Conference Speakers

MELINDA DELAHOYDE has worked with Care Net from its inception, serving in various roles both on staff and on the Board of Directors, before being named Care Net's President in 2008.

Melinda has been strategically involved in a host of non-profit organizations focused on life and bioethics issues. Prior to joining Care Net, Melinda led the educational outreach for Americans United for Life.

An accomplished writer, Melinda is author of Fighting for Life (Crossway Books, 1984), co-editor of Infanticide and the Handicapped Newborn (Brigham Young University Press, 1982), and contributing author to three additional books, including one with Christian philosopher Francis A. Schaeffer and another with top publisher Thomas Nelson. She has authored many articles on life and bioethics published in a variety of periodicals, including Religion and Society Report, Moody Monthly, Christian Life, and Effective Leadership.

Melinda is a frequent spokesperson in the media on pregnancy centers and the emerging culture of life, and was a featured panelist on the Annenberg Media Channel in a series on "Ethics in America".

Melinda graduated from the University of California, Irvine with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Philosophy and received a Masters of Arts in Philosophy of Religion from Trinity Divinity School. She and her husband are from Raleigh, North Carolina and have four children.

DAVID KINNAMAN is the President and Strategic Leader of The Barna Group. Since joining Barna in 1995, David has designed and analyzed nearly 500 projects for a variety of clients, including Campus Crusade for Christ, Columbia House, Compassion International, Easter Seals, Focus on the Family, Habitat for Humanity, Integrity Media, InterVarsity, NBC-Universal, Salvation Army, Sony, Thomas Nelson, Time-Life, Prison Fellowship, World Vision, Zondervan and many others.

As a spokesperson for the firm's research, he is frequently quoted in major media outlets (such as USA Today, Fox News, and more). He is also in demand as a speaker about ministry trends, today's teenagers, the profile of young leaders, and generational changes. He is the author of the best-selling book, unChristian: What a New Generation Really Thinks About Christianity, and the Barna report, Ministry to Mosaics: Teens and the Supernatural.

The son of a lifelong pastor, David has served in various capacities within congregations he has attended, including working with teenagers, teaching, and providing strategic consulting. He graduated summa cum laude from Biola University (La Mirada, California), where he served as Student Chaplain.

David and his wife, Jill, live in Ventura, California, with their three kids.

ELLIE LOFARO deftly handles the Word of God and steadily directs her audiences to consider what concerns them in light of God's timeless truths. A serious student of Scripture and a keen observer of the culture, Ellie has developed a unique teaching style that touches the heart, stimulates the mind, and nourishes the soul—thus inspiring her to found Heart, Mind, & Soul Ministries (www.ellielofaro.com).

Ellie teamed up with Kathy Troccoli to develop the women's conference, Spaghetti for the Soul and co-author the book Spaghetti for the Soul, A Celebration of the Abundant Life. She has also written From Battle Scars to Beauty Marks, Portraits of Women Who Turned Trials to Triumphs , Leap of Faith , and Bonding with the Blonde Women and Slices of Life; collections of humorous and provocative essays. She has also written for Today's Christian Woman, Women of Faith's Connection Magazine, Crosswalk.com and has contributed to compilations from seven publishing houses. She has also had the privilege of being a featured guest on James Dobson's Focus on the Family, James Robison's Life Today and Pat Robertson's Living the Life.

Ellie and her husband, Frank (President and CEO of the Christian Leadership Alliance), have three daughters and reside in northern Virginia.

PASTOR HERB LUSK has committed himself to service to those in need: the jobless, the homeless, the hungry, and those in prison. As the Senior Pastor of Greater Exodus Baptist Church, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Lusk has emerged as a leader in the faith based movement. Championing the role of faith-based organizations in leading community revitalization efforts, Pastor Lusk was honored to serve as advisor to President George W. Bush. He also founded People for People, as the community development arm of Greater Exodus Baptist Church. Since 1989, People for People, Inc. has undertaken a number of community development and revitalization initiatives including the Women's HOPE center.

A former professional football player for the Philadelphia Eagles, Herb Lusk was nationally-recognized as the "Praying Tail Back" for his customary kneeling and praying in the end zone after each touchdown, thus giving the honor and glory to God. Pastor Lusk has won many awards but his most cherished honor is his gifted wife, Vickey; his two daughters, Laiah and Danuelle; and his one son, Herbert H. Lusk, III.

STAR PARKER left the seductive life of drugs, crime, abortions and welfare abuse through the power of the Gospel to become a leading advocate for the family. She is at the forefront of the Christian conservative movement to motivate and lead others away from the lies of the culture to a life full of grace and truth.

Star Parker is the Founder and President of CURE, the Coalition on Urban Renewal & Education, a syndicated columnist for Scripps Howard News Service, a social policy consultant giving regular testimony before the United States Congress, and is a national expert on major television and radio shows across the country. Currently, Star is a regular commentator on C-Span, MSNBC, and FOX News. She has debated on BET; fought for school choice on Larry King Live; and defended welfare reform on the Oprah Winfrey Show.

Star has also written three books and resides in Southern California and has a beautiful two year old grandson, Mr. James.

SOL PITCHON has been President and CEO of New Life Solutions since 1999. Sol is a Greek Jew, born in Thessalonica, Greece, who immigrated to America in 1951 and accepted Christ in 1981. He is married, in a blended family, the father of five grown children and has thirteen grandchildren including twin granddaughters born November 21, 2008. Before joining the Ministry, Sol was a Christian Psychotherapist, having spent five years in private practice. He also worked three years in a psychiatric hospital setting for Rapha, a Christian inpatient program. He has a BA degree in Psychology from the University of South Florida and received his Masters degree in Counseling from Liberty University. As a Jewish-Christian whose parents were holocaust survivors, Sol feels it a privilege and his destiny to work in the holocaust of abortion in the Pregnancy Center Movement.

BILL POLLARD is an exceptional leader. As CEO of ServiceMaster, a multibillion dollar company, the firm achieved remarkable results. Bill has led students as a Vice President at Wheaton College, he has used his influence to aid those in need, and he has integrated his faith with his work and maintained a standard of integrity as he has sought to be a servant leader. In his own words regarding leadership, "The real and lasting measurement of achievement is in the changed lives of the people being led."

He is the author of the best selling book, The Soul of the Firm and also has written for or contributed to other books and magazines including The Leader of the Future, Leading People, Leading for Innovation and Organizing for Results, "The Quest for the Entrepreneurial Spirit," and "The Leader Who Serves."

A native of Chicago, Bill and his wife, Judy, have been married for over 49 years. They have four adult children and fifteen grandchildren.