Conference Speakers

"They shall speak of the glory of your kingdom and tell of your power, to make known to the children of man your mighty deeds, and the glorious splendor of your kingdom."          

- Psalm 145:11-12

Melinda Delahoyde

Melinda Delahoyde was appointed President of Care Net in 2007. Melinda has worked with Care Net from its inception, serving in various roles both on staff and on the Board of Directors. Before coming to Care Net, Melinda led the educational outreach for Americans United for Life, and has been a leader for a number of nonprofit organizations focused on life and bio-ethics.

 Chip Ingram

Chip Ingram is President and Teaching Pastor of Living on the Edge, an international teaching (radio/TV/Internet) and discipleship ministry.

A graduate of Dallas Theological Seminary and the author of nine books, Chip’s vision is to partner with the local church to be a worldwide catalyst for discipleship. He and his wife, Theresa, currently reside in Atlanta.

Herb H. Lusk II

Herb H. Lusk II is Pastor of the Greater Exodus Baptist Church in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and the creator of the non-profit organization People for People. In July 2001, President Bush visited Greater Exodus as a part of promoting faith-based initiatives. In his earlier years, Rev. Lusk played professional football for the Philadelphia Eagles. He and his wife have three children.

Michele Pillar 

Michele Pillar has been said to have "the voice of an angel." Involved with music since her childhood in L.A., Michele approached her first love with the innocence of youth and a wisdom that comes from growing up in unsettled surroundings. Life’s common challenges, such as step-parenting, blended families, abortion, divorce recovery, unhealthy relationship choices and ministry burn-out, are some of the subjects Michele is comfortable talking about first-hand. Michele connects with her audiences with songs as well as through honest portrayals of her life.

Lysa TerKeurst

Lysa Terkeurst is a wife, mother of five blessings (two of which were adopted from Africa) and President of Proverbs 31 Ministries. She is the co-host of the ministry’s national radio program and award-winning author of several books. She has been featured on programs such as Focus on the Family radio broadcast, The 700 Club and Moody’s Midday Connection. She was also the keynote speaker for Focus on the Family’s Renewing the Heart women’s leadership conference and is one of the featured Extraordinary Women speakers. When you hear Lysa’s testimony of redemption, you’ll laugh, you’ll cry, you’ll leave with a changed heart and new hope.

Gary L. Thomas

Gary L. Thomas is a writer and the founder and director of the Center for Evangelical Spirituality. He has served as a campus pastor and is an adjunct faculty member at Western Seminary in Portland, Oregon, where he teaches on spiritual formation. Gary has been a featured guest on numerous radio and television programs, including Focus on the Family and Family Life Today, and he speaks internationally on the nature of the spiritual life. He is married, has three children, and lives in Bellingham, Washington.

Other Featured Speakers

Other featured speakers include Dottie Wobb, Mike Williams, Keith Deltano, Roland Warren, Star Parker, and a surprise mother/daughter presentation.

Bios: Other Featured Speakers and Workshop Leaders

JULIE ABEL

Julie joined the Care Net team in 2006 as the Director of Client Marketing Training and Research. Her responsibilities include developing a new training program to assist pregnancy centers in creating marketing campaigns and strategies for maximum local impact. Prior to her position at Care Net, Julie worked at Focus on the Family for nine years.  Julie served as the Sanctity of Human Life Manager for the Community Impact Outreach Division, and held various marketing positions within the ministry. 

SUSAN ADAMS

Susan is the Program Director for Creating Positive Relationships, an abstinence education organization based out of Carmel, Indiana. Susan has more than eight years of experience working with pregnancy centers and abstinence education. Susan also speaks to teens and young adults in the public and private sectors about purity and pro-life issues. She currently resides in Indiana.

REV. E. GREGORY AUSTEN, Jr., M.Div.

Rev. E. Gregory Austen, Jr. (Greg) is the Director of Christian-based Programming for the National Fatherhood Initiative. Greg holds a Master of Divinity degree from The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky and a Bachelor of Science in Pastoral Studies from Philadelphia Biblical University. Greg speaks frequently and to diverse audiences on the topic of men’s ministry, specifically on getting dads involved in spiritual transformation.

CHERI BACHOFER

Cheri Claire Bachofer is the founder and President of Forwarding Life (www.ForwardingLife.com), a business and life coaching practice that helps others move their personal and professional lives forward. She received her training through the Institute in Life Coach Training and has earned her ACC, Associate Coach Certification. Cheri’s passions include nonprofit leaders, team building, leadership development, and life balance. Cheri received her M.A. from Birmingham Theological Seminary and brings with her over twenty years of nonprofit experience.

TODD BAKER, vice president / senior strategist, grizzard agency

For more than 23 years, Baker has helped some of the top charities in North America, assisting them in the development of Mission-Driven Marketing™ strategies. Baker is the author of the free e-book,
"Nonprofit Websites," the first of its kind, which has been downloaded by tens of thousands of charities in more than 50 countries. He writes the Fundraiser Confidential series for Fundraising Success Magazine and he is also known for the Baker’s Dozen fundraising series.

Baker is also a contributing author to one of the best selling nonprofit Internet books of all time, Nonprofit Internet Strategies, and is the author of Champions of Philanthropy.

Baker is spoken at every major nonprofit association conference in the country.  He is a former member of the Association Fundraising Professionals Board of Directors for Washington State. Baker spent over 13 years with World Vision, one of the largest privately funded international relief and development organizations in the United States.

 CINDI BOSTON

Cindi is the Executive Director of the Pregnancy Care Center in Springfield, Missouri. She has worked in the business and education sectors in Kansas, Ohio, and Missouri since 1985 and has also been a part of the pregnancy resource movement for more than 15 years. Cindi was recently selected as one of 12 top state non-profits directors of underserved populations and is the chairman of the board of directors for the Alliance for Life of Missouri.

