Aaron grew up in Laie in the shadow of BYU–Hawaii. He graduated from Liahona High School in Tonga, and after an additional year of high school in California, he attended BYU–Hawaii. Following a mission to Taiwan for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Aaron returned to BYU–Hawaii where he met his wife, May Villanueva, a student from the Philippines, in Concert Choir.
Aaron graduated from BYU–Hawaii with a degree in English and minors in Chinese and Business Finance. He attended Washington & Lee University School of Law, and following graduation in 2000 they moved back to Hawaii so Aaron could practice real estate and business law at Ashford & Wriston LLLP in Honolulu. After twelve years in the law, Aaron joined the Church Education System in Seminaries and Institutes, splitting his time between assignments in Honolulu, Laie, and the neighbor islands. In 2021 he joined the Religious Education faculty at BYU–Hawaii and served as its Director for four and a half years. In September 2026, he was named Dean of the Faculty of Business and Government.
Aaron and May have six children, two of whom are married, and three grandchildren. They enjoy spending time together as a family.
EDUCATION
Juris Doctor, Washington and Lee University School of Law – Lexington, Virginia
- International Law Program research assistant; Negotiations Competition.
Bachelor of Arts in English, Brigham Young University–Hawaii – Laie, Hawaii
- Summa cum laude; valedictorian; Phi Kappa Phi Graduate Fellowship recipient.
Certificate in Language Proficiency, Central China Normal University – Wuhan, People’s Republic of China
- Highly intensive Mandarin language study following mission to Taiwan; translated for Elder John H. Groberg in 1995 trip to China to establish sister-school relations between BYUH and CCNU.
TEACHING EXPERIENCE
Aug 2021 – present Associate Professor, Faculty of Religious Education, BYU–Hawaii – Laie, Hawaii
- Served as Director of Religious Education from Aug. 2021 to January 2026, directing the work of faculty, including scheduling, classroom observations, inservice training and faculty reviews.
- Courses taught: REL 225 Foundations of the Restoration; REL 250 Jesus Christ and His Everlasting Gospel; REL 290 The Divine Gift of Forgiveness; REL 471 Fundamentals of Gospel Teaching; BUSM 342/POSC 352 Business Law and Ethics
May 2012 – Aug 2021 Coordinator, Seminaries & Institutes of Religion – Laie, Hawaii
- Taught several semesters of the Cornerstone Courses - REL 200 The Eternal Family; REL 225 Foundations of the Restoration; REL 250 Jesus Christ and the Everlasting Gospel; and REL 275 Teachings and Doctrine of the Book of Mormon.
- Taught scripture-based courses in the Book of Mormon, Doctrine & Covenants, Old Testament, New Testament, and Pearl of Great Price.
- Emphasized teaching Christ-centered, learner-focused classes with doctrinal purity.
- Worked effectively with priesthood leaders and trained 100+ stake-called teachers in five stakes to fulfill the Objective of Seminaries & Institutes.
- Grew the multi-stake Laie Institute program to an enrollment of 150 students.
Sep. 2013 – Aug 2021; Jan. – April 1996 Special Instructor / Adjunct Faculty, Brigham Young University-Hawaii – Laie, Hawaii
- Helped over 200 students increase skills and confidence in gospel teaching.
- Prepared students for possible religious education careers in Church schools in the South Pacific.
- Taught three freshman English classes at BYU–Hawaii in Winter 1996.
WORK EXPERIENCE
Aug 2000 – June 2012 Attorney / Partner, Ashford & Wriston LLLP – Honolulu, Hawaii
- Co-founded the firm’s Intellectual Property & Technology practice group as a first-year associate and helped grow it to a thriving portfolio; chaired the firm’s Marketing Committee.
- Advised the Church in several real estate transactions, including consolidation and re-subdivision of land underlying the Laie Hawaii Temple.
PUBLICATIONS
Aaron M. Shumway, “‘This commandment they observe to keep’: The Generational Promises of Lamanite Obedience to God’s Laws of Marriage and Sexual Purity” to be published in The Interpreter in Fall 2026.
Aaron M. Shumway, “‘They have christened the house ‘Zion’: The Oldest Standing Meetinghouse in the South Pacific” to be published in Pacific Studies Journal in Winter 2027.
“Places of Gathering and Refuge in Asia and the Pacific,” ed. Po Nien (Felipe) Chou, 'Alisi K. Langi, Petra M. W. S. Chou, and Aaron Shumway, to be published in Pacific Studies in Winter 2027.
Aaron Shumway and Eliza May Villanueva Shumway, “'Be Not Weary in Well Doing': Josefina Sacro Villanueva and the Growth of the Church in the Philippines,” in Voices of Latter-day Saint Women in the Pacific and Asia, ed. Po Nien (Felipe) Chou, 'Alisi K. Langi, and Petra M. W. S. Chou (Provo: Religious Studies Center; Salt Lake City: Deseret Book), 325–52.
Scott C. Esplin, Brad Streeter, Rory Bigelow, Aaron Shumway, and David Peck, "Department and Individual Efforts to Amplify Prophetic Messages," Religious Educator 25, no. 3 (2024): 57–72.
Sep. 2011 Aaron M. Shumway, “Corporate Dissolution,'” Corporations Manual, 2 ed. (Honolulu: Hawaii State Bar Association, 2011).
PRESENTATIONS
“‘This is an hard saying’: A Pattern for Helping Students Deal With Difficult Prophetic Teachings,” presented at the CES Religious Educators Conference held at BYU on June 5, 2026.
“‘This commandment they observe to keep’: The Generational Promises of Lamanite Obedience to God’s Laws of Marriage and Sexual Purity,” presented at the 2026 Small Plates Conference sponsored by the Interpreter Foundation and held at BYU on May 29-30, 2026.
“Canoe Boys and Beyond,” presentation on the impact of the Canoe Tours at the Polynesian Cultural Center, PCC 60th Anniversary Historical Presentations.
“‘Be Not Weary in Well Doing,’ Josefina Villanueva and the Growth of the Church in the Philippines,” presentation with Eliza May Villanueva Shumway at Voices of Latter-day Saint Women in the Pacific and Asia, Conference, BYU–Hawaii.
CV Last Revised September 2026
