Benedictine College’s Fourteenth Annual
Symposium on Transforming Culture

Brad Wilcox is Melville Foundation Jefferson Scholars Foundation University Professor of Sociology and Director of the National Marriage Project at the University of Virginia, Future of Freedom Fellow at the Institute for Family Studies, and a nonresident senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute. The author of Get Married: Why Americans Should Defy the Elites, Forge Strong Families and Save Civilization (Harper Collins, 2024), Wilcox studies marriage, fatherhood, and the impact of strong and stable families on men, women, and children.

Professor Wilcox is the author and coauthor of six books and has written for scientific journals such as The American Sociological Review and The Journal of Marriage and Family, as well as popular outlets like The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Atlantic, and National Review.

With Nicholas H. Wolfinger, Wilcox is the co-author of Soul Mates: Religion, Sex, Love, and Marriage Among African Americans and Latinos (Oxford, 2016), which shines a spotlight on the lives of strong and happy minority couples. He is also the coauthor of Gender and Parenthood: Biological and Social Scientific Perspectives (Columbia, 2013) with Kathleen Kovner Kline. His research has been featured in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Atlantic, National Review Online, NPR, NBC’s The Today Show, and many other media outlets. Wilcox consults regularly with companies such as Nestle, Procter & Gamble, and Kimberly-Clark on fertility and marriage trends in the United States.

Catherine Ruth Pakaluk (Ph.D, 2010) joined the faculty at the Busch School in the summer of 2016, and is the founder of the Political Economy academic area, where she is an Associate Professor of Political Economic Thought. Formerly, she was Assistant Professor and Chair of the Economics Department at Ave Maria University. Her primary areas of research include economics of education and religion, family studies and demography, Catholic social thought and political economy. Dr. Pakaluk is the 2015 recipient of the Acton Institute’s Novak Award, a prize given for “significant contributions to the study of the relationship between religion and economic liberty.”

Pakaluk did her doctoral work at Harvard University under Caroline Hoxby, David Cutler, and 2016 Nobel-laureate Oliver Hart. Her dissertation, “Essays in Applied Microeconomics”, examined the relationship between religious ‘fit’ and educational outcomes, the role of parental effort in observed peer effects and school quality, and theoretical aspects of the contraceptive revolution as regards twentieth century demographic trends.  

Beyond her formal training in economics, Dr. Pakaluk studied Catholic social thought under the mentorship of F. Russell Hittinger, and various aspects of Thomistic thought with Steven A. Long. She is a widely-admired writer and sought-after speaker on matters of culture, gender, social science, the vocation of women, and the work of Edith Stein. She lives in Maryland with her husband Michael Pakaluk and eight children.

J.P. De Gance is the founder and president of Communio and the co-author of the book, Endgame: The Church’s Strategic Move to Save Faith and Family in America. JP is also the author of the Nationwide Study on Faith and Relationships. Communio is a ministry originally incubated as the Culture of Freedom Initiative at The Philanthropy Roundtable where he served as the organization’s executive vice president. The Initiative raised and spent $20 million over three years in three different states seeking to identify the most effective strategies to boost marital health, family stability, and church engagement. From 2016 to 2018, the experimental initiative worked with an ecumenical network of churches and drove down the divorce rate by 24 percent in Jacksonville, FL. Today, Communio serves churches across the United States helping them evangelize by applying the learnings from their successful intervention in Jacksonville. A husband and father, JP lives in Virginia with his wife and eight children.

Dr. Christopher Kaczor (rhymes with razor) is Professor of Philosophy at Loyola Marymount University.  He graduated from the Honors Program of Boston College and earned a Ph.D. four years later from the University of Notre Dame. A Fulbright Scholar, Dr. Kaczor did post-doctoral work as a Alexander von Humboldt German Chancellor Fellow at the University of Cologne. He was appointed a Corresponding Member of the Pontifical Academy for Life of Vatican City, a fellow of the Word on Fire Institute, and William E. Simon Visiting Fellow in the James Madison Program at Princeton University. The winner of a Templeton Grant, he has written more than 100 scholarly articles and book chapters. An award winning author, his sixteen books include Jordan Peterson, God, and Christianity: The Search for a Meaningful Life, Disputes in Bioethics, Thomas Aquinas on the Cardinal Virtues,  Abortion Rights: For and Against, 365 Days to Deeper Faith,  The Gospel of Happiness, The Seven Big Myths about Marriage,  A Defense of Dignity,  The Seven Big Myths about the Catholic Church, The Ethics of Abortion, O Rare Ralph McInerny: Stories and Reflections on a Legendary Notre Dame Professor, Life Issues-Medical Choices; Thomas Aquinas on Faith, Hope, and Love; The Edge of Life, and Proportionalism and the Natural Law Tradition. Dr. Kaczor’s views have been in The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, The Los Angeles Times, Huffington Post, National Review, NPR, BBC, EWTN, ABC, NBC, FOX, CBS, MSNBC, TEDx, and The Today Show.