VICKY BOTSFORD

Vicky is the President of LifeSteward Ministries, an on-site training ministry in the United States and most recently around the world.  LifeSteward Ministries has helped pregnancy centers raise over 22 million dollars since 1989 and has conducted over 1,000 on-site trainings. Vicky has been a part of LifeSteward Ministries for 12 years and is passionate about helping centers grow and be all the Father has called them to be!  Vicky and her two sons reside in Knoxville, Tennessee.

SHARON BREWER

Sharon Brewer is the Executive Director at First Care Family Resource Center, located in West Palm Beach, Florida.

DENISE M. BURKE

Denise M. Burke, Esq., is VP & Legal Director at Americans United for Life. Denise joined Americans United for Life (AUL) as staff counsel in February 2000 and became AUL's Legal Director in 2005. She also serves as Editor-in-Chief of Defending Life, AUL's comprehensive annual guide to pro-life state legislation.  She regularly consults with legislators and has testified before numerous state legislative committees.

DAN BUSBY

Dan Busby, a Certified Public Accountant and the son of a minister and church leader, has been involved in the work of the church and non-profit organizations for his entire life. Dan is a past national board member of the Christian Management Association and has served 110 man-years on nonprofit boards.  He has made speaking presentations in 35 states.  He also is a prolific writer with over 200 articles published and has had two tax and finances books for ministers and churches annually revised and published by Zondervan since 1990.

BYRON CALHOUN, M.D.

Dr. Byron C. Calhoun, MD, FACOG, FACS is Professor and Vice Chair of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, West Virginia School of Medicine-Charleston, in Charleston, West Virginia.  Dr. Calhoun is diplomat board certified by the American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology in general Obstetrics and Gynecology and is certified in the sub-specialty of Maternal-Fetal Medicine. Dr. Calhoun and his wife, Kathryn, live in Charleston, West Virginia and have five children—Paul, Daniel, Joshua, Faith, and Mercy.

VINCE CALLOWAY, MSS, LSW, CEAP

After almost twenty years counseling in a corporate setting, Vince now provides individual, couples, marital, pre-marital, and family therapy as well as pastoral counseling at V. Calloway Counseling Associates.  He also provides counseling for men, couples, and families at Amnion Crisis Pregnancy Center and provides training support for the Collaborative Fatherhood Program.  He is a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania and the Bryn Mawr Graduate School for Social Work and Social Research, has completed The Philadelphia Child and Family Training Center’s Intensive Training Program, and has trained in Biblical Counseling at Christian Research and Development.

TRACEY CASALE

Tracey is the Executive Director of A Beacon of Hope Pregnancy Resource Center in Atlanta, Georgia where she has successfully increased giving and revenue $200,000 annually. She obtained her Mass Media Communications degree from Appalachian State University and has a solid background in non-profit start-up, growth, and maintenance. Tracey also has authored a published Bible Study that is used for training at the Vatican and co-authored character based, abstinence education curricula, both of which are published.

FRANK CERUTII, National Rifle Association of America

No bio information is available.

SANDY CHRISTIANSEN, MD, FACOG

Sandy completed her medical training at the Hospital of the Medical College of Pennsylvania in 1990 and is a board-certified obstetrician/gynecologist.  She currently serves as the medical consultant to Care Net and is the medical director of Care Net PC of Frederick in Maryland. Dr. Christiansen has been a spokesperson for life at conferences, classrooms, churches, before the Maryland Senate and, most recently, at Capital Hill in Washington, D.C.  She has been interviewed by The New York Times, The Washington Post, and Self Magazine. She resides in Frederick, Maryland with her husband, Kyle, and their three home schooled children.

LINDA COCHRANE, RN

Linda obtained her nursing degree at Northeastern University in Boston.  She specialized in psychiatric nursing and public health nursing. Since becoming a Christian in 1984, Linda has served in pregnancy care ministries for the past 24 years. Linda has taught Abortion Recovery seminars since 1987 locally, regionally, and nationally at Care Net Director Conferences, Sav-A-Life, Focus on the Family, and Healing Visions conferences, and she has also authored four books. Linda has been featured in “Who's Who in America” since 2003 for her pregnancy care work.  She lives in New York with her husband and three daughters.

JOY CROSBY

Joy currently serves as Care Net’s Vice President of Center Advancement. She joined the Care Net team in 2006 as Special Assistant to President, Kurt Entsminger. She now serves as Vice President of Client Marketing, with responsibilities including center consultations, media campaigns, Option Line promotion, and other client marketing activities. Prior to her position at Care Net, Joy worked for Clear Channel Communications, drafting sales contracts, organizing on-air promotions, and developing marketing presentations.

MARY DAVENPORT

No bio information is available.

JEFFREY DEAN 

An ordained pastor, teen evangelist, counselor, international speaker, and author from Nashville, Tennessee, Jeffrey Dean is also the founder of Jeffrey Dean Ministries, whose mission is “to communicate the gospel of Jesus Christ to teenagers and their families, and to engage, empower and equip followers of Jesus Christ to pursue a committed relationship with Him.” Jeffrey is published by Serendipity House Publishing, having written a multi-volume DVD driven curriculum entitled FLOOD, which is distributed by LifeWay.

JOE DECOOK, MD

Dr. Joe DeCook graduated from U. of Michigan Medical School in 1961. He and his family spent 1970 to 1980 as medical missionaries in Bangladesh, with the following 24 practice years being in Holland, Michigan. He is currently the Vice President of the American Association of Pro-Life Obstetricians and Gynecologists and serves as medical director of Lakeshore Pregnancy Center in Holland, MI. He and his wife, Joyce, have 4 grown children.

KEITH DELTANO

Keith has served and worked with youth for many years in various roles, including as a military police officer, public school teacher, youth leader, private counselor, and educational comedian. He draws on this varied background to reach out and share with youth. He was a keynote presenter at the Abstinence Clearinghouse International Conference.  For his work with parents, he was awarded the National Impact Award by the National Abstinence Clearinghouse. Keith has presented to youth, parents, and educators in 46 of the lower 48 states.

