National Leaders Collective
2025 Speakers
Kristan Hawkins
As President of Students for Life of America (SFLA), Kristan Hawkins has spent more than 16 years building a national network of more than 1,400 student-lead groups in more than 50 states, layering campus activism now with political engagement through Students for Life Action, which she also heads.
With the Students for Life team, Kristan has launched key initiatives to mobilize pro-life activists such as the Campaign for Abortion Free Cities, StandingWithYou.org, and the Demetree Institute for Pro-Life Advancement. Recently, she and her team are leading the pro-life movement’s response to the proliferation of dangerous Chemical Abortion Pills at ThisisChemicalAbortion.com. This school year, her team will have one million conversations with Gen Z, those most targeted by the abortion industry, converting 10-20% of those they reach.
Each year, Kristan travels across the nation to speak on college campuses such as UC-Berkeley, Harvard, Dartmouth, and Ohio State University to educate our youth on the horrors of abortion. She also hosts a bi-weekly podcast called Explicitly Pro-Life. Kristan regularly appears in the New York Times, Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, Newsweek, NPR and has been interviewed by every major television network in America.
David Bereit
David Bereit is an experienced leader, an inspiring communicator, and strategic advisor to pro-life leaders and organizations around the world.
Previously, David started and led the global 40 Days for Life movement through its first decade, mobilizing 750,000 volunteers in more than 700 cities across all 50 America states and dozens of nations, whose prayers and efforts have saved 14,643 children’s lives, brought 177 workers out of the abortion industry, and closed 96 abortion centers. David recently stepped away from his role as CEO of 40 Days for Life to pray and plan for a new ministry project, which will be announced soon.
David is an internationally sought-after keynote speaker, and his presentations in more than 550 cities around the world have inspired audiences as large as 70,000 people. David’s work has been featured in nearly every major media outlet, including coverage on CNN, ABC, NBC, CBS, Fox News, HBO, hundreds of radio programs, and over 100 newspapers, including The New York Times, The Washington Post, and USA Today.
David has advised many of today's most successful pro-life leaders, helping hundreds of organizations increase their life-saving impact, and raising more than $55 million for pro-life causes. David has been joyfully married to his best friend, Margaret, and live outside of Washington, DC.
Jay Watts
Jay is the Founder and President of Merely Human Ministries, INC., an organization committed to equipping Christians and people who hold pro-life views to graciously defend the intrinsic dignity of all human life in a positive, impacting and Gospel inspired manner.
He served at Cobb Pregnancy Services for three years as Development Coordinator and currently sits on their Board of Directors. His daily work among women and men offering life-affirming options for families facing unexpected pregnancies fostered a deep and continuing love for pregnancy centers.
He left CPS in 2010 to serve for eight years with Life Training Institute (LTI) and Scott Klusendorf as the Vice-President of Development and Communications where he contributed as a speaker and writer.
He has spoken to high schools, universities, and professional organizations all across the United States. He has been an invited speaker to dozens of university groups including Harvard, UNC – Chapel Hill, NC State, and University of Illinois to name only a few. He has appeared on radio and television interviews, regularly featured as the keynote at banquets and national conferences, published popular level articles on a wide array of topics pertaining to bioethics and the university culture, and is a contributing writer to Christian Research Journal.
He lives in Marietta, GA with his wife and three children.
Stephanie Stone
Stephanie Stone grew up in Saylorsburg, Pennsylvania and graduated from the Catholic University of America after studying Politics and English. During her time at CUA with Cardinals for Life, Stephanie worked with her Regional Coordinator, Michele Hendrickson (who is now her boss!), to bring a display to campus, go to the March for Life, and host CUA’s first Pep Rally for Life. A year after graduation, she joined SFLA as the Capital Area Regional Coordinator assisting groups in Maryland, D.C., and Virginia. Stephanie Stone and her work have been featured on multiple news outlets such as Breitbart and Fox News, and her writing has been featured on Media Research Center’s NewsBusters, Maryland March for Life’s blog, as well as Students for Life of America’s blog. She has spoken on campuses across Maryland, D.C., and Virginia, at press conferences, and regularly at churches in the Capital Area. Stephanie currently resides in Fairfax, Virginia and serves the Pro-Life Generation as Students for Life’s Standing With You Coordinator. This work includes the management of Standing With You, Students for Life’s pregnancy support program. Stephanie can be contacted at [email protected].
