2025 Speakers

Known most notably as one of the biggest comeback stories of our era, Bethany Hamilton has become synonymous with inspiration. Her story of determination, faith, and hope has resounded in encouragement worldwide. At the age of 13 as a rising surf star, Bethany lost her left arm to a 14-foot tiger shark, which seemed to end her dream career.

However, one month after the attack, Bethany returned to surfing and within two years had won her first national surfing title. Bethany’s foundation of faith has been her backbone; her source of truth, hope, and strength.

At 17 years old, she realized her dream of surfing professionally and she is still an active surf competitor to this day. Bethany has been able to touch a large number of people with her faith message, charitable efforts, and overall spirit. Her greatest joy is being a wife and mother, and Bethany continues to touch and inspire lives globally as a professional surfer, author and motivational speaker.

She currently has her own blog and online course, along with a mother daughter mentorship program called the ‘Ohana Experience, all centered on helping young women be unstoppable in life and faith.

Centricity Music recording artist Unspoken has received over 350 million on- demand streams, 80 million YouTube video views and released two No.1 radio songs along with 11 Top 15 hits. With music that is as distinct as its roots, the band’s soulful, pop-flavored songs are led by the Adam Levine-esque vocals of Chad Mattson. Fueled by Mattson’s transparency as a songwriter who has battled addiction and is now two decades into his sobriety, along with Jon Lowry (bass), Ariel Munoz (drums), Zach Smith (guitars) and Matthew Callaway (keys), Unspoken has no fear of mixing it up, whether backed by a horn section, gospel choir or hip-hop rhythms.

A native Floridian with blue-collar roots, Governor DeSantis grew up in Dunedin and worked his way through Yale University, where he was the captain of the varsity baseball team, and graduated with honors from Harvard Law School, where he earned a commission in the U.S. Navy as a JAG officer. He deployed to Iraq in support of the SEAL mission in Fallujah, Ramadi, and the rest of the Al Anbar province.

In 2018, Ron DeSantis was elected the 46th Governor of Florida. As Governor, he has led across a wide range of issues by successfully navigating Florida through the COVID pandemic, protecting Floridians from the harmful impacts of illegal immigration, expanding school choice, promoting public safety (with a record 50-year crime low in the state), keeping Florida’s economy strong, ensuring road improvement projects are fully funded and ahead of schedule, and making historic investments in environmental conservation and stewardship.

Thanks to the Governor’s efforts, Florida ranks #1 for economy (among all 50 states); for education (two years in a row); for higher education (eight years in a row); for attracting and developing a talented workforce; for parental empowerment and educational freedom; for tourism and net in-migration; and for law enforcement recruiting and support.

Governor DeSantis is married to Casey DeSantis, an Emmy Award-winning television anchor. Together, they’re the proud parents of their daughters, Madison and Mamie, and their son, Mason.

John Thune grew up in Murdo, South Dakota. His interest in politics was sparked at a young age after making five of six free throws during a freshman high school basketball game. He was later greeted by a spectator who said, “I noticed you missed one.” That spectator happened to be a well-known sports enthusiast and then-South Dakota U.S. Rep. Jim Abdnor. The introduction was the start of a friendship that ignited John’s career in public service.

John received his undergraduate degree at Biola University and his master’s degree in business administration from the University of South Dakota. Upon completion of his master’s degree in 1984, he married Kimberley Weems, a native of Doland, South Dakota.

John’s attraction to public service took him to Washington, D.C., to work for that sports enthusiast and then-U.S. Sen. Jim Abdnor. He then served at the Small Business Administration under an appointment from President Ronald Reagan.

In 1989, John and his family returned to South Dakota, where he served as