JIM DEMPSEY

After working in the private sector, Jim joined the staff of Campus Crusade for Christ, eventually rising to become the Director of Development Administration and Direct Marketing. While at Campus Crusade, Mr. Dempsey helped design the first internationally oriented pledge program. His experience also included supervision and administration of foundation and major donor field representatives in pledge fulfillment of Campus Crusade's Billion Dollar "Here's Life" Capital Campaign and the applicable events. In addition, he served for eighteen months working with CCC Founder and President Bill Bright to create “the President’s Strategy” major donor relationship effort.

LARA DEVINE

Lara has been serving in the Pregnancy Center Ministry for over seventeen years.  She has a degree in Bible and Counseling from Johnson Bible College in Knoxville, Tennessee. She began as a volunteer peer counselor in her hometown of Bloomington, Indiana.  She has worked in three Pregnancy Centers in various areas, including as an Executive Director and as a Vice President of Client Services. In 2003, Lara became a Regional Consultant for Care Net. Lara’s role as a Consultant allows her to equip, encourage, and minister to the staff and boards of Pregnancy Centers throughout the United States.

BETH DIEMERT

Beth is the Vice President of LifeSteward Ministries, an on-site training ministry in the United States and most recently around the world. LifeSteward Ministries has helped pregnancy centers raise over 22 million dollars since 1989 and has conducted over 1,000 on-site trainings. 

TRISH DILLARD

Trish has served as Director of Medical Services for Piedmont Women’s Center in Greenville, South Carolina since May 2004.  She manages the medical services provided at Piedmont Women’s Center’s five locations, performs limited OB ultrasounds, and provides initial and annual medical in-service training to clinic medical and lay staff and volunteers. Trish has taught portions of the nurse management curriculum at the National Institute of Family and Life Advocates’ Limited Obstetrical Ultrasound Course and at their annual Medical Conference.  

KURT DILLINGER

Kurt Dillinger is the founder and President of LIFE International, which also encompasses Frontlines Publishing. In 1997, the Lord gave Kurt a vision to reach beyond our nation to help establish pregnancy resource centers. Since that time, LIFE has helped to start or to further develop centers in sixteen countries overseas. Kurt speaks passionately about fulfilling the great commission by entering the global mission field created by abortion. He has traveled abroad extensively, speaking at conferences and networking with others who share his zeal for global evangelism facilitated through life-giving ministries. 

JENNY DIXON

Jenny is Executive Director of Care Net Pregnancy Center of Frederick. Jenny served 6 years as Care Net’s Vice President of Center Services and has 14 years experience in the PRC movement. For fourteen years, she served as the Executive Director of the Care Net Crisis Pregnancy Centers in Amarillo, Texas, where she worked to establish pregnancy centers in both a neighboring college town and an urban area in Amarillo. She also served as a national consultant for Care Net, providing volunteer, staff, and board trainings for pregnancy centers throughout the United States.

PATRICK EADES

Patrick Eades served on the steering committee and the founding board of directors for Care Net Pregnancy Center of Coastal Georgia, where he has served as the founding executive director since June of 1992. Patrick has been a spokesperson for abstinence education since 1992. In 1996, he founded the BRAVEheart Teen Initiative, which involves youth reaching out to youth with the abstinence message labeled “the purity revolution.” In addition, he has been a Care Net Consultant since 2001 and recently began consulting for Life Stewards.

TIM ECHOLS 

Tim is the founder and president of TeenPact Leadership Schools, a ministry dedicated to training young people in an understanding of government and politics, whereby turning students into leaders for our country. Tim obtained a Bachelor of Arts in English as well as a Masters of Arts in Non-Profit Organizations from the University of Georgia, where he is currently working on a PhD in Mass Communication.

DAVE EVERITT

Dave is the President and CEO of The Strategic Resource Group, Inc., and since 2000 has served nationally as consultant to ministries in the area of vision, ministry development, and strategic planning to influence and transform people, cities, and nations for the glory of God. Dave served as the Founder, President, and CEO of The Crisis Pregnancy Centers of Greater Phoenix, Inc. from 1982 until 2001. He and his wife JoAnn founded the organization in 1982. SRG’s current project, “The Nations Are Waiting Initiative,” was developed to assist Life International in their mission to minister to the global mission field created by abortion. Before serving in his role in the Crisis Pregnancy Centers, Dave was a successful business leader and was the co-founder and associate pastor of a local church.

MIMI EVERY

Mimi has been the Executive Director of Pregnancy Support Services, serving Durham and Chapel Hill, North Carolina since 1992. For two years prior to that, Mimi served on the Board of Directors of PSS.  She is the past president of the Board of Directors of Carolina Pregnancy Care Fellowship, a pregnancy care network supporting centers and related ministries in North Carolina. In addition, Mimi is a Regional Consultant for Care Net.

KATY FLOOD

Katy is Heartbeat International’s Sexual Integrity Program Specialist, and has over 14 years of experience as a volunteer, center director, abstinence speaker, and founder of a church-based post-abortion program and a school-based abstinence program, as well as a consultant.

CLARK D. FORSYTHE, ESQ.

Clark is President of American United for Life (AUL). AUL’s mission is to change the law to protect human life, state by state. During his 22 years with AUL, he has served in a number of positions. Clarke has published more than 15 law review articles and book chapters and has been published in First Things, the Wall Street Journal, and National Review Online. He has been published or quoted nationally in leading newspapers.

 BOB FOUST

Since 1984, Bob Foust has been actively involved in the battle for the unborn. For ten years, he served as Executive Director of Sav-A-Life, Inc., the largest crisis pregnancy center network in the Southeastern United States. In 2005, when Sav-A-Life merged with Care Net, Bob was appointed Regional Care Director for Care Net’s southern headquarters in Birmingham, Alabama. In this role, he continues to encourage and equip crisis pregnancy centers throughout the nation.

