Alliance Defense Fund Leadership Team
ADF President, CEO, and General Counsel, Alan Sears
Alan Sears serves as president, CEO, and general counsel of the Alliance Defense Fund, a legal alliance of Christian attorneys and like-minded organizations defending the right of people to freely live out their faith. He leads the strategy, training, funding, and litigation efforts of ADF that have resulted in various roles in 38 victories at the U.S. Supreme Court and wins in more than three out of four cases litigated to conclusion. Under his leadership, ADF has funded more than 2,200 grants and legal projects for allied lawyers and organizations, and ADF attorneys have successfully defended marriage as the union between one man and one woman in more than 40 cases nationwide.
Since the launch of ADF in 1994, Sears has provided strategic leadership in the training of more than 1,500 lawyers through the one-of-a-kind ADF Legal Academy, which is designed to equip attorneys to more effectively defend religious freedom, the sanctity of life, and marriage and the family. These attorneys have reported nearly $136 million in pro-bono/dedicated time. Sears' visionary efforts have also resulted in the graduation of more than 1,000 outstanding law students— representing more than 140 law schools—from the unique ADF Blackstone Legal Fellowship program. This in-depth summer internship program helps equip these students to assume leadership positions to shape the future of American law. Today, ADF has nearly 2,100 allied attorneys.
Sears earned his Juris Doctor from Louis D. Brandeis School of Law. While serving in numerous positions within the government, he worked for the Department of Justice under Attorneys General William French Smith and Edwin Meese III, including service as an Assistant U.S. Attorney and Chief of the Criminal Section. Sears was also appointed as the director of the Attorney General's Commission on Pornography and served as associate solicitor with the Department of the Interior under Secretary Donald Hodel. A graduate of the University of Kentucky, Sears has continued his education with professional instruction at Stanford University, Harvard Law School, Harvard Business School, and Pepperdine University.
Practicing law for three decades, Sears is a member in good standing with the American, Arizona, California, District of Columbia (inactive), and Kentucky bar associations. He has helped fashion the language for numerous state and federal laws and has testified before committees of the U.S. House and Senate, state legislatures, and many local governments and commissions. Legislators in 20 states have adopted his legislative recommendations. Sears has assisted legislators and law enforcement officials from many countries and has spoken before committees of the British Parliament.
Sears' numerous media appearances include television interviews and features on The Today Show, Nightline, CNN, Fox News, C-SPAN, The O’Reilly Factor, Oprah, and The Lou Dobbs Show. He has also been a radio guest on various programs, including The Laura Ingraham Show, National Public Radio, and The Dennis Prager Radio Show. Sears has been extensively covered in national print media, including the Washington Post, the Associated Press, the Washington Times, the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, the Arizona Republic, and the National Catholic Register. He is a regular opinion contributor to Townhall.com and has co-authored several books, including The Homosexual Agenda: Exposing the Principal Threat to Religious Freedom Today (2003) and The ACLU vs. America (2005), both with Craig Osten. His most recent book is In Justice (2009).
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
ADF is blessed with men and women of exceptional capacity, background, and experience, who serve on the board of directors in a completely unpaid, volunteer basis.
Our board members have diverse backgrounds – ranging from high military command to national ministry leadership, media and journalism to business and entrepreneurial ventures – but are united in their commitment to faith, religious liberty, the sanctity of life, and the preservation of marriage and the family.
These servants are committed to keeping the door open for the spread of the Gospel and have made themselves available to accomplish much at this time! (Esther 4:14).
Chapman Cox – Chairman
Retired attorney
Former General Counsel, U.S. Department of Defense
Chapman Cox is Chairman of the Governing Board of Alliance Defense Fund. He brings to this position leadership experience in the legal profession, public service, corporate management, and trustworthy stewardship.
Mr. Cox was born in Ohio, and attended public schools in Indiana, Colorado, and California. He earned a B.A. magna cum laude from the University of Southern California and a J.D. from Harvard Law School. After graduate school, he served for three years as an officer in the U.S. Marine Corps, including combat duty in Vietnam. During his civilian professional career, he continued to serve in the Marine Corps Reserve and retired as a colonel.
Upon returning from Vietnam, Mr. Cox entered the private practice of law in California and Colorado. He was the managing partner of Sherman & Howard (a multi-state law firm), an adjunct professor at the University of Colorado Law School, and a member of the board of governors of the Colorado Bar Association. He is a fellow of the American College of Trust and Estate Counsel and a former member of the American Bar Association Standing Committee on Law and National Security.
