She served as the Executive Director of the State of Arizona’s Empowerment Scholarship Account Program.  She was an ESA mom herself and supporter of the universal expansion that was passed in 2022.  She speaks often at the State Legislature and the State Board of Education on the topic of school choice.  When the teacher’s unions and an anti-school choice groups attempted to overturn the new first-in-the-nation school choice law, she spearheaded the nation’s first successful Decline to Sign campaign by engaging 1200 families, most of her personal contacts in the pro-life movement and her Catholic faith connections, to stand in the breech and encourage voters not to sign their petitions.

Before taking the helm of the ESA program, Christine served as the Executive Director of First Way Pregnancy Center in Phoenix and was the Practice Administrator at Morning Star OB/GYN in Gilbert, AZ.  She also served as the Vice Chair of the Arizona Life Coalition and is the co-founder and board chair of the Pro-Women’s Healthcare Centers, a national consortium of pro-life women’s healthcare.  She is noted to be an effective leader in the prolife movement.

She has been featured in dozens of radio, tv, print and podcast interviews. She engages in local, county and TX statewide strategies to expose education malpractice and restore parental rights and authenticity in education.

Shocked by her own kids’ exposure to race, sex and gender ideological grooming in the highlyrated Prosper Independent School District, she now exposes the “Triple Threat of Indoctrination” in Texas schools.

Aileen is dedicated to shining the light on the damaging impacts of Marxist critical theories and the organizations promoting them. Based on her experience in California, she provides research, perspective and thought leadership to help Texans understand what’s at stake for our children’s future–and that of our nation–if we don’t take back local control of our Independent School Districts, and develop sound policy and legislation that preserves America’s founding principles while honoring the dignity of every member of our diverse population and the moral imperative to “do no harm.”

In 2017, Sony Pictures Animation released Mr. Reckart’s debut feature film, The Star, an animated retelling of the Nativity story from the point of view of the animals. The Star was nominated for a Golden Globe for Mariah Carey’s original song, “The Star,” and won MovieGuide’s Epiphany Prize for Inspiring Movies.

Prior to directing, Mr. Reckart worked as a stop motion animator. He was a lead animator on Charlie Kaufman’s Oscar-nominated film Anomalisa and also animated on Amazon’s multiple Emmy-winning preschool series Tumble Leaf. In 2015, Variety named him one of their “10 Animators to Watch.”

Mr. Reckart holds a master’s degree in directing animation from the National Film & Television School of the UK, as well as a bachelor’s degree in history and literature from Harvard University, where he graduated magna cum laude and won the Edward H. Potter Prize for “great enthusiasm and curiosity for truly eclectic learning.” He lives in Los Angeles with his wife and their two children.

Dr. Abela is the founding dean of the Busch School of Business and Professor of Marketing at the Catholic University of America, in Washington, D.C. His widely-cited research on marketing, communication, and integrity has been published in several academic journals and two books.

He is a sought-after speaker on business ethics and cultivating the superhabits of success in organizations. Prior to his academic career, Dr. Abela was a brand manager at Procter & Gamble, management consultant with McKinsey & Company, and Managing Director at the Corporate Executive Board. He holds an MBA from the Institute for Management Development (IMD) in Switzerland and a Ph.D. from the Darden Business School at the University of Virginia. He and his wife, Kathleen, live in Great Falls, Virginia and have been blessed with six children and their first grandchild.

Dr. Andrew Whiskeyman, COL (ret.), teaches and researches at the National Defense University’s College of Information and Cyberspace (CIC) and lectures internationally on the topics of information warfare, emerging technology, and strategic foresight. He is also an Associate Research Scientist at the Applied Research Laboratory of Intelligence and Security (ARLIS) at the University of Maryland. He was recently selected as a non-resident senior fellow with the Global National Security Institute (GNSI) and elected to the board of a non-profit group, the Information Professionals Association (IPA). Dr. Whiskeyman serves as an adjunct professor with Syracuse University’s Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs and the Air War College. He has been working to coordinate a series of Global Information Symposia to identify challenges and opportunities shared by allies and partners in the information environment and to foster shared solutions. He lectures internationally on the subject of cognitive security, and lectured recently at the National Liberal Club in London on the topic, “Artificial Intelligence: The End of the World as you Know it?”, which addressed the hype and hysteria surrounding the adoption of artificial intelligence in a military context. He previously served for 28 years in the US Army and is the recipient of multiple military awards including the Defense Superior Service Medal and the Bronze Star. He deployed multiple times (Kosovo, Iraq, Afghanistan) in support of combat operations. This past year, Dr. Whiskeyman received France’s Chevalier de L’Ordre du National Mérite.

Dr. Whiskeyman is the Deputy Grand Knight of KofC Servant of God Vincent Capodanno Council 14495, at Epiphany of Our Lord Catholic Church in Tampa, Florida. He is the leader of his parish Exodus 90 fraternity, created and teaches a Teen Apologetics Course for Homeschool students, is active in the parish youth group, and is founder of the Tampa Bay GK Chesterton Society.

He is married with four children, two grandchildren, two dogs, and a turtle.