Bob has also served as Executive Director for the Alabama Pro-Life Coalition Education Fund, Inc. since 1999, an organization of which he was a charter member for many years.

He is a noted national pro-life speaker and has led numerous workshops, including those for Focus on the Family, Ramah International, and Baptists for Life. His experience, leadership, and unique heart for mothers facing a crisis pregnancy have propelled Bob forward as a leading authority in an effective pro-life ministry. Bob has been married since 1969. He and his wife Cheryl currently reside in Birmingham, Alabama.

 LOLA FRENCH

CAPSS CEO, Lola was born and raised in the province of Alberta (Western Canada), where she lives today with her husband Larry. She first joined the Care Net staff as a consultant in 1992.  Lola pioneered the Pregnancy Care Center in Central Alberta in 1988 and served as the Executive Director of that center until July 2002.  Lola is also a founding member of the Christian Association of Pregnancy Support Services (CAPSS) and has served Care Net as a board member since 2004.

CANDY GIBBS

Candy Gibbs is the Executive Director of the CareNet Pregnancy Centers in Amarillo, TX. More importantly, Candy is a fruit of the pro-life movement. At 18, Candy made the devastating choice of abortion as a scared, pregnant daughter of a youth minister. The pregnancy center offered hope and healing to not only Candy, but also her family. Her heart belongs to this work. Gibbs is a speaker with the Ambassador Agency. Her testimony has been featured on national television. Gibbs is the honorary co-chair of the Campaign for Life in America. 

TERI GOUDIE

Teri Goudie is an international media consultant and former ABC news journalist.  Goudie has spent the past 20 years coaching the world’s top CEOs, doctors, lawyers, and athletes. She specializes in crisis control and growth strategy. Goudie has worked with Care Net for the past five years. She has helped media spokespeople on both the local and national level. Teri also serves as a board member at Americans United for Life and has been invited to the Vatican to share media insights with global pro-life leaders.

REBECCA GRAHAM

Rebecca Graham is NFI's Director of Health Education Programming and a Registered Nurse with the state of Pennsylvania. She has over 25 years of healthcare experience with a concentration in pediatrics, research, and education. Rebecca obtained her undergraduate degree at Carlow University, Pittsburg, PA and received her Master’s of Science in Organizational Leadership at Geneva College, Beaver Falls, PA. Her passion for father involvement comes from several areas of her life: her years in pediatrics witnessing the differences fathers make in the health and stability of their children; her own father, who devoted his life to serving the Lord; and watching her two children flourish under the servant leadership of their father, Hugh, Rebecca’s husband.  

ELAINE HAM

Elaine Ham serves as National Consultant for the Pregnancy Care Ministries of the North American Mission Board and works with over 200 pregnancy care center affiliates across the country. Elaine has more than 25 years of hands-on business experience. In 1995 she felt God’s call into full-time ministry, and spent the next eight years as Center Director and then Development Director of a large pregnancy care center in Greenville, South Carolina. During that time she founded Plans For You, a consulting company that has helped raise millions of dollars for pro-life ministries in the United States and Canada.  Her passion is to equip pro-life leaders for ministry in the areas of administration, communications, and fundraising.

KRISTIN HANSEN

As Vice President of Communications for Care Net, Kristin Hansen drives the organization’s efforts to promote and defend the work of pregnancy centers in the media and public policy arenas and online. With an extensive background in media relations and a passion for the work of pregnancy centers, Kristin serves as an advocate and chief strategist in cultivating a compelling image of pregnancy centers within the hearts and minds of the general public. In this role, she also oversees Care Net’s corporate website and all electronic communication. Kristin joined Care Net in 2003 and was the founding editor of Care Net’s quarterly Center of Tomorrow journal. 

MARGARET (PEGGY) HARTSHORN, PH.D.

President, Heartbeat International, Margaret H. (Peggy) Hartshorn, Ph.D., became involved in the pro-life movement soon after the Supreme Court decision Roe v. Wade on January 22, 1973. Peggy and her husband opened Pregnancy Decision Health Centers, in Columbus, Ohio, on January 22, 1981. She served as Chairman of the Board for over 20 years. Since 1993, Peggy has been the President of Heartbeat International. Peggy was also a college professor for 20 years (with a Master’s and Ph.D. in English), teaching at a private university in Columbus, Ohio. She received the Sanctity of Human Life Award from Care Net in 2006.

CINDY HOPKINS

Cindy Hopkins joined the Care Net team in 2006. She currently serves as Vice President of Center Development. In this role, Cindy oversees general Care Net affiliation growth, Care Net's Urban Initiative, the College Outreach Initiative, and the Elijah Outreach Program, which matches experienced pregnancy center directors with directors seeking mentorship.  Since 1990, Cindy has been actively involved in the pregnancy center movement. She has served as a peer counselor, board member, abstinence leader, and as Executive Director for the Pregnancy Care Center of Ogden, Utah. Before accepting a position with Care Net, Cindy served as the Director of Outreach for the Assist Pregnancy Center in Annandale, VA.

LISA HOSLER

Lisa is president of Susquehanna Valley Pregnancy Services (SVPS), where she has served since 1985. SVPS operates two pregnancy clinics and two pregnancy centers in Lancaster and Lebanon counties, Pennsylvania. SVPS also partners with LIFE International to financially support a pregnancy clinic in Bucharest, Romania. In 1998, God began teaching Lisa and the board, staff, and volunteers at SVPS to honor His preeminence in their ministry through regular times of worship and prayer. Nine years later, the ministry has been transformed by God’s presence, His love, His vision, and His strategies.

