Management Team

General Counsel

As Young Living’s general counsel, Kevin holds 25 years of experience as a lawyer in the direct-selling industry, bringing to Young Living a deep understanding of the direct-selling model and the laws and regulations that impact it. He began his legal career as an assistant staff judge advocate in the United States Air Force and then as a special assistant U.S. attorney.

Over the years he’s served actively in the Lawyers Council and the Government Relations Committee of the U.S. Direct Selling Association (DSA). Kevin is a past president and former member of the board of directors of the Mountain West Chapter of the Association of Corporate Counsel (ACC). He received his Juris Doctor degree from Creighton University School of Law and his LL.M. degree in international business transactions from the McGeorge School of Law (University of the Pacific).

Outside of work, Kevin spends time with his family, reads historical novels, and watches historical movies and documentaries. As an avid hockey fan, he can often be found playing competitive men’s league hockey. His favorite Young Living products include Peace & Calming®, Idaho Grand Fir, Manuka, Ylang Ylang, KidScents® KidPower™, Frankincense, and Helichrysum.

Chief Operating Officer

Prasad Gankanda was born in Sri Lanka. He learned English while attending Trinity College, a Sri Lankan British boarding school, and began pursuing a pilot’s license while still in high school. At the age of 19, he packed two suitcases and left his home to travel to Logan, Utah, where he earned a degree at Utah State University in mechanical and aerospace engineering. He continues to call Utah home.

Prasad’s thorough understanding of engineering has equipped him to successfully troubleshoot a wide variety of business challenges spanning operations, new market development, and global sales. His signature highly energy translates into high efficiency and productivity throughout his team—a team recognized for producing world-class results. His current team spans the globe at Young Living, where he oversees all revenue and sales operations.

Prasad’s go-to products include Valor® and Highest Potential™ essential oil blends.

Chief Financial Officer

Melissa Bishop joined Young Living with an extensive background in Finance and Accounting. Before accepting the position of CFO, she spent four years as the head of our Global Tax department ensuring that we remain compliant in all our markets and has been a key participant in launching 10 new markets over the past two years. Melissa is a collaborator and out of the box thinker who loves being part of a team and working to find creative solutions to problems.

Melissa received her Masters of Accountancy with an emphasis on Tax from Brigham Young University and is a Certified Public Accountant. She has 15 years of experience in the direct sales industry, as well as four years of experience working in public accounting for both Arthur Andersen and KPMG. Prior to joining Young Living, Melissa worked for another direct sales company as their Chief Financial Officer. She has also served as the past president of the Utah chapter of the American Women’s Society of CPAs.

Growing up, Melissa helped her father with everything from hanging drywall to changing the brakes on her car. Learning these skills allowed her to build trust in herself and her abilities and gave her the confidence she needed to succeed. Outside of work, Melissa is an avid reader and will read anything from sci-fi to fantasy to romance to mysteries. She is very musical and can often be found playing the piano or singing; the latter has led her across the world from San Diego to Budapest to Zagreb. She loves to travel, try new foods, garden, scuba dive, and work on DIY projects.

One of Melissa’s favorite Young Living products is Zyng for a burst of natural energy and a quick pick-me-up. At the end of the day, she loves to diffuse a blend of Cedarwood and Lavender for a warm and comforting scent, and never leaves home without a bottle of Peppermint oil paired with a roller top.

Chief Information Officer

Mark has over 20 years of e-commerce/software development and digital technology experience within the travel, health and wellness, direct sales, and retail sales industries. Mark has helped develop software and technology to build digital brands, sales, and customer and employee experiences for companies such as JetBlue Airways, 1-800 CONTACTS, Glasses.com, and Vivint Smart Home.

Mark is passionate about technology, developing individuals, creating high-performing software development teams and systems, and building successful cross-departmental relationships. He started developing software and working on computers at the age of 12 and has a passion for lifelong learning. Mark believes that the strength of the whole team will always outperform the individual, no matter how capable one may be.

Mark lives in Midway, Utah, with his seven children and his wife, Emily. They adopted their three youngest children. Their most recent addition, Peter, comes from Armenia. Mark speaks Spanish and enjoys running, reading, boating, and any activity where he is spending time with his family. Mark is excited to work for Young Living, where he can make a difference in people’s lives. His favorite Young Living products are Valor essential oil blend, due to its calming and strengthening scent, as well as the whole-body supplement NingXia Red®.

Executive Vice President, Infrastructure

Joe Walker was born and raised in both Utah and California on a military base and spent his summers in Woodland, Utah, working in his grandparents’ country store and learning the value of hard work. He attended Kearns High School in Salt Lake City and then attended Brigham Young University.

Before joining the corporate world, Joe had the entrepreneurial spirit and owned a successful printer business with sales averaging $500,000 a year. He then continued in the Information Technology field, working for Word Perfect, Novell, Nature’s Way, and now Young Living for nearly 12 years, giving him 28 years of experience in the IT field.

When he is not working, Joe enjoys outdoor activities, riding motorcycles, snowmobiling, and supporting the Utah Jazz