Jonna Schuster is Co-Founder and Director of Catholic Revival Ministries, which she launched in 2019 with her husband, Jim. Through it, she serves the Church by equipping Catholics to bring supernatural impact to all areas of life by partnering with the Holy Spirit in power and love. She has served a variety of parishes, ministries, and audiences world-wide, including Endow, Metanoia Catholic, Pray More Novenas, Legatus, TAM NOVA, Awaken Kingdom, the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, CA, the Diocese of Peoria, IL, and the Diocese of Austin, TX.

Jonna graduated from the University of Illinois with a degree in graphic design and completed a master’s degree in moral theology at Christendom Graduate School. She has over 20 years of professional ministry experience, including 10 years as a full-time Director of Youth Ministry in the diocese of Arlington, VA, two years as the first Campus Minister of Western Illinois University, and as an adjunct professor of theology at John Paul the Great Catholic University in Escondido, CA.

Jonna and her husband currently reside in Southern California. She believes everyone is called to greatness and has a heart to see people come into the fullness of their identity and calling.

Alex Julian has spent the last thirteen years in education working for Great Hearts schools after receiving his bachelor’s in Medieval History from Arizona State University. Over that time, he has taught 6th grade US History, 8th grade Medieval History & literature, and 9th, 10th, 11th, and 12th grade humane letters courses covering great works in literature, philosophy, theology, and politics ranging from the classical to the modern period. He has served as a dean of students, assistant headmaster, and headmaster several classical schools. He has advised on curriculum in history, literature, and philosophy for Great Hearts.

Most recently he began working with Arcadia Education, helping Catholic, Christian, and charter schools & leaders to execute their mission of creating lifelong learners, virtuous citizens, and saints who model Christ.

Alex lives in Phoenix Arizona with his wife Katie and their four beautiful children.

Chris Meehan is a Psychotherapist and Integrative Trauma Specialist with extensive experience treating a wide variety of clients, including those who are treatment-resistant and suffer from severe depression, anxiety, complex trauma, and substance abuse. As a natural caregiver, Chris has dedicated his life to helping others, which has led him to work with diverse populations, including at-risk youth as a service instructor and counselor.
A fourth-generation Californian and native San Franciscan, Chris has lived in the Colorado Mountains, New York City, and San Diego. His first love for the creative process as an accomplished playwright introduced him to the vastness of the human experience. Now, he maintains a private practice on the westside of Los Angeles.
His work with trauma clients has given him a profound understanding of the organic and spiritual nature of recovery. He has witnessed firsthand the power of healing, walking with clients through some of the darkest times in their lives, and guiding them towards peace, clarity, and purpose.
 
Chris is also known for his contributions to the entertainment industry. He is former actor and celebrated comedian, recognized for his appearances on NBC’s “Last Comic Standing.” His critically acclaimed one-man show, “Swiping Mr. Right,” is a comedic exploration of modern dating, centered on a 40-something man navigating the complexities of relationships through dating apps. This show is an offshoot of the well-received feature documentary, “The Dating Project.”

Michael Gates was elected as Huntington Beach City Attorney on November 4, 2014. Prior to his election, Mr. Gates was a partner at a successful law firm in Orange County, serving as a trial attorney and had defended numerous clients in a wide range of legal areas such as: Federal Civil Rights (Excessive Force), Public Entity Law, Government Tort Liability, General Liability, Truck/Automobile Liability, Premises Liability, Products Liability, Professional Liability, Medical Malpractice, and Employment Law. He has represented clients such as the County of Orange, Orange County Sheriff’s Department, Orange County District Attorney, Catholic schools and parishes, various large scale trucking companies, and various physicians, surgeons, and other medical professionals and hospitals in the Orange County and Los Angeles areas.
 
Mr. Gates earned his Juris Doctor from Chapman University School of Law. Prior to his legal education, he earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration and Management, magna cum laude, from Pepperdine University, and is a member of the Beta Gamma Sigma Honors Society.  Mr. Gates is a life-long practicing Catholic.  He and his wife, Kelly, are life-long residents of Huntington Beach and their home parish is St. Vincent de Paul.  Mr. Gates and his wife met in Huntington Beach shortly after graduating high school, were married at St. Mary’s by the Sea Catholic Church in 1997 and now have five beautiful children. Mr. Gates has been an active member of the Huntington Beach community involved as a coach and mentor in various youth sports for years, and Mr. Gates has taught law-related courses at Cal State Long Beach and Golden West College for a number of years.
 
Mr. Gates has been stellar in-house legal counsel City of Huntington Beach. Since 2014, he has saved/protected well-over $300 million of taxpayer money through is aggressive, creative, savvy, and effective lawyering. Recently, he prevailed in a massive lawsuit against the State of California, Department of Finance to recover over $38,000,000 in money the State wrongfully withheld, failing to reimburse the City for decades in old redevelopment loans. In addition to this recent success, Mr. Gates has successfully taken a number of cases to trial personally defending our police officers, including prevailing in a $20,000,000 officer-involved shooting trial last year. Finally, Mr. Gates is fighting for the character and integrity of his City and the local control authority of his City Council by actively challenging the aggressive State actions against the City in court, such as the 2020 COVID-related State-mandated Beach Closure, State high-density housing mandates that seek to impose heaving, untenable burdens on the City, defending the City from the State’s lawsuit against the City’s new Voter ID law, and more. Mr. Gates is a great example of strong legal acumen and success to other cities.