LOREY KELLEY

Lorey Kelley joined the Care Net team in 2007 as the Director of Urban Center Development. In this role, she is responsible for identifying, promoting, and supporting ministries and community organizations as they endeavor to develop and open pregnancy centers in urban locations. Her business administration skills and professional background contribute to her strong ability to manage multi-site projects and mobilize local development efforts. Lorey has enjoyed a rich heritage in the black church, having been an active member of African Methodist Episcopal, Baptist, and Pentecostal churches.

JULIE KLARENBEEK

Julie Klarenbeek is the Registered Nurse Manager/Assistant Director for the Women’s Hope Medical Clinic, Auburn/Opelika in Alabama. She has served in this capacity for over six years, leading and guiding professional and volunteer personnel into the ministry of saving lives. Julie feels prevention and education are keys to the success of any program, and she actively participates in raising community awareness in marketing and in developing innovative programs for youth and adult education. She has made several presentations for numerous agencies desiring to implement change and most recently is assisting pregnancy resource centers in the process of medical conversion.

JANIS LAMONT

Janis Lamont has been involved with Christian pro-life ministry since 1979, when she served as a church representative on behalf of Christian Action Council, now known as Care Net. In 1982, she helped in the beginning years of Amnion Crisis Pregnancy Center in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania, where she served as a volunteer counselor and as chairman of the board of directors. In 1985, she became that Center’s Executive Director. In 1990, she helped start Amnion Crisis Pregnancy Center in Burnsville, Minnesota and still serves as their Executive Director. Since 1991, she has been a Care Net Consultant serving to train center volunteers and provide consultations to both center directors and their boards for new and existing pregnancy centers. 

Janis enjoys working with CPC directors and their boards, because she understands the pressures and joys that both callings bring to them. She developed and is involved with local middle and high school interactive abstinence presentations. Mrs. Lamont  believes that God’s Word contains all the wisdom for how we can live our lives in a manner which honors the Lord; His Word also teaches us how to minister grace in a manner which glorifies God and brings joy to His people. Janis and her husband, David, have three grown children, live in Burnsville, MN, and attend Bethlehem Baptist Church in Minneapolis.

SHERI LAWSON

Sheri serves as Director of Special Projects with Community Development Professionals (CDP). CDP’s mission is to partner with organizations to create viable communities, including helping non-profits get organized and funded. Sheri served at the Care Net Community Pregnancy Center in Middletown, Ohio for 13 years.

PAT LAYTON

Pat is Founder and President of A Woman’s Place Ministries, Inc., in Tampa, Florida. A Woman’s Place began in 1986 and is a pregnancy resource center offering assistance to women who are experiencing an unplanned pregnancy. The ministry has expanded in 1999 to offer a full-service abstinence education program that reaches out to young people in the community with facts, fun, and fellowship. Since opening in 1986, A Woman’s Place has served over 35,000 women and their families and raised over $9,000,000 in support of the Sanctity of Human Life and Abstinence Education.

SUSAN LEAR

Susan Lear, Executive Director of Pregnancy Crisis of Wichita, has been an advocate for children and families for over thirty years. She has been an educator, a children’s pastor, and has spoken extensively on the important issues of leadership training, parenting, communication, and spiritual formation. Susan has a passion to model leadership of commitment and integrity in the community. She has served on numerous advisory and development boards and speaks widely to audiences on spiritual leadership and community service. Susan is a visionary leader who desires to equip others to serve in practical ways. Her work with PCC is a natural extension of her passion for team ministry and her servant heart to inspire, motivate, and influence vision in others.

DYXIE LINCOLN

Dyxie Lincoln manages the initiative to Impact High Abortion Communities (IHAC) for Focus on the Family, a global ministry dedicated to helping families thrive. The IHAC initiative is a strategic effort to increase life decisions within areas where the most abortions take place, focusing on the urban communities. As a former Strategic Planner for Focus on the Family, Dyxie has supported ministry marketing, communications, and product development activities for more than nine years. As a multicultural marketing specialist, she has spent more than twelve years effectively guiding organizations to reach across cultures to address new audiences and forge lasting relationships.

M. THOMAS LOTHAMER

On January 6, 2003, Tom was appointed the Executive Director of Baptists for Life, Inc. He began his ministry with BFL as a board member from 1985-1990 before coming on staff in March 1990 as the Director of Finance and Development. Having worked in development, fundraising, and finance since 1975, he represents BFL and Partners in Ministry, a service of BFL to pregnancy care centers, churches around the country, and overseas. His areas of teaching are in ministry excellence, strategic planning, servant leadership, communication, board governance, and other ministry leadership and administrative areas. Since 1997, he has been involved in the training and support of PCC and ministry leaders around the world.

LINDA MATTINGLY

Linda Mattingly joined the Care Net team in July of 2003. Her responsibilities include managing cross-department projects, documenting Care Net processes, being the technical lead on the web management team, and doing "systems" project management.

Prior to her current assignment Linda had the following responsibilities at Care Net: she managed the annual pregnancy center conference in Atlanta, GA in 2003; managed the Resource Department 2004-2007; and was VP of Office Administration in 2007. After a short time away from Care Net, Linda returned in her current position, which is truly her calling and passion.  

Prior to joining Care Net, Linda received a Master’s Certificate in Project Management from George Washington University. She experienced a highly successful career as a Project Manager within the telecommunications industry and later managed the day-to-day operations of an accounting firm.

Linda currently resides in Ashburn, VA with her teenage twin daughters. Her favorite things to do are going to her children’s sports activities, spending time with friends, traveling, and watching HGTV. 

M. CASEY MATTOX

M. Casey Mattox is an attorney from Springfield, Virginia.

JEANNEANE MAXON

As the daughter of a Center Director, Jeanneane Maxon has been involved in the pregnancy center movement for most of her life. Jeanneane currently serves as General Counsel for Care Net, the largest pregnancy center affiliation organization in North America. Prior to joining Care Net, Jeanneane practiced as a commercial litigation attorney at Devine, Millimet and Branch in Manchester, New Hampshire. Currently, Jeanneane is an alumna of the Vesta Roy Excellence in Public Service Series, a member of the Christian Legal Society, and an Alliance Defense Fund allied attorney.