Married for 39 years, John and Claire Grabowski have 5 children and 12 grandchildren. They have done pre-Cana marriage ministry together for over 30 years, post-Cana ministry for 10 years, and served as a member couple from the United States on the Pontifical Council for the Family after their appointment by Pope Benedict XVI in 2009. Together they are the authors of the commentary on the anniversary edition of Familiaris Consortio (Boston: Pauline, 2015), One Body: A Program of Marriage Formation for the New Evangelization. (Steubenville, OH: Emmaus Road Press, 2018), and Raising Catholic Kids for their Vocations (Charlotte, NC: TAN Books, 2019). They have spoken together to groups of laity, priests, and bishops across the United States and abroad. They have also appeared together on EWTN television and Relevant Radio programs.

Claire has been a Catholic educator, stay at home mother, in-home childcare provider, financial administrative assistant, and care-giver and companion to the elderly. She has been a mentor to women and couples and has been active in a variety of lay ministries for many years.

John has taught moral theology at The Catholic University of America for the last 33 years. He has three times been appointed as a theological consultant to the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. In 2015 he was appointed by Pope Francis to serve as an expert (adiutor) at the Synod of Bishops on the Family. His books include Unraveling Gender: The Battle Over Sexual Difference (Gastonia, NC: TAN Books, 2022), Sex and Virtue: An Introduction to Sexual Ethics (Washington, DC: Catholic University of America Press, 2003), Transformed in Christ: Essays on the Renewal of Moral Theology (Naples, FL: Sapientia Press, 2017), and A Catechism for Family Life: Insights from Catholic Teaching on Love, Marriage, Sex, and Parenting, edited with Sarah Bartel (Washington, DC: Catholic University of America Press, 2018). He also wrote the Foreword to the 1997 English edition of Pope John Paul II’s Theology of the Body (Boston: Pauline, 1997).

Married for 39 years, John and Claire Grabowski have 5 children and 12 grandchildren.  They have done pre-Cana marriage ministry together for over 30 years, post-Cana ministry for 10 years, and served as a member couple from the United States on the Pontifical Council for the Family after their appointment by Pope Benedict XVI in 2009.  Together they are the authors of the commentary on the anniversary edition of Familiaris Consortio (Boston: Pauline, 2015), One Body: A Program of Marriage Formation for the New Evangelization. (Steubenville, OH: Emmaus Road Press, 2018), and Raising Catholic Kids for their Vocations (Charlotte, NC:  TAN Books, 2019).  They have spoken together to groups of laity, priests, and bishops across the United States and abroad. They have also appeared together on EWTN television and Relevant Radio programs.

Claire has been a Catholic educator, stay at home mother, in-home childcare provider, financial administrative assistant, and care-giver and companion to the elderly.  She has been a mentor to women and couples and has been active in a variety of lay ministries for many years.

John has taught moral theology at The Catholic University of America for the last 33 years.  He has three times been appointed as a theological consultant to the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.  In 2015 he was appointed by Pope Francis to serve as an expert (adiutor) at the Synod of Bishops on the Family.  His books include Unraveling Gender: The Battle Over Sexual Difference (Gastonia, NC: TAN Books, 2022), Sex and Virtue: An Introduction to Sexual Ethics (Washington, DC: Catholic University of America Press, 2003), Transformed in Christ: Essays on the Renewal of Moral Theology (Naples, FL: Sapientia Press, 2017), and  A Catechism for Family Life: Insights from Catholic Teaching on Love, Marriage, Sex, and Parenting,  edited with Sarah Bartel  (Washington, DC: Catholic University of America Press, 2018).  He also wrote the Foreword to the 1997 English edition of Pope John Paul II’s Theology of the Body (Boston: Pauline, 1997).

Pia de Solenni is an internationally recognized Catholic theologian and speaker. Her work has appeared in The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, and National Catholic Register; she has appeared on CNN, ABC News, and other television programs.

Solenni is an alumna of the Pontifical University of Saint Thomas Aquinas, Angelicum where she earned a Bachelor of Sacred Theology. On November 8, 2001, she received the 2001 Award of the Pontifical Academies for her doctoral work. The award was presented by John Paul II. Dr. de Solenni has served on the Family Research Council.

Solenni has a doctorate in theology from the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross in Rome.

Timothy P. Carney is a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, where he works on civil society, family, localism, religion in America, economic competition, and electoral politics. He is concurrently a senior columnist at the Washington Examiner.

Mr. Carney’s forthcoming book, Family Unfriendly: How Our Culture Made Raising Kids Much Harder Than It Needs to Be, will be published by HarperCollins in March 2024. He is also the author of Alienated America: Why Some Places Thrive While Others Collapse (HarperCollins, 2019), which was a Washington Post bestseller; Obamanomics (Regnery Publishing, 2009); and The Big Ripoff: How Big Business and Big Government Steal Your Money (John Wiley & Sons, 2006), which was awarded the 2008 Culture of Enterprise award by the Intercollegiate Studies Institute.

