Background and History of Forever Families

The Forever Families website, which officially launched August 2002, is sponsored by the School of Family Life at Brigham Young University. Articles on the website are authored by students and faculty in the School of Family Life and are reviewed by a team of editors.

The website is organized around the themes of The Family: A Proclamation to the World (the Proclamation). The Proclamation was designated as the school's charter by President Boyd K. Packer. The Proclamation emphasizes the nature and importance of marriage, families, and parenthood, coinciding with the faith traditions of many world religions (Madsen, Lawrence, & Christiansen, 2000).

Website Staff

Stephen F. Duncan, PhD, CFLE Director and Editor
Dr. Duncan is Professor in the School of Family Life at Brigham Young University. He received his doctorate in family studies from Purdue University in 1988. Prior to coming to BYU, Dr. Duncan was Professor and Extension Specialist at Montana State University for more than seven years, and held a similar position for five years at Auburn University in Alabama. His specialties include strengthening marriages and families through outreach education. He also serves on the editorial board of Family Relations and Marriage and Families. Dr. Duncan and his wife Barbara are the parents of five children.
Brynn M. Steimle, MS Associate Director
Steimle is a childcare licensing specialist for the state of Utah. She received her Master's degree in 2003 from Brigham Young University in Marriage, Family, and Human Development. She previously served as part-time faculty at BYU, teaching  parenting. Steimle has lived in several places around the USA, as well as in Japan and Germany. She is married to Joshua Steimle and has three siblings and ten nieces and nephews.
M. Sue Bergin, MS, MFA Associate Editor
Bergin received her BA degree from BYU in university studies (emphases in English, music, Spanish), a master's degree in journalism from Northwestern, and a master’s degree in screenwriting from UCLA. She has worked as a reporter for the San Francisco Chronicle and Ogden Standard-Examiner, as national news editor for BYU Public Communications, and as adjunct faculty for the BYU Honors Program and the BYU English Department. Bergin writes regularly for BYU Magazine, wrote the documentary film “Helen Foster Snow: Witness to Revolution” (2000), and edits books. She has 8 siblings and 13 nieces and nephews.