| «Back Next» |
David Barton is an author and historian and President of
WallBuilders, an organization dedicated to presenting America's
forgotten history and heroes, with an emphasis on the moral, religious, and
constitutional foundation on which America was built. David serves as
consultant to state and federal legislators; has participated in several cases
at the Supreme Court; was involved in the development of the History/Social
Studies standards for several states; and has contributed to projects and
legislation set forth in states across the nation.
Brian
Birdwell, Lieutenant Colonel (Ret.), is a survivor of the terrorist's
attack on the Pentagon on September 11, 2001. Retired from the military because
of the extensive injuries he suffered that day, Brian now serves as the
president of Face The Fire
Ministries, a non-profit organization that serves critical burn
survivors and our nation's wounded servicemen and women. Brian will share his
inspirational testimony and provide an up-to-the minute perspective on the
progress of the War on Terror.
Tim
Brooks is Senior Pastor of
Christian Ministries Church in Hot Springs, Arkansas. Raised on a
ranch, working hard his whole life, Tim believes the Bible to be very practical
and applicable for today. As he travels speaking to groups, he is found to be
humorous, inspiring, and challenging. You will be motivated by his
presentation.
Lance Cargill is serving his fourth term in the Oklahoma House
of Representatives. In January 2007, he became Speaker of the House and the
youngest sitting Speaker in the nation. Lance graduated from Vanderbilt Law
School and worked for the two largest law firms in Oklahoma and Texas
respectively, practicing in the area of antitrust law. Prior to his election to
the House, Lance served as an adjunct professor of economics at Rose State
University. He authored and shepherded to enactment comprehensive prisoner
re-entry legislation that is being used as a model for other States.
Danny Carroll was elected to the Poweshiek County Board of
Supervisors in 1984 and served on that board until his election to the Iowa
House in 1994. Carroll served six terms in the Iowa House, where his peers
selected him as Assistant House Majority Leader and Speaker Pro Tempore. Danny
offers a unique insight in a nationally orchestrated political strategy to
remove key pro-family state legislators.
Jack
Cowley is National Director for Prisons & Re-Entry with
Alpha USA. A warden with the Oklahoma Department of Corrections for
more than 20 years, Jack serves on the Advisory Board of the National Institute
of Corrections and has been on staff with Prison Fellowship Ministries. He
served as Director of the InnerChange Freedom Initiative (IFI), an intensive
faith-based prison re-entry program, establishing programs in Texas, Iowa,
Kansas and Minnesota. Through IFI, a model was established which vastly reduces
the inmate recidivism rate. His presentation has been so popular in previous
years that he has been invited back to delve further into prison reform issues.
Bryan
English is a former Baptist pastor who followed a call to engage the
culture through the political process. After working in both issue and
candidate campaigns, Bryan was hired to work in the office of
Congressman Steve King where he focuses on outreach, special projects,
and assisting Faith-Based and Community Initiatives. Active in the Iowa
Republican Party, Bryan served as the State Platform Secretary in 2004 and as
Chairman in 2006. He brings with him an insider's perspective of the political
process, a pastor's heart, and a unique insight into the culture war currently
raging around the country.
Dave
Grothe, has been ministering through music and pastoral service for
over 30 years, crossing denominational boundaries and covering a wide spectrum
of music styles. A national recording artist, David will provide inspirational
and patriotic music during our conference dinners. A seasoned Bible teacher, he
will also be leading the Sunday morning worship and devotions.
Jay Hein
is Deputy Assistant to the President and Director of the
Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives. Jay also served as
Vice President and Chief Executive Officer of the Foundation for American
Renewal, a public charity. Mr. Hein was Executive Director of Civil Society
Programs at Hudson Institute, including the Welfare Policy Center, the Faith in
Communities initiative, and community-based healthcare reform. He also served
in Wisconsin State government as a policy director, where he helped design and
implement Wisconsin's ground-breaking welfare replacement program.
Dr.
Jim Leininger, founder of Kinetic Concepts Inc. The public support
for school choice is steadily growing (national polling shows support currently
above 60 percent), and the federal government and almost half the states have
enacted some degree of school choice, even if only in pilot programs. Leininger
and Paige are recognized as two of the nation's top experts on school choice
and will provide the current status of the movement as well as what does and
doesn't work.
Nikolas
T. Nikas is President and General Counsel of
Bioethics Defense Fund . Nik has directed national legal strategy on
the issues of human cloning/embryonic stem cell research, abortion and
end-of-life issues since 1992. He drafts life-protective model legislation,
testifies in legislative committees and consults with legislators in all 50
states and Congress. Nikas provides strategic counsel to state attorneys
general and also litigates federal court challenges to enacted legislation.
Nikas is a dynamic speaker, having lectured on the full range of bioethics
topics at law schools, legal and medical conferences, and civic organizations.
Chris
Pipkin is a re-entry coordinator for
Operation Oasis in Dallas. He is also the Pastor of Oasis on The Mount
church. Chris is an ex-offender who is a graduate of the faith-based prison
re-entry program of Prison Fellowships.
Rod
Paige, P.Ed., former U.S. Secretary of Education (2001-2005), has
assembled a team of independent, strategic advisors to co-found the
Chartwell Education Group, LLC. In addition to his time at Chartwell,
Dr. Paige, in his quest to improve the quality of education for all students,
is an active member of several highly respected boards, including the Thomas B.
Fordham Foundation, News Corporation, The Broad Foundation and the National
Council on Economic Education's Commission on the Skills of the American
Workforce. As Secretary of Education, Dr. Paige was an unstinting advocate of
student achievement, employing "best of breed" solutions to achieve results
towards the Department's goal of raising national standards of educational
excellence. He earned his reputation for seeking out and implementing
innovative approaches to systemic academic improvement when he served as Dean
of the College of Education at Texas Southern University, where he established
the university's Center for Excellence in Urban Education. He has also shown a
knack for inclusive leadership first as a trustee and then as Superintendent of
the Houston Independent School District, the nation's seventh largest district.
Dr. Paige, who served as a Public Policy Fellow at the Woodrow Wilson
International Center for Scholars, brings a global perspective to his work and
a desire to export the best practices and products for education that the U.S.
has to offer and to import those that have been successful in other countries
in an effort to improve the state of education for all.
Alan
Sears is the president, CEO, and general counsel of the
Alliance Defense Fund (ADF). Since ADF's inception in 1994, he has led
the strategy, training, funding, and litigation initiatives in the legal battle
to defend and protect religious freedom, the sanctity of life, marriage and the
family. Under Alan's leadership, ADF has become the nation's largest religious
liberty legal alliance. ADF has funded more than 1,400 cases, trained over 850
volunteer allied attorneys through its National Litigation Academy program, and
400 first and second year law students through its Blackstone Legal Fellowship.
ADF and its allies have also been successful in 30 cases before the United
States Supreme Court.
Guy S. Short has almost two decades of experience in government relations, public policy, communication strategies and political affairs. Guy is currently the Chief of Staff for Congresswoman Marilyn Musgrave of Colorado. He served as campaign manager in her first election in 2002 and has overseen her past two reelections campaigns.
President
Ronald Reagan was known as "The Great Communicator," and Merrie Spaeth (Spaeth
Communications, Inc.) was his White House Director of Media
Communications - she was the communicator for the Great Communicator. Merrie
currently handles public relations for many of the nation's most successful
companies, but specializes in training public officials to frame the rhetoric
surrounding often contentious issues and to create a winning message on any
topic.
| «Back Next» |