Pregnancy Center Leadership
Gain insight into the cultural, legal, and spiritual challenges facing pro-life ministries today to boldly advocate for life.
Breakout Sessions
Practical Help from the State of Ohio
In this session, Director Kara Wente will discuss the creation of the Ohio Department of Children and Youth in 2024 and its mission today. Pregnancy centers interested in accessing state funds to serve families will learn more about the grant process. Kara will also address concerns for private faith-based ministries accessing public funds and explain why taking advantage of these funds can help pregnancy centers thrive and expand their much-needed services.
Kara Wente
Director
How the Sexual Revolution Changed Everything
The breakdown of the connection between sex, marriage, and baby-making has led to our current cultural abortion crisis that results in the death of a million children each year. In this eye-opening talk, author Rosaria Butterfield will also discuss what should be at the core of our ministry to address the root issues of abortion rather than just highlighting the symptoms of cultural decay.
Rosaria Butterfield
Author and Speaker
The Political and Cultural Landscape of Abortion in Ohio
Center for Christian Virtue Senior Fellow for Strategic Initiatives Peter Range will review Ohio’s latest abortion statistics, outline the campaign to address the abortion pill, speak to the efforts to create a pro-life Ohio for years to come, and finally address practical non-profit help for families in Ohio, which could grow the capacity of our pregnancy centers.
Peter Range
Senior Fellow for Strategic Initiatives
Why Fixing the Family is Fundamental to Address Abortion
Katy Faust, Founder and President of Them Before Us, will share her personal journey from a comfortable Christian to a high-risk Christian. Her testimony will encourage our ministries to challenge the status quo of our approach, so pregnancy centers don’t inadvertently perpetuate single motherhood. Katy will also outline the largest threats to children in the years to come, including the IVF and surrogacy issue, and how the pro-life movement can holistically offer help to women and men in our communities.
Katy Faust
Founder and President
Session Presenters
Rosaria Butterfield
Author and Speaker
Rosaria Butterfield
Rosaria Butterfield, a former tenured professor of English and women’s studies at Syracuse University, converted to Christ in what she describes as a train wreck. Her memoir, The Secret Thoughts of an Unlikely Convert: An English Professor’s Journey into Christian Faith (Crown and Covenant, 2012), chronicles her conversion. Rosaria is married to Kent, a Reformed Presbyterian pastor in North Carolina. She is a mother, grandmother, author, and speaker.
Katy Faust
Founder and President
Them Before Us
Katy Faust
Katy Faust is Founder and President of Them Before Us, a global movement defending children’s right to their mother and father. She publishes, speaks and testifies widely on why marriage and family are matters of justice for children. Her articles have appeared in outlets including Newsweek, USA Today, Fox News, The Federalist, Public Discourse, WORLD Magazine, the Daily Wire, First Things, and the Blaze. She is on the advisory board for the Alliance for Responsible Citizenship. She detailed her philosophy of worldview transmission in her book, Raising Conservative Kids in a Woke City. Her third book, Pro-Child Politics was published September 2024. She is spearheading Greater Than, which aims to retake legal marriage on behalf of children. She and her husband have raised their four children in Seattle.
Kara Wente
Director
Ohio Department of Children and Youth
Kara Wente
In August 2023, Governor Mike DeWine nominated Kara B. Wente to be the Director of the Ohio Department of Children and Youth (DCY). Kara has spent her career advocating for children. Before being nominated to lead DCY, she served as the Director of the Governor’s Children’s Initiative and was the Chief Operating Officer for Future Ready Columbus. With more than 20 years in dedicated state service, Kara has extensive experience in serving the most vulnerable children and families in Ohio. She used data as an accountability tool for systemic change during her time as the Assistant Director of Health and Human Services at the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services and led several large-scale system and policy changes as Deputy Director at the Office of Family Assistance.Kara’s hometown is Celina, Ohio, but she currently lives in Dublin. She holds a Master’s in Education and Allied Professions from the University of Dayton and a Bachelor's in Psychology from The Ohio State University.
Peter Range
Senior Fellow for Strategic Initiatives
Center for Christian Virtue
Peter Range
Prior to coming to CCV, Peter was the Executive Director of Ohio Right to Life after serving seven years as the Director of the Office for Life and Justice of Catholic Charities in the Diocese of Toledo. Eight months into his tenure with the Ohio Right to Life, Peter was promoted to Chief Executive Officer. Peter hosts his own radio show, “Say Yes to Life,” which airs in Ohio and Michigan.Peter graduated from the University of Notre Dame with a Master’s in Theology with a focus in Biblical Studies. Peter received his Bachelor of Arts in History from John Carroll University in 2004. Peter's history of ministry work includes serving immigrant families, inner-city youth, university students, and the homeless.Peter is passionate about family, service, and encountering the one true God, Jesus Christ. He married his wife, Laura, in May 2015. They live in Northwest Ohio and have six children.
