other Deaf sisters. Years of speech therapy and the use of hearing aids provided her limited access to educational and social activities and resources. Nevertheless, she was introduced to ASL in 6th Grade and began a renewed journey of self-identity and confidence. Her LDS pioneer heritage continued to be a blessing as she pursued in serving in many Church leadership callings and strengthening her testimony of Jesus Christ in the Riverside Deaf Branch, CA.

 

The sweetest years came when Sara started to participate in the Young Single Adult and Institute programs, furthering her Gospel knowledge and preparing to meet her eternal companion. Her dreams were fully realized when she was sealed for time and all eternity in the San Diego Temple in May 1999.

 

Shortly after, they traveled and started their family in Rexburg, Idaho. Sara’s calling as a mother in Zion blessed her life with 3 beautiful girls. While at Ricks, she also served a 1-year service mission, and hosted ASL community classes for children and adults.

 

Her family decided to move back to California, Central Coast.  More children followed adding to their ranks with two additional girls and a boy. Today, their 6 beautiful children range between the ages 23 to 11.

 

Sarah has served in a variety of Church callings, including Primary, Young Women and Relief Society presidencies.  She also works as a, business entrepreneur/partner and certified tax preparer.  She has held this occupation for nearly 20 years!


Being a seminary teacher is a new one for her, but she is excited and cannot wait to see what the Lord will reveal to her on her covenant path with the youth of the church.

Jerry and Stefanie Saltern

Jerry and Stefanie live in Idaho and were married in the Idaho Falls temple in 1994.  They lived in Logan, Utah where they first met at Utah State University, and have since lived in Salt Lake City, UT, and Madison Wisconsin. 

Jerry served an ASL mission in St. Louis, Missouri his full two years. Past callings include teaching Primary together and various other age groups. They served as Ward missionaries in Madison, WI.  Stefanie has taught ASL for over 20 years and started a "Learn ASL" church class for future interpreters that is held over Zoom. In January 2021, they were called to teach ASL Seminary and Institute and enjoy this calling.

They love to plan events, attend conferences for the Deaf (especially Deaf Symposium), dress up for Halloween, serve in the community, do arts and crafts, decorate for holidays, see musical plays, watch adventurous and Hallmark movies, camp, and travel. 

They have 2 kittens born in October 2022 and had 3 previous cats that they call their fur babies. They also have some "adopted kids" who call them "Deaf mom" or "Deaf dad" that they met through their ASL classes, who have invited them to their temple sealings. They love playing with their 21 nephews and 9 nieces, and some have taken an interest in ASL.

Delight Lydiate

Delight Lydiate is a long-time gospel teacher. Being a seminary teacher is her newest venture and one she is looking forward to. Delight grew up in Idaho attending the deaf school and mainstreaming. She attended USU then served a mission to the New York, New York North mission in the Bronx area. After returning home, she moved to California to finish her schooling. During that time, she dated and married John Lydiate from New Zealand who served in the Arizona Phoenix Mission. Both graduated from their colleges and moved to Phoenix while also having 4 children, 3 girls and a boy. Their oldest is starting seminary this fall as well! Her hobbies are reading, playing pickleball when she can, and chasing down her kids for a tickle fest. When her kids are in school, Delight works as an ASL translator for the church and is working towards getting her Certificate in Deaf Interpreting. One of her favorite things to do is to observe how God works His mysteries in the lives of His children and recognize the Savior's love in her life. She looks forward to seeing the gospel in action in the lives of Deaf youth!

Doris Martin

A native Idahoan, Doris was born in the Church and in an all-Deaf family with 9 children.  She loves the scriptures and read the Book of Mormon 11 times when she attended Seminary in High School.  Doris has always been active in Church and probably has had all the callings available in the Church for women.  She served a mission in Tampa, Florida and Salt Lake City, Utah.

 

Doris received her BA with Honors in Secondary Education - History from Gallaudet University.  Her Master’s Degree  is in Educational Administration and Supervision - Area of Deafness received from the well-known Leadership Training Program (LTP) at California State University Northridge.  Most of her career was spent as a school administrator at several Deaf schools.

 

Doris has three beautiful adult children - Javan, Katherine and William. 

 

Along with being a seminary teacher, Doris is also an ASL temple ordinance worker and a member of the funeral and compassion committees in her ward.  Doris spends a lot of time doing family history and follows up with doing temple work regularly for her ancestors. She recently finished a 150-page book commemorating her father’s experience in the 1957 Deaflympics.  Doris enjoys walking, sewing (mostly quilts) and crocheting.

Christy Knowles


Christy was born in St. Louis, Missouri, and currently resides in Key West, Florida, with her husband. She became deaf at 14 months old, while her brother became deaf at 15 months old, both due to unknown causes. Christy was an oralist from an early age and had speech therapy for many years. She was raised in St. Louis and Miami after her parents divorced.


During her junior high school years, she attended mainstream public school in St. Louis. At 16, she enrolled at the Florida School for the Deaf, where she learned ASL. Christy was not raised in any church but converted to LDS while attending Gallaudet University. She later transferred to NTID and earned her AAS degree in data processing.


After graduating, Christy served a mission in Anaheim CA, Houston TX, and Charlotte NC, creating many unforgettable memories and meeting diverse and interesting people. Post-mission, she worked as an accounting clerk in her mother's business in Miami for several years.


At a singles conference in West Palm Beach, she met her husband, Sonny. They were sealed in the Atlanta Georgia Temple in 1992. Together, they have three grown children: Adrianna (32), Little Sonny (29), and Ali (28), two of whom were married in the temple. Christy has been a housewife since marriage, while Sonny works as a private pilot for three wealthy families.


In her spare time, Christy enjoys reading church books, attending Zoom classes, doing genealogy, yard work, and going on boat rides. She also loves vacationing in St. Augustine and Salt Lake City to visit family. Recently, she was thrilled to receive a calling as an ASL seminary teacher, where she loves teaching the gospel of Jesus Christ. Her joy comes from seeing her seminary students expand their knowledge of the gospel.