YVETTE MAHER

Yvette is Vice President of Sanctity of Human Life for Focus on the Family and is a frequent speaker at women’s conferences and retreats around the globe. She has been on staff with the Focus on the Family since 1991. Maher also authors articles for Focus magazines and is heard frequently on radio broadcasts. The Sanctity of Life department at Focus on the Family oversees an ambitious outreach to pregnancy resource centers around the United States. They provide information, professional development, support, and materials to hundreds of centers around the U.S.  Specifically, their Option Ultrasound Program aims to equip 650 pregnancy resource centers nationwide with ultrasound services - a medical technology that has proven so effective in changing thousands of women's ideas about the beginning of life.

Onalee McGraw, ph.d.

Dr. McGraw is currently serving as the director for Project Heart to Heart in Love, Life and Marriage, a Community-Based Abstinence Education (CBAE) grant funded by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. She is a pioneer in the field of character and abstinence education and has written curriculum and co-founded an institute that enables others to teach about love and marriage.  

PASTOR  ANDY MERRITT

Andy is the pastor of Edgewood Baptist Church in Columbus, Georgia, where he has served for over 30 years. In addition to his pastoral duties, Andy is one of the early pioneers and leaders in the pregnancy center movement. In 1981 Andy led his church to establish the nation’s first church-sponsored pregnancy center, which now has had the opportunity to minister to over 50,000 different women. In addition to the center, the church established the New Beginnings Adoption Agency in 1984. Andy has traveled nationwide assisting in the establishment and training of over 500 pregnancy centers, and his church hosts a National Pregnancy Center Conference every other year the first weekend in March.

MARK T. NEWMAN, Ph.D.

Dr. Marc Newman is founder and president of FRONTLINE Communication Services, a training firm dedicated to equipping pro-life advocates nationwide with public speaking skills. He has spoken at nearly every major pro-life convention in the nation. He is the former Director of Speech and Debate at the University of California at Irvine, and has trained speakers in the public and private sectors for over twenty years. A professor for over 23 years, he is transitioning out of academia to head MovieMinistry.com.

STAR PARKER

Star Parker is the founder and president of CURE, the Coalition on Urban Renewal & Education, a 501c3 non-profit think tank that provides a national voice of reason on issues of race and poverty in the media, inner city neighborhoods, and public policy. As a social policy consultant, Star Parker gives regular testimony before the United States Congress, and is a national expert on major television and radio shows across the country.

PAMELA A.  PAULHUS, MD, FAAP

A former educator and administrator in human services, Dr. Paulhus is a Yale-trained, board certified pediatrician who has been in practice since 1997. She joined Hopeline PRC in Danbury, CT in April 2005 'to go medical.' She is also the Medical Director of Samaritan Health Services, Inc., in Danbury, a Christian organization committed to providing medical care to uninsured and impoverished children whose clinic is scheduled to open later this year. Lastly, Dr. Paulhus is the founder of Pediatric Consulting Services of Westchester, PC in Somers, New York, a practice designed to help internationally adoptive families evaluate the health of their prospective children. Dr. Paulhus is honored to be a part of the compassionate pro-life movement. Her goal is to assist and encourage pregnancy center leaders as they serve the unborn and the unsaved. 

ANNE PIERSON

Ann is the Director of Ministry at Loving and Caring Inc., an international ministry that she and her husband Jim founded in 1984. Their mission focuses on fatherlessness, maternity, and single parent housing. They provide training, consultation, materials, and services. Anne’s unique speaking style, filled with wisdom and stories from over thirty years of caring for people, is a highlight at banquets, retreats, seminars, and conferences across North America and internationally. Jim and Anne have received numerous awards, including Heartbeat’s Servant Leader Award and Care Net’s Dr. Harold O.J. Brown’s Sanctity of Human Life Award.

SOL PITCHON

Sol Pitchon is Executive Director of the Pregnancy Center of Pinellas Park, Florida. Sol Pitchon has been President and CEO of the Pregnancy Center of Pinellas County in Pinellas Park, Florida since 1999. Before joining the Pregnancy Center, Sol was a Christian psychotherapist, having spent five years in private practice. He also worked three years in a psychiatric hospital setting for Rapha, a Christian inpatient program. He has a BA degree in psychology from the University of South Florida and received his Masters degree in Counseling from Liberty University. As a Jewish-Christian whose parents are holocaust survivors, Sol feels it a privilege and his destiny to work against the holocaust of abortion in the pregnancy center movement.

KURT RAMSPOTT

Kurt is the president of Guys for Life, Inc., traveling the country training and encouraging hundreds of pregnancy care centers and aligned ministries with tangible and practical ways for men to take up the battle for the sanctity of life.

Kurt led the PRC of St. Louis in 2003 as program coordinator of the men’s program, Mentoring Men.  Under Kurt’s leadership, the center grew from working with three men in 2002 to reaching and counseling 599 men by the 22nd month of the men’s program. Numerous lives were saved and scores of men were counseled out of the captivity of their previous abortion experience.

Kurt recruited, trained, and supervised mentor candidates, directing them to mentor other men before, during, and post pregnancy. When the program was handled over to the PRC, there were a total of nine trained and dedicated male mentors serving in six local centers.

JIM REIDY

Jim Reidy practices in the areas of labor, employment, and employment-based immigration law with an emphasis on assisting employers in effectively avoiding, or defending against, employment disputes. He represents management in organizations ranging from multi-national corporations, to closely-held, family-owned businesses, to not-for-profit entities, and public sector employers. Since joining the Sheehan Phinney in 1989, Jim has expanded an already well-established employment law practice group. This group is now recognized as one of the best in the state of New Hampshire.

He has extensive experience handling matters before the New Hampshire Department of Labor, the New Hampshire Commission for Human Rights, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, and the U.S. Department of Labor.

Jim regularly writes articles and presents seminars on a wide range of employment law topics. He is frequently asked by the media, business groups, and human resources associations to comment on breaking news and recent developments in labor and employment law. He is the co-founder and moderator of NHLABORNET, the popular Internet discussion group for human resource professionals in New Hampshire. Jim is also the creator and serves as the managing editor of Good Company, Sheehan Phinney’s quarterly e-newsletter, which features articles on legal developments and best practices in business.

RAUL REYES

Raul has twenty three years of pregnancy center experience, starting as a founding board member of the Pregnancy Center of Pinellas County, FL. where he then served as President for fourteen years. He served as Director of International Ministries for L.I.F.E. International. Currently Raul serves as President of Life Network (his wife Christine is Executive Director), a sanctity of human life ministry in Colorado Springs, CO.

CHRISTINE REYES

Christine started her work in the pro-life arena as a founding board member of the Pregnancy Center of Pinellas County in St. Petersburg Florida in 1983. For fifteen years she worked in a variety of areas in that ministry, including Events Director, Abstinence Director, and Center Director. Christine currently serves as Executive Director of Life Network in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Under her leadership, Life Network was the recipient of a $1.8 million SPRANS grant for their national caliber abstinence program. Christine is a National Trainer with Lifesteward Ministries, a ministry that provides on site trainings, spiritual renewal opportunities, and event materials for life-affirming ministries.

PAULA RINEHART

Paula Rinehart is the author of Sex and the Soul of a Woman, a book that has proven to be a useful tool for younger women dealing with sexual regrets, relationships with men, and intimacy with God. She speaks frequently on college campuses on the subject of sexuality. A marriage and family therapist, Paula is also the author of Strong Women, Soft Hearts and most recently, Better Than My Dreams. Paula and her husband, Stacy, live in Raleigh, North Carolina, and they are the parents of two grown children. 

CLAUDIA RODRIGUEZ-MOELLER, grizzard agency 

Claudia’s marketing and project management background has helped shape the fundraising programs of many nonprofit organizations. Her experience in market research, campaign analysis, and database management have given her the skill set to improve existing fundraising programs and implement new programs to generate additional revenue streams.

Claudia has managed the execution and strategy of direct fundraising programs for organizations including Prostate Cancer Foundation, Lutheran Hour Ministries, Food Banks, Junior Blind of America, Pacific Legal Foundation, and Goodwill Industries.

GARY ROSE

On May 2, 2005, Gary L. Rose, MD, became the new President and Chief Executive Officer of The Medical Institute. Dr. Rose served two years in the military as Chief of General Internal Medicine at Andrews Air Force Base in Washington, D.C., where he received the Air Force Commendation Medal. As President/CEO of the Medical Institute, Dr. Rose has served on the National Consensus Process chaired by Dr. David Satcher, former Surgeon General under President Bill Clinton. Under his leadership, the Medical Institute continues to work with federal and state governmental agencies, as well as private foundations to promote sexual health for all people. An experienced lecturer in the field of sexual health, Dr. Rose is a committed leader with an extraordinary vision for the optimal health and happiness of many generations to come. 

KAROLYN SCHRAGE (RN, BSN)

Karolyn is the Medical Services Director at LifeChoices in Joplin, Missouri, where ultrasound services, STI testing, and treatment are offered. Karolyn spent twenty years as a medical missionary in Kenya, Africa. While there, she was instrumental in founding rural primary healthcare clinics with an emphasis in women’s health.  Karolyn was also involved in the formation of an orphanage where she served as the head clinician for over 40 children. Networking with Good News Production International, Africa, Karolyn and her husband, Mike produced a broadcast quality movie regarding sanctity of life and teenage promiscuity issues.  This production is currently being used in over ten African nations, with a culturally equivalent version in use in six different languages around the world.

ELIZABETH SHADIGIAN

Elizabeth Shadigian, MD is an obstetrician-gynecologist, consultant, educator, and researcher specializing in the health, safety, and well-being of women. Elizabeth received her medical degree from the John Hopkins University School of Medicine, has been board-certified in obstetrics and gynecology since 1996, and is a fellow of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG).  Elizabeth has been on the faculty of the University of Michigan Medical School since 1994 and is currently Adjunct Clinical Associate Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology. She is currently in private practice, is writing her first book and is co-founder and Matriarch of the Battered Women and Children’s Memorial Garden. She is also President of the American Association of Pro-Life Obstetricians and Gynecologists, a special interest group of ACOG.

MARTHA SHUPING

Dr. Martha Shuping earned her MD from Wake Forest University School of Medicine in 1984, and then completed residency training psychiatry at North Carolina Baptist Hospital, Winston-Salem, North Carolina in 1988. Since then, she has divided her time between private practice, country mental health centers, and several non-profit organizations. She has extensive experience with post-abortive women, and has helped to train volunteers and professionals for post-abortion ministries in the U.S., Europe, and Asia. She is a co-author on several published studies related to psychiatric problems after abortion, and has written (with Debbie McDaniel) a self-help book for women titled: The Four Steps to Healing.

DAN STEINER

Dan Steiner is President of New Level, a ministry that serves mid to large PRC’s by using research on their donor base and gospel-centered analysis, enabling the center to dramatically grow in the areas of abortion vulnerable women, souls receiving Christ, and finances. Jesus Christ is Dan’s primary reason for living since He became his Lord in 1981. Dan attends a large multi-racial church, The Blended Church, in the Indianapolis area, where he is a member of the preaching team. Dan is a graduate from Indiana University.

