Dr. Steven C. Harper - Co-Founder and CEO
Steve is a leading scholar of Joseph Smith's First Vision and his later revelations, and he's the only guide in the game with over 20 years as a professor of Church history, 10 years as a volume editor of The Joseph Smith Papers, and 6 years as the Managing Historian and a General Editor of Saints: The Story of The Church of Jesus Christ in the Latter Days. Steve earned his PhD at Lehigh University in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, and wrote his first book about the history of the colony.
Learn more about Steve at his website, stevencraigharper.com.
Dr Harper is currently available to host the following private groups:
From Revolution to Restoration
Dr Harper has previously hosted the following trips:
Covenants Old and New: A Yucatan Cruise (2026)
Jackson County to Nauvoo (2026)
From Revolution to Restoration (private tour - 2025)
Joseph Smith and the Restoration (2025)
Go to the Ohio (private tour - 2025)
From Revolution to Restoration (2024)
Scott Salvesen - Co-Founder and COO
Scott hails from South Africa. He frequently visited the African veld with his family and gained a passion for the outdoors. He moved with his family to Utah as a teenager, earned a BS in Exercise Science and Outdoor Recreation from Utah Valley University, and graduated from the University of Florida with an MS in Tourism and Recreation Management, concentrating in Natural Resource Recreation. His thesis evaluated businesses in the ecotourism sector based on visitor interaction, host community relationships, and proper business practices. Scott also has an MS in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from Missouri State University. For his day job, Scott is a therapist specializing in adolescents who have experienced trauma and addiction.
Scott is the co-host of the popular LDS podcast Family Bro Evening, and brings a wealth of travel knowledge and experience to our trips.
Dr. Kerry Muhlestein - Guest Host
Kerry Muhlestein received his B.S. from BYU in psychology with a Hebrew minor, an M.A. in Ancient Near Eastern Studies from BYU, and his Ph.D. from UCLA in Egyptology. He has served as the Senior Vice President for the Society for the Study of Egyptian Antiquities, has been the co-chair for the Egyptian Archaeology Session of the American Schools of Oriental Research, and has been a Senior Fellow of the William F. Albright Institute for Archaeological Research.
Dr Muhlestein has previously hosted on the following trips:
Covenants Old and New: A Yucatan Cruise (2026)
Stephen O. Smoot - Guest Host
Stephen O. Smoot is a scholar specializing in ancient scripture and Latter-day Saint studies. He is a doctoral candidate in Semitic and Egyptian Languages and Literature at the Catholic University of America. He holds a master’s degree in Near and Middle Eastern Civilizations, with a concentration in Egyptology, from the University of Toronto, and bachelor’s degrees in Ancient Near Eastern Studies (Hebrew Bible emphasis) and German Studies from Brigham Young University.
Stephen currently serves as an adjunct instructor of ancient scripture at Brigham Young University and as a research associate with the Ancient America Foundation. From 2020 to 2025, he was a research associate with the B. H. Roberts Foundation, and from 2015 to 2020, he held the same role with Book of Mormon Central. His scholarship focuses on the intersection of the ancient Near East and Latter-day Saint scripture, particularly the Book of Abraham and the Book of Mormon. In addition, he has published on Latter-day Saint history, with research addressing topics such as the reception of the Book of Mormon and the Book of Abraham, the Book of Mormon witnesses, Joseph Smith’s revelations, and the Latter-day Saint experience in Nazi Germany.
Stephen has contributed to Latter-day Saint publications such as Interpreter: A Journal of Latter-day Saint Faith and Scholarship, Religious Educator, Journal of Mormon History, Latter-day Saint Historical Studies and BYU Studies, and non-Latter-day Saint publications such as Brill, Catholic Biblical Quarterly, and the Journal of the Society for the Study of Egyptian Antiquities. He is the editor of The Pearl of Great Price: A Study Edition for Latter-day Saints and the co-author of the volumes Joseph Smith’s Uncanonized Revelations and A Guide to the Book of Abraham (a special issue of BYU Studies).
Beyond academia, Stephen engages in public scholarship through organizations like FairMormon and the Interpreter Foundation, where he addresses topics related to Latter-day Saint history and doctrine. He has also participated in podcasts and conferences, discussing subjects such as the translation of the Book of Abraham, biblical interpretation, and the historicity of Latter-day Saint scriptures. Along with Neal and Jasmin Rappleye, he is a cohost for the podcast Informed Saints, produced by the Ancient America Foundation.
Stephen is a native of Salt Lake City, Utah, where he graduated from East High School. From 2009 to 2011, he served as a missionary for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in northern New England. His previous Church callings have included elders quorum president, elders quorum instructor, gospel doctrine teacher, branch clerk, and temple worker. He is married to Amberlea Erekson, and they have one son.
Stephen is currently hosting the following trips: