Thank you to our 2025 National Celebrate Life Weekend

Rally & Gala Speakers

To view the Conference Speakers, click here.

KEYNOTE SPEAKER:

Riley Gaines

Athlete and Advocate for Fairness, Free Speech, and Women’s Rights

Riley Gaines is more than an elite athlete—she’s a bold and unapologetic advocate for fairness in women’s sports, a defender of freedom of speech, and a champion of women’s rights. A 12-time All-American swimmer, 2-time Olympic Trial Qualifier, and 5-time SEC Champion, Gaines made waves in the pool long before she made headlines in the fight to protect female athletes.

Her journey took a dramatic turn in 2022 when she refused to stay silent about the growing threats to women’s sports. As a collegiate athlete at the University of Kentucky, Riley witnessed firsthand the consequences of policies that prioritize ideology over fairness. Rather than back down, she spoke up—challenging the status quo and becoming one of the nation’s most sought-after voices on the issue.

Now a leading advocate for women’s rights, Riley leads as Director of the Riley Gaines Center, a national initiative dedicated to educating, training, and equipping girls and women to stand up for their rights. Through workshops, mentorship programs, and advocacy training, the center empowers women to push back against counter-culture narratives that threaten their opportunities, safety, and fairness in sports, freedom of speech and beyond.

Riley is a fearless champion for female athletes, free speech, and women’s rights—but this fight is bigger than sports. It’s about the future. It’s about the next generation of girls who want to shatter glass ceilings in every arena. It’s about reminding the world that safety, fairness, and truth are not negotiable.

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Kristan Hawkins

President of Students for Life of America

Kristan Hawkins is a Christian, wife, mother, grassroots activist, author, speaker, and a human rights advocate. President of Students for Life of America, she was recruited in 2006 to launch Students for Life of America’s full-time operation. Since then, she has built up a small organization made up of a few dozen student groups scattered around the country to a coordinated national team serving more than 1,200 Students for Life chapters in all fifty states. Under her leadership, Students for Life exists to abolish abortion by transforming our culture by recruiting, training, and mobilizing this pro-life generation, who are the direct targets of today’s abortion industry. A frequent speaker and media analyst, Kristan’s expertise includes abortion, feminism, disability advocacy and healthcare, as she navigates the social conditions and public policy that impacts the human rights issue of our day.
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Abby Johnson

Founder and Director of And Then There Were None and ProLove Ministries

Abby Johnson worked for Planned Parenthood for eight years, working her way up through the ranks to become the clinic director in Bryan, Texas. She was Planned Parenthood's Employee of the Year in 2008 but she walked away from her job after witnessing the abortion of a 13-week-old fetus during an ultrasound-guided abortion. She left Planned Parenthood and instantly became a national news headline for her defection, which led to a pro-life speaking career. In 2012, she founded And Then There Were None, the only ministry in the nation that helps abortion workers leave their jobs and find new ones out of the industry. To date, she has helped over 650 abortion workers quit. She also founded ProLove Ministries and LoveLine in the fall of 2019. Her bestselling book, Unplanned, was made into a feature film that debuted in theaters nationwide March 2019 under the same name and she is the host of the podcast Politely Rude. She is also the author of Fierce Mercy, released in March 2022, and co-editor of Life to the Full, released in April 2023. She and her husband, Doug, have eight children.

Lauren Muzyka

Founder, President & CEO of Sidewalk Advocates for Life

Lauren Muzyka is the founder, President & CEO of Sidewalk Advocates for Life, the nation’s largest sidewalk outreach training program. Lauren is a licensed attorney with more than 20 years of experience in sidewalk outreach.

Lauren participated in the very first 40 Days for Life campaign, and she went on to serve as their campaign strategist, advising their 300+ campaigns in North America. Inspired by the transformative power of prayer and peaceful outreach on the sidewalk, Lauren founded Sidewalk Advocates for Life in 2014.

Sidewalk Advocates for Life has grown to more than 235 locations worldwide and, through God’s grace, has witnessed more than 22,000 babies saved, 55 abortion-facility closures, and 88 abortion workers leave the business.

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Brandy Meeks

President & CEO of the Vitae Foundation

Brandy has led in the pro-life movement for well over a decade. Her passion and energy for the mission increased while she served as a pregnancy center director in her early years. Later, she was recruited as the Director of Marketing and Research Application at Vitae Foundation.

In 2018, Former Planned Parenthood director turned pro-life advocate Abby Johnson asked Brandy to join her as the VP of Operations at And Then There Were None to help more abortion workers leave the abortion industry while the movie Unplanned gained popularity. Together, they also launched ProLove Ministries, a pro-life organization that seeks to fill gaps in the movement.

After the Dobbs decision was announced in 2022, Brandy was pursued by Vitae Foundation’s board of directors to lead as the next President. She now leads Vitae Foundation– an organization that facilitates lifesaving research and applies the findings to create messaging strategies to share with others so, together, we can make abortion unthinkable.

Brandy is a founding board member of Abortion Survivors Network with abortion survivor Melissa Ohden, continues to assist as a board member at And Then There Were None, serves with the United Nations through the Organization of American States as a CSO to protect human rights internationally, and is also a Commissioner with the Missouri Baptist Convention’s Christian Life Commission, the public policy arm of the MBC.

In her spare time, Brandy enjoys strategizing new marketing and pro-life research ideas and helping with the youth ministry at her church.

Kimberly Bird

Senior Specialist for Communications and Public Affairs at Live Action

Kimberly Bird is a dedicated wife, mother, and pro-life advocate with national speaking experience. She began her career as an investigative journalist at an NBC station in Beaumont, Texas, uncovering criminal activity involving children. Her partnership with local law enforcement resulted in placing child predators behind bars and closing down several local pill mills, earning her Best Investigative Report by The Southeast Texas Press Club.

After marrying her husband in 2008, Kimberly moved back to her hometown. For 12 years, she led a national staffing firm's Communications and Public Relations team, speaking to audiences nationwide about successful business strategies. In 2021, she decided to use her voice to educate and advocate for the preborn as the Vice President of External Relations for Live Action.

Today, Kimberly is the Senior Specialist for Communications and Public Affairs at Live Action. She plays a crucial role by crafting editorials and press releases, enhancing communication strategies, and fostering nationwide governmental relationships. She passionately advocates for the defense of the preborn on national radio shows and podcasts, on television, and in front of live audiences, where she aims to educate, gather support, and save lives.

Kimberly lives with her husband and their four daughters in Tampa, Florida.

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Elizabeth Johnston

Author & Pro-Life Advocate

Elizabeth Johnston, also known as The Activist Mommy, is a speaker, bestselling author of “Little Lives Matter”, and host of “The Elizabeth Johnston Podcast.” As the organizer of the National Day of Mourning for the Unborn, and a homeschooling mother of ten children, Elizabeth has become a thought leader on issues of importance to families and people of faith. Her children are active co-laborers with her in the ministry, which makes Elizabeth a unique example and voice to mothers in this generation. Elizabeth has been featured on many major media outlets, such as Fox & Friends, The New York Times, The Blaze and Christian Broadcasting Network. The pulse behind all her work is her love for her family and her Savior, Jesus Christ. You can read Elizabeth’s blog or connect with her at www.ElizabethJohnston.org.

Sarah Gabel Seifert

President and Co-Founder of Everylife

Sarah Gabel Seifert is the President and Co-Founder of EveryLife, the first and only pro-life diaper company. Sarah Gabel built EveryLife from the ground up and, within just over a year, established it as the fastest-growing diaper company in American history.

A passionate and influential voice in the pro-life and pro-family movement, Sarah Gabel has inspired countless parents and individuals to stand firm in their beliefs. She is a leading advocate against the depopulation agenda and the architect of the viral "Make More Babies" campaign, which garnered extensive national media coverage. As a prominent figure on major news shows and podcasts, she advocates for a cultural shift that views children as blessings and central to society’s future.

Before co-founding EveryLife, Sarah Gabel partnered with her husband, Michael Seifert, to launch PublicSquare (NYSE: PSQH), a revolutionary new platform connecting consumers with businesses that share their values. PublicSquare has quickly become a beacon for conscious consumers who seek to support pro-life, pro-family, pro-America businesses. The company went public in 2023 and is now valued at over $80 million.

Sarah Gabel’s deep commitment to celebrating and protecting life is reflected in both her personal and professional journey. From 2020 to 2021, she served as the Client Services Director at the Pregnancy Resource Center in San Clemente, where she led a team of over 80 volunteers, providing essential support to women facing unplanned pregnancies. Her earlier leadership roles at JH Ranch, a nonprofit dedicated to strengthening families, helped shape her passion for restoring family bonds.

A proud wife to Michael and a devoted mother to their daughter, Lily Gabel, Sarah Gabel’s mission is clear: to champion the unborn and invest in the next generation. Through EveryLife’s premium products and unwavering commitment to faith, life, parenthood, and integrity, she continues to leave a lasting impact on families across the nation.

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LEIGH WAMBSGANSS

Chief Communications Officer for Patriot Mobile

As CCO, Leigh focuses on internal and external strategic corporate communications, public relations, media, investor and employee relations, corporate messaging, and media presence at Patriot Mobile.

Named 2022 Top 5 Power Player in North Texas by Axios, Leigh has been a tireless leader in conservative politics for over 30 years. She co-founded, serves as President and Board Member of the Southlake Families PAC, which, in 2020, brought nationwide awareness to Critical Race Theory (CRT) infecting public education. She is a founding Board Member and Executive Director of Patriot Mobile Action, a Texas PAC that played a critical role in increasing Texas’ 2024 General Election majority. Utilizing a strategic multi-layer blend of targeted voter messaging, powerful streaming video on multiple platforms, and cutting-edge GOTV technology, the organization made an undeniable impact on the political landscape in Texas. Leigh also serves on Texas’ Tarrant County Republican Party Executive Committee.

Leigh has been featured on Fox and Friends, The Shannon Bream Show, Steve Bannon’s War Room, OAN’s Tipping Point, John Solomons "Just the News" talk radio, The Charlie Kirk Show, in the National Review, the Daily Caller and a speaker at Turning Point USA, the NRA, Gun Owners of America Texas Values, and the Center for National Policy and quoted in multiple news media stories.

Prior to joining Patriot Mobile, Leigh has held multiple leadership positions, including founder & CEO of Southlake Realty, Co-founder & COO WXP Holdings, and has served on the board of multiple nonprofits. Leigh started her professional career as a television news anchor, reporter, and producer and served as congressional campaign and district office staff during the early 90's Republican Revolution.

She holds a B.A. in Communications from the University of Central Oklahoma and a Master’s Degree in Organizational Management from Dallas Baptist University.