In the administration of President Reagan, Mr. Cox served as Assistant Secretary of the Navy (first term) and as General Counsel of the Department of Defense (second term). He received two Distinguished Public Service Medals from the Department of Defense, and a Distinguished Public Service Medal from the Department of the Navy. Later, as a private citizen, he served as a member of the Defense Policy Board.
Following public service, Mr. Cox held senior executive positions with two multinational corporations. He was president and chief executive officer of United Service Organizations, Inc. and senior vice president of Lockheed Martin IMS.
Throughout his career, Mr. Cox has contributed a significant portion of his time to community service. He served as president of the Ladies Relief Society of Denver, as chairman of the Colorado Commission on Space Science and Industry, and as a loaned executive to United Way International. He is a former board member of United Service Organizations, Inc., Colorado Springs Symphony Orchestra, Presbyterian Church (USA) Foundation, The Fund for American Studies, Freedoms Foundation, New Covenant Trust Company, Presbyterian Lay Committee, and Army Navy Club of Washington, DC. He is currently a director of Manhattan Initiative, Inc. and independent trustee of several private trusts.
From young adulthood, Mr. Cox has been committed to his faith in Jesus Christ as the incarnation of God's Word. He is an ordained Presbyterian elder and has served a wide range of local, regional, and national activities, both within the denomination and in other faith-based organizations.
Mr. Cox is the husband of Jeannette Korody Cox of Anchorage, Alaska, who is a professional musician and art historian. They have two sons: Charles is a Marine Corps pilot; and Andrew is a senior executive in the Department of the Navy.
Edward Christie, Jr.
Senior Vice President of Administration and Chief Financial Officer, Caring People Alliance
Edward Christie, Jr., is the senior vice president of administration and chief financial officer for Caring People Alliance, where he has served since 2005. Caring People Alliance, an affiliate of the Boys & Girls Clubs of America, is one of the Philadelphia region’s top 10 non-profit organizations, as noted by the Philadelphia Business Journal. The agency services an estimated 18,200 low-income individuals and families each year, as well as 23,000 members of the community through Child Care Information Services (CCIS). With an annual organization budget exceeding $115 million, Christie provides direct financial and operational management for the alliance’s Accounting, Finance, Human Resources, Internal Technology, and CCIS Programs.
Prior to becoming a member of the Alliance Defense Fund Board of Directors in 2009, Christie was the vice president and chief financial officer for the national headquarters of the United Way system. United Way of America has 1,400 affiliates, with total annual revenues of over $4 billion. Christie’s responsibilities included providing United Way stakeholders with financial information, planning, and advice, as well as organizing the annual operating budgeting process and making timely and accurate reports to agencies and vendors. He chaired the system’s financial issues committee (comprised of senior financial professionals from member organizations) and was an active member of the board of directors of the United Way subsidiary Sales Service America.
Christie also served as COO/CFO for the United Service Organizations (USO) for seven years, where he managed overseas/U.S. operations, budgeting and finances, internal auditing, entertainment programs, and human resources. Prior to the USO, Christie worked as a turnaround consultant to the Baltimore Red Cross, which led to a full-time assignment as deputy executive director of administration/CFO to implement his recommendations for improved cash flow requirements. He spearheaded the merger of the blood services operation at the Washington, D.C., Red Cross into the Baltimore Red Cross.
Christie and his wife, Mary Alice, call Berwyn, Pennsylvania, home. They have three daughters and seven grandchildren. Christie also holds memberships with the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, Pennsylvania Society of CPAs, and is the treasurer/board member of his homeowners association. He completed his B.S. in Accounting at Stonehill College in Massachusetts and completed several graduate-level courses in Finance at Adelphi University in New York.
Marjorie Dannenfelser
President and Chairman of the Board, Susan B. Anthony List
Marjorie Dannenfelser is President and Chairman of the Board of the Susan B. Anthony List, a national organization dedicated to mobilizing, advancing, and representing pro-life women in politics. As President, Marjorie directs the mission of Susan B. Anthony List, is the chief strategist, and serves as its primary spokeswoman. Under her leadership, the organization has grown to over 280,000 members and activists nationwide.
Since its founding, the organization’s connected political action committee, the nonpartisan Susan B. Anthony List Candidate Fund, has helped elect 75 pro-life candidates to the U.S. House of Representatives, seven to the U.S. Senate, and seven to other statewide offices across the country. During the 2008 election, she co-founded Team Sarah, a national community of supporters and spokeswomen dedicated to the advancing the values represented by former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin.
