Ryan Tucker serves as senior counsel and director of the Center for Christian Ministries with Alliance Defending Freedom. Ryan oversees litigation efforts to maintain and defend the freedom of churches, Christian ministries, and religious schools to exercise their First Amendment Rights.

Hesham Shehab grew up in a world of bitter animosity between Muslims and Christians in Lebanon. By age 13 he was recruited by the Muslim Brotherhood and later fought against Christians in the Lebanese Civil War. Now, Hesham is the pastor of Salam Christian Fellowship, a ministry dedicated to sharing the Gospel with Muslim and Middle Eastern immigrants in the Chicagoland area. Salam’s objective is to bring these immigrants to the saving grace of Christ Jesus through teaching and baptism.

Neville Reid is a capital partner and co-chair of Bankruptcy, Restructuring, and Creditors’ Rights Group at the law firm of Fox Swibel Levin & Carroll. Neville is also a member and volunteer of Kairos Prison Ministries and Vice Chair of its Advisory Council. Recently, he played an integral role in a bankruptcy case for Johnson Publishing Company and the auction of artifacts relating to African American history.

Julia Heinz is the Principal of Saint Paul Lutheran School in Mount Prospect Illinois. Saint Paul has a long, rich history of providing a loving, safe, and nurturing Christian education to the community since 1922. Building relationships, not just within the classroom, but also within the community has been and continues to be their priority while providing a place of academic distinction.

David Barton is the Founder of Wallbuilders, a national organization dedicated to presenting America’s forgotten history and heroes. Wallbuilders’ goals are to educate the nation concerning our foundations, support public policy that reflects Biblical values, and encourage Christians to be more involved in the civic arena.

Thomas Olp is Vice President and Senior Counsel of the Thomas More Society, a national not-for-profit public interest law firm dedicated to restoring respect in law for life, family, and religious liberty. Based in Chicago, Thomas More Society defends and fosters support for these causes by providing high quality pro bono legal services from local trial courts all the way to the United States Supreme Court.

Manny Flores is the President and CEO of SomerCor, a small business administration certified development company that plays a critical role in filling the financing gap for businesses that face barriers to traditional loans, and also for those that want to preserve working capital. SomerCor’s mission is to grow business and create jobs by partnering with banks and other lending institutions to provide capital to small businesses in Illinois.

Melissa H. DeVries is a partner attorney at Hoogendoorn & Talbot LLP who focuses her practice on estate planning, estate administration, and more. Melissa maintains a diverse client base of individuals and couples with all levels of estate planning needs and works closely with them to determine their goals and tailor a plan accordingly.

Pastor Rob Stevenson is the Senior Pastor of Rock of Our Salvation Evangelical Free Church. Beyond the pulpit, Pastor Rob is an influential voice in Chicago’s Austin community through involvement with Chicago Alternative Policing Strategy and Clergy Coalition. He also sits on the board of directors for Circle Urban Ministries and is Chaplain for the Columbus Park Golf Course.

Kate Trammell is the director of state policy at Prison Fellowship, which is the nation’s largest Christian nonprofit serving prisoners, former inmates, and their families. Kate is well-versed in criminal law and research, and has unique experience conducting state-level advocacy campaigns while equipping local churches for political engagement.