In addition to his Washington Examiner columns, Mr. Carney has been published widely, including in the Atlantic, National Review, the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, and the Washington Post. His television appearances include CNN, Fox News, MSNBC, and PBS NewsHour.

Mr. Carney has a bachelor’s degree from St. John’s College in Annapolis.

Marcie Stokman is the founder and president of the Well-Read Mom, an international movement and book club. With a passion for reading and motherhood, she writes and speaks to encourage women in a world of rising isolation, loneliness, and mental health issues.  Marcie has a Bachelor of Nursing degree from the University of Nebraska at Kearney and a Master’s degree in Psychology from the Adler Institute in Chicago. As a homeschool mom for 25 years, Marcie co-founded a classical co-op for high school students, bringing families together to support each other in their vision for excellence in education and seeking truth, beauty, and goodness through the Western classical tradition.  Marcie and her husband have seven children and 11 grandchildren and reside in Crosby, MN.

John earned his Ph.D. from the Catholic University of America where he wrote his doctoral dissertation on masculine virtue. Convicted that the fight of our times is the fight for the family, John founded FORGE in October 2023. He now serves as Executive Director. John and his wife Katelyn live with their children in Des Moines, Iowa. John will give a keynote address on the crisis of men in today’s society and what to do about it.

Paul D. Mueller is a senior research fellow at the American Institute for Economic Research as well as a research fellow and associate director of the Religious Liberty in the States project at the Center for Religion, Culture & Democracy. He taught economics at The King’s College in New York City. His academic  and popular work has appeared in a large variety of publications. Dr. Mueller is also the author of Ten Years Later: Why the Conventional Wisdom about the 2008 Financial Crisis Is Still Wrong.

John Horvat II is a scholar, researcher, educator, international speaker and author of “Return to Order: From a Frenzied Economy to an Organic Christian Society – Where We’ve Been, How We Got Here and Where We Need to Go.” His writings have appeared worldwide, including The Wall Street Journal, FOX News, The Christian Post, The Washington Times, ABC News, Crisis Magazine, Life Site News, The Catholic Thing and C-SPAN. For more than three decades he has been researching and writing about the socio-economic and moral crisis in the United States and its consequences.

He is the vice president of the American Society for the Defense of Tradition, Family and Property (TFP), head of the TFP Commission for American studies, and a TFP Sedes Sapientiae Institute instructor. Additionally, he is a member of the Association of Christian Economists, The Philadelphia Society, the National Association of Scholars and the Catholic Writers Guild. He lives in Spring Grove, Pennsylvania.

Ed Van Buskirk is the Founder and President of If U Love Me, a Catholic apostolate dedicated to teaching the wisdom of the Ten Commandments. He is the author of the book and video course on the Ten Commandments, God’s Recipe for a Wonderful Life and creator of the “God’s Recipe for School and Family,” a program that teaches the Ten Commandments to school children and their families. He speaks nationwide and has been featured at the Kansas City-St. Joseph diocesan Eucharistic Congress. He also has written numerous articles that have appeared in Catholic Exchange.

Linda Coltrane is Vice President of Employee Care and HR at Polydeck. In her role, Linda is focused on fostering excellent team member experiences that support Polydeck’s unique caring culture. Linda holds a master’s degree in executive leadership and a bachelor’s degree in human resource management, which has helped her excel in her career and contribute to the success of Polydeck.

Linda has a genuine heart for people and a commitment to giving back, Linda actively volunteers in her local community and currently sponsors three school aged children in Nicaragua through Chosen Children. Linda is happily married and the proud parent of three adult children.

Tim Urban is a serial entrepreneur who has successfully started and grown businesses using various methods, including bootstrapping, acquisitions, and strategic financing. He also serves as a Captain with South Metro Fire Rescue, where he built and implemented a leadership development program designed to enhance the organization’s culture.

In addition to his role with the fire department, Tim is a part-owner and a member of the board of directors for Patmos Hosting. This company specializes in cloud services, high-density computing, software, and data center solutions. Recently, Patmos secured its flagship data center, The Patmos Pavilion, located in the heart of Kansas City.

Outside of his professional pursuits, Tim is married and a father of eight children, one of whom is a Benedictine College student.

Amber Miller Manning is a 3rd-generation leader of The Miller Group, a leading insurance broker in Kansas City. She is a collaborative leader who creates a supportive environment where employees and clients can flourish. Amber has strong insight into team management and is an excellent mentor for emerging leaders and those who manage teams. Strategic, long-range business plans are also a strength as she focuses on leading her family-owned company into its next era.

Amber earned her BA in sociology from Loyola University in Chicago and studied art history in Rome, Italy. She is an advisory board member on the Greater Kansas City Community Foundation and has been named one of KC’s NextGen Leaders and the KC Business Journal’s Women Who Mean Business.