Marjorie has represented the Susan B. Anthony List on Fox News (“The O’Reilly Factor,” “Real World with Neil Cavuto,” “America’s Newsroom”), CNN, CBN and EWTN. She often appears on both regional and national radio shows, including Janet Parshall’s America, Catholic Connection with Teresa Tomeo, The Fred Thompson Show, and the Bob Dutko Show. She is a regular contributor on pro-life political issues to national radio news services like Focus on the Family Radio, American Family Radio, and Salem Radio News. Her commentaries have appeared around the country and have been published in The Weekly Standard, National Catholic Register, the Washington Times, National Review Online, Townhall.com, the San Francisco Chronicle, and the Washington Examiner. Marjorie has been profiled in the Washington Post Style Section, WORLD Magazine, and NewsMax Magazine.
Prior to launching the Susan B. Anthony List, Marjorie served on Capitol Hill as staff director of the Congressional Pro-life Caucus. Previous to her work on Capitol Hill, she worked at the Heritage Foundation. She is originally from North Carolina and is a graduate of Duke University. Marjorie lives in Arlington, Virginia with her husband Marty and their five children, ages 8-17.
Nathan Estruth
Vice President, Procter & Gamble FutureWorks
Nathan Estruth is the vice president of Procter & Gamble FutureWorks and a former marketing manager for Procter & Gamble China. He is also a long-term marketing, strategy, and operations executive in business and public policy venues.
His interest in ADF was most influenced by the first-hand account of a particular ADF religious freedom case. He presently chairs the Programs and External Relations Committee.
His service to other boards, non-profit groups, and the local community includes Cincinnati's United Cerebral Palsy (board member), Legacy, and Common Sense Ohio. He is also a church elder and volunteer advisor for Pregnancy Care of Cincinnati.
Estruth and his family reside in Cincinnati, Ohio. He is a graduate of UCLA, B.A. Political Science.
Allen Ginsborg - Vice Chairman
Managing Director & Principal, NewMark Merrill Mountain States
Allen Ginsborg is a founder of Pacific Retail Partners, principal and managing director for NMM Mountain States, past senior vice president of CB Commercial, and is currently involved in the ownership, development, and leasing of large retail shopping centers.
A member of the ADF Board of Directors since 2003, Ginsborg currently serves as vice chairman. He is also chairman of the Board Development Committee. His interest in ADF was most influenced by the need to reclaim America's legal system for the purposes and principles for which America's founders established it.
His service to other boards, non-profit organizations, and the local community includes the International Council of Shopping Centers, Colorado State Committee, Ft. Collins Chamber of Commerce, Timberline Ministries (board member), and Boy Scouts of America (trustee for Long's Peak Council). He has also served two terms as a church elder. He is a member of Phi Beta Kappa and an Eagle Scout.
Ginsborg and his family reside in Fort Collins, Colorado. He is an honors graduate of UCLA, B.A. History.
Mark Maddoux - Treasurer
President, USA Radio Network
Mark Maddoux is the president, CEO, and co-founder of the USA Radio Network, vice president and chief financial officer for International Christian Media, and former head of research and development for Gelato of Texas.
A member of the ADF Board of Directors since 1994, Maddoux currently serves as treasurer and member-at-large. His interest in ADF was most influenced by the need to preserve religious freedom and the ADF commitment to win.
His service to other boards, non-profit organizations, and the local community include the USA Radio Network, Boy Scouts of America, and Point of View (advisor). He is also the recipient of nine Katie awards and the National Religious Broadcasters Media Award for "Best Radio News Format."
Maddoux and his family reside in Denton, Texas. He is a graduate of Texas A&M, B.S. Food Science and Technology.
Tom Minnery
Senior Vice President of Government and Public Policy, Focus on the Family
Tom Minnery is senior vice president of Government and Public Policy for Focus on the Family.
A founding member of the ADF Board of Directors and former chairman of the board, Minnery currently serves as member-at-large. His interest in ADF was most influenced by what he believes is the need to reclaim the court system for Christian moral principles.
Minnery is a former senior editor of Christianity Today magazine and Capitol Hill correspondent for Gannett News Service. His service to other boards, non-profit organizations, and the local community includes Regent University School of Government Board of Visitors and local political campaigns. He has been a church elder for many years and the recipient of several recognition awards from local civic and church groups.
Minnery and his family reside in Colorado Springs, Colorado. He is a graduate of Ohio University, B.A. Journalism, and Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, M.A. Religion.
Dale Nabb
Retired corporate executive, Former Chief Executive Officer, PSPA
Dale Nabb is the former CEO of SmithKline Clinical Laboratories. After 25 years, he retired and is now CEO of Condor Equities, a finance company. He also owns and manages a pre-owned car business.
A member of the ADF Board of Directors since 1997, Nabb is currently member-at-large and oversees audit and compensation issues. His interest in ADF was motivated by the late Larry Burkett, the head of Christian Financial Ministries and an ADF founder.
His service to other boards, non-profit organizations, and the local community includes the Elachee Nature Science Center and North Georgia Christian School.
Nabb and his family reside in Gainesville, Georgia. He holds a Ph.D. in Clinical Chemistry.
Charles W. Pickering, Sr.
Senior Counsel, Baker, Donelson, Bearman, Caldwell & Berkowitz PC
Charles W. Pickering, Sr., is senior counsel at the Baker, Donelson, Bearman, Caldwell & Berkowitz law firm and is also a Gideon, a member of the Mission Mississippi Board of Directors, and the former president of Mississippi Baptists. He began his private law practice in 1961, and in October 1990, former President George H.W. Bush appointed him U.S. District Judge for the Southern District of Mississippi, where he served 13 years. Eleven months after his recess appointment from President George W. Bush in January 2004, Pickering retired as an appellate judge from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit.
Prior to becoming a member of the Alliance Defense Fund Board of Directors in 2008, Pickering served on the faculty for the ADF Blackstone Legal Fellowship in 2007 and 2008. His passion as a former judge to see our Constitution restored to its original intent piqued his interest in ADF, which he sees as leading the way toward reaching this goal.
Pickering was the county prosecuting attorney for Jones County, Mississippi, for four years, served in the Mississippi State Senate for eight years, was chairman of the Republican Party in Mississippi, and emerged as the Republican nominee for attorney general of the state. He also became the first chairman of the Jones County Economic Development Authority and co-chaired the governor's commission to establish a civil rights museum in Mississippi. Pickering served as vice-chairman of the Southern Baptist Peace Committee, which he was instrumental in creating. He authored Supreme Chaos: The Politics of Judicial Confirmation and the Culture War and A Price Too High: The Judiciary in Jeopardy. Pickering appeared on CBS's 60 Minutes; Fox News' The O'Reilly Factor and Hannity & Colmes; MSNBC's Scarborough Country; Court TV's Catherine Crier Live; PBS's The News Hour with Jim Lehrer; CSPAN's Washington Journal; Focus on the Family and; Janet Parshall's America.
Pickering and his family reside in Laurel, Mississippi, where he has taught Sunday school at First Baptist Church for nearly 45 years. He has served his church in many capacities, including chairman of the deacons. He is a graduate of the University of Mississippi and helped create the Institute for Racial Reconciliation there in 1999. Pickering graduated from the University of Mississippi School of Law and received an honorary doctorate from William Carey University, where he serves on the board of trustees.
John Rogers
U.S. Chief Operating Officer, Campus Crusade for Christ International
John F. Rogers is the Chief Operating Officer for U.S. Campus Crusade for Christ, and has served the organization for more than 32 years. He is also the Chief of Staff in the Office of the President.
Rogers’ interest in serving was motivated by his commitment to defending the rights and privileges of people of faith, along with forging a stronger partnership between Campus Crusade for Christ and ADF.
Rogers is a board member of Randolph Productions, Inc.
A graduate of Western Illinois University, B.A. political science, Rogers and his family reside in Orlando, Florida.
Terry Schlossberg
Renewal Advisor, Presbyterian Coalition
Terry Schlossberg is the renewal advisor for the Presbyterian Coalition and immediate past chairman of the board for the Institute on Religion and Democracy. She has been an ardent pro-life advocate for decades and has supported the Alliance Defense Fund in this area of litigation for years.
Prior to becoming a member of the ADF Governing Board of Directors in 2010, Schlossberg worked to promote fidelity and chastity in church leadership by serving with the Presbyterian Coalition as coordinator for the Campaign to Defeat Amendment B. Prior to that, she served as the Presbyterian Coalition’s executive director after nearly two decades as executive director of Presbyterian Pro-Life, Research, Education, and Care, Inc. Before beginning her career in the ministry, she was a secondary public school teacher and supervisor of special education programs for more than a decade.
Schlossberg has been long-established as a leader and authority on key religious and social issues. Her previous board service includes appointments with Presbyterian Action for Faith and Freedom, the Presbyterian Renewal Network, the National Pro-Life Religious Council, the Association for Church Renewal, The National Association of Evangelicals, and SEN—a mission organization based in Slovakia serving Eastern Europe. Schlossberg also served on the advisory board for Theology Matters, Presbyterians Pro-Life, and OneByOne. She co-authored Not My Own: Abortion and the Marks of the Church—which made the Christianity Today “Top 20 Books of the Year” list—and has had articles and materials on church reform published in First Things, Touchstone, Theology Matters, Presbyterian Layman, Presbyterian Pro-Life News, and various publications of the Presbyterian Coalition.
Schlossberg and her husband, Herb, who is a writer, live in the Washington, DC area, where she serves as an elder at National Presbyterian Church. She earned her M.A. at The George Washington University; received her B.A. from Bethel College in St. Paul, Minnesota; and attained certification as a supervisor of special education programs in the state of Pennsylvania.
FOUNDERS
The late Dr. Bill Bright - Campus Crusade for Christ
Dr. Bright founded Campus Crusade for Christ – a campus ministry seeking to "win the campus today and change the world tomorrow" – and fully invested himself into the ministry for more than five decades.
In addition to his life-changing work with Campus Crusade for Christ, Dr. Bright composed a very important booklet about Christian salvation entitled The Four Spiritual Laws, which has been printed in approximately 200 languages since 1956.
"I truly believe we are fighting for the very survival of the Gospel
and of evangelism in America today.”
- The late Bill Bright
The late Larry Burkett - Crown Financial Ministries
Larry accepted Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior in 1972 – an event that had a profound effect, not only on the course of his own life, but also on the lives of countless individuals touched by the work of Crown Financial Ministries.
In 1973, Larry joined the staff of Campus Crusade for Christ as a financial counselor. He earnestly studied the Bible to learn what it says about handling money, and was soon teaching small groups around the country. In 1976, Larry formed Christian Financial Concepts, a nonprofit organization dedicated to teaching the biblical principles of handling money. In September 2000, Crown Financial Concepts merged with Crown Ministries to become Crown Financial Ministries. Larry served as chairman of the board of directors until his death on July 4, 2003.
"The legal attacks on our religious freedom are escalating at an alarming rate.
Through ADF, we can unite, pool resources, and help defend our rights.”
- The late Larry Burkett
The late Dr. D. James Kennedy - Coral Ridge Ministries
Through Coral Ridge Ministries, Dr. D. James Kennedy became the most listened-to Presbyterian minister in the world. His broadcast messages were televised from the nearly 10,000-member Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, to 40,000 cities and towns across the United States and to nearly 200 nations.
Beyond his leadership at Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church, Dr. Kennedy founded and oversaw: Coral Ridge Ministries Media, Inc., Evangelism Explosion International, Knox Theological Seminary, and Westminster Academy. He also authored of more than 55 books.
"At last an organization capable of confronting the ACLU and winning the battles is on the field. We are very thrilled to have had a part in their formation."
- The late Dr. D. James Kennedy
James Dobson, Ph.D. - Focus on the Family/Family Talk
More than 30 years ago, Dr. James C. Dobson founded Focus on the Family to undergird Christian values for families in today’s world. What began with a radio program on a few stations in 1977 has grown to a network of more than 3,000 facilities in North America – with thousands more in 160 countries worldwide – plus a daily commentary heard by more than 220 million people.
After a long history of service with Focus on the Family, Dr. Dobson retired from the ministry he founded in February, 2010 and launched a new daily radio program, Family Talk, which is heard on Christian radio stations across the country.
"Through prayer and God’s direct intervention, Alan Sears has developed one of the most effective and powerful Christian organizations in the nation."
- Dr. James Dobson
The late Marlin Maddoux - "Point of View" Radio Program
Marlin Maddoux was the founder and president of International Christian Media and host of the Point of View radio talk show, as well as a noted journalist and author.
Point of View is broadcast daily by satellite on more than 360 radio stations nationwide and around the world by shortwave. Marlin brought a conservative Christian perspective to the full spectrum of issues and current events that affect our homes, beliefs, schools, government, churches, and basic freedoms. In 1986, he was given the National Religious Broadcasters Award of Merit. In 1994, Christianity Today magazine called Point of View America's "most popular live Christian call-in show."
"ADF gives Christians a unique way to fight back against the radical attacks of groups like the ACLU, homosexual activists, and anti-family activists."
- The late Marlin Maddoux