Liana Moorman
Tina Whittington
Tina Whittington received her Associates Degree from Portland Community College, and then got married and moved 3,000 miles across the country to Virginia in order to follow her pro-life calling with Rock for Life. Tina began full-time pro-life work in 1999 as Project Manager for Rock for Life. While there, she put together pro-life literature, wrote for the monthly newsletter, spoke at high schools and colleges, organized events, and toured with Christian bands sharing the pro-life message from stage at hundreds of concerts and music festivals. She has been a guest on Fox News, EWTN, Nightline, Loveline with Adam Carrola & Dr. Drew, and has been quoted in the New York Times and the Washington Post. Tina currently resides in Fredericksburg, Virginia and serves the Pro-Life Generation as Students for Life’s Executive Vice President. This work includes managing the daily operations of SFLA as well as an ever-growing team.
Kate Carney
Kate Carney grew up in Burnt Hills, New York and graduated from Ithaca College after studying Vocal Performance. Moved by the heartbreaking reality of abortion, a year after graduating college, she took a chance and threw herself head-first into the pro-life movement. Her main goal is to influence the lives of the students she works with to be unafraid in the face of adversity. Kate Maloney currently resides in Boston, Massachusetts and serves the Pro-Life Generation as the Campaign for Abortion Free Cities Manager. This work includes ensuring that efforts to make more than 20 different cities nationwide abortion free are operating smoothly and making progress.
Kate can be reached at [email protected].
Lydia Taylor Davis
Spokesperson and Social Media Coordinator for Students for Life of America
Lydia Taylor Davis grew up in Charlotte, North Carolina and graduated from Campbell University after studying management.
Lydia served as President of Campbell University’s Students for Life chapter during her time as a student and is still known as “the pro-life girl” across her state of North Carolina. She has dedicated her life to ending abortion and gained national attention for facing extreme backlash from the pro-abortion movement. In 2023, she participated in a highly anticipated abortion debate in which a majority of the pro-choice audience voted that she won. She’s been featured in Fox News, Steve Bannon’s War Room, the Whatever Podcast, Wall Street Journal, ABC, Newsmax, and other news outlets. Lydia is best known for her viral pro-life TikTok content which has reached millions of people and helped educate Gen Z on the truth about abortion. She now tours the country, speaking on college campuses about abortion for Students for Life and works tirelessly to protect life nationwide.
Lydia currently resides in Spring Lake, North Carolina, and serves the Pro-Life Generation as Students for Life’s Spokesperson and Social Media Coordinator. This work includes touring the country and speaking about abortion to change minds on college campuses, as well as creating powerful social media content across the organization’s platforms to spread the pro-life message.
Tom Usle
Northern Regional Manager
Tom Usle grew up in Sierra Madre, California and after studying at Iowa State University, he graduated with a degree in Fire Science.
Though he always considered himself pro-life, he was not always vocal about it given the backlash he thought he would receive from his peers in high school. But during his time in college as the abortion activists became more radical and outspoken, Tom came to realize that being all talk and no action would do nothing to combat the widespread acceptance of abortion. There is nothing he would rather be doing than serving in the protection of mothers and children everywhere.
Tom currently resides in Valparaiso, Indiana and serves the Pro-Life Generation as Students for Life’s Northern Regional Manager. This work includes managing the Regional Coordinators in the northern states.
Tom can be reached at [email protected].
Savanna Deretich
Government Affairs Coordinator
Savanna Deretich grew up in Ham Lake, Minnesota and graduated from the University of Northwestern in St. Paul with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Communications/Family Advocacy and Biblical Studies.
Savanna is the Government Affairs Coordinator with Students for Life Action. As such, Savanna lobbies for strong state pro-life legislation, builds relationships with pro-life champions, and is the media spokesperson.
In college, Savanna started a Students for Life group on her campus and her passion for the pro-life movement rapidly blossomed. Right around when she began to lead the Students for Life group, infanticide was legalized in New York. On that dark day, a burning fire ignited in her heart and she knew being a voice for the voiceless and protecting life in law would be her life’s work. The next day, Savanna changed her major to fit a pro-life career path.
Before Savanna became an employee with Students for Life, she was a Minnesota State Captain with Students for Life Action, a 2019-2020 Wilberforce Fellow, a 2020-2021 Student Spokesperson, as well as founded and served as President for the Students for Life group on her campus at the University of Northwestern St. Paul for over three years.
Savanna can be contacted at [email protected].