JULIE STOBBE

Julie Stobbe is Founder and President of Act of Life, an adoption awareness ministry based in Houston, TX. Adopted as an infant, Julie presumed Christians understood, embraced, and promoted adoption within pro-life ministries. However, upon reading and conducting her own research, she discovered a distinct lack of knowledge and confidence in pregnancy centers to present adoption.  Determined to address this, Julie founded Act of Life in 2002, which has established biblically-based adoption training programs carried out in pregnancy centers across Texas, some of which have made the training mandatory. Julie holds a Masters Degree in Vocal Performance from the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, B.C. and has performed in Tony Award winning musicals including Phantom of the Opera and Showboat. Julie’s contagious passion for people is evident as she ministers through messages both spoken and song. She and her husband Doug reside in Midland, Texas, with their two children and a dog determined to dig holes in their backyard.

LESLEE UNRUH

Leslee Unruh is the Founder and President of the National Abstinence Clearinghouse. She has been involved with abstinence education since 1984, when she also founded a pregnancy center, Alpha Health Services. Leslee has appeared in such publications, radio shows, and news networks as USA Today, The Washington Post, The New York Times, The Washington Times, the Associated Press, Knight Ridder, Reuters, Rolling Stone, Playboy, Time, Newsweek, "Oprah," "Day Side with Linda Vester," "Dateline," "After Hours with Cal Thomas," "The Donahue Show," TBN, A&E , Discovery Health, Total Living Network, ABC, FOX News, CNN, and MSNBC, and she has had numerous articles published in a variety of journals.

BILL VELKER

Bill serves as vice president for LIFE International. He has worked in pregnancy center ministry nationally and internationally for the past ten years in roles encompassing operations, administration, finance, fundraising, and prayer.  He also participates as a board member of the Alliance for Life Michigan, a state coalition of pregnancy centers, and serves on the board of directors for Life Steward Ministries.  Bill carries a strong desire to help encourage others in the pro-life community to cultivate prayer and worship as a primary focus and source of strength in their ministry.

ROLAND WARREN

Before joining National Fatherhood Initiative, Roland Warren worked as a financial consultant for Goldman Sachs in Philadelphia, PA. He has also worked as an Associate Director of Development for his undergraduate alma mater, Princeton University, and in management positions for both IBM and PepsiCo. Prior to his current position, he had served as a member of National Fatherhood Initiative's board of directors. Roland received his MBA from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.

MIKE WILLIAMS

Mike Williams is an inspirational entertainer who has made millions of people laugh. You may have seen his faith and family friendly material on network television shows, magazine articles, through his books and DVD's, or through his live concerts. His life story will leave you marveling at the grace and mercy of God. Please check out his website at www. christiancomedian.com or listen to him every week at www. christiancomedypodcast.com.

NANCY WILLIAMS

Nancy Williams has been a Care Net Consultant since 1994. She was the founding director for Care Net Pregnancy and Resource Center in Santa Maria, California, where she served for almost twelve years. Currently, she serves as the Executive Director for the Pregnancy Support Centers in Lompoc and the Santa Ynez Valley.   Additionally, she is a certified childbirth educator and lactation consultant and a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist. She teaches Child Development and other classes at Chapman University.

SALLY WILLIAMS

Sally Williams is Urban Outreach Director with Indiana Right to Life. A native of Indianapolis, Indiana, Sally J. Williams joined the Central Indiana Crisis Pregnancy Centers in 2003. It was that year she began her journey on life and healing from abortion. Sally was burdened by the many women coming to the center that stated they were Christians and deliberately choosing to abort their unborn babies. God placed in her heart to speak to pastors to encourage them to speak about life and God’s purpose for our lives. She is an ordained evangelist serving at Universal Christian Holiness Church, Indianapolis, IN under the leadership of her brother Pastor Guy L. Williams. She oversees the Ministry Outreach department.

YVONNE WILLIAMS

Yvonne Williams is a Regional Consultant with Care Net.  She has worked with pregnancy centers for 30 years. She was the co-founder and director of the Boulder, Colorado center for 25 years. She opened the first campus satellite center in the nation at the University of Colorado. She has a passion for helping pregnancy centers open campus satellites. Yvonne graduated from UNC with a degree in secondary education. She serves on the board of directors for Alternatives Pregnancy Center in Denver and does volunteer work with Fathers & Brothers Ministry.

BARBARA WILLIS

Barbara is the Executive Director of the Crisis Pregnancy Centers of Greater Phoenix. As a Christian, an Executive Director, a pastor’s wife, and mother of two college-age children, Barbara has experienced her share of spiritual warfare. Her gifts of administration and education have kept her “fighting the good fight” against evil and for good for over twenty-five years.

KATRINA WILSON

Katrina is a Licensed Associate Professional Counselor and currently works with a female, substance abuse population at St. Jude’s Recovery Center in Atlanta, GA. Katrina has been reaching young women with the message of abstinence and sexual purity since her undergraduate years and has served as a Women’s Ministry leader with Global Outreach Campus Ministries for the past eight years instructing college-aged women in various areas of the Christian faith. Katrina serves on the Board of Director’s for the Care Net Pregnancy Resource Center of Atlanta, a Care Net urban initiative designed to assist the needs of minority women in need of pregnancy resources.

DOTTIE WOBB

Dottie Wobb was the founding Executive Director of Hope Pregnancy Centers in Broward County, South Florida. That ministry began in 800 square feet and when Dottie left the ministry, fourteen years later, they had five locations and a staff of fourteen. Dottie currently serves as a Regional Consultant/National Trainer for Care Net. Dottie and Wayne have been married 37 years, and they have four children and eight grandchildren.  

CATHERINE WOOD

Catherine is President of ATM Education, and the Director of Central Ohio AEN, which is a partner of Abstinence Educator’s Network (AEN). Catherine has had extensive experience with educational services and with management of governmental grant resources. Catherine is the author of Relationships Under Construction curriculum, an abstinence education program for 6th, 7th, 8th grades and high school.  It is an approved curriculum for Title V abstinence education programs and is used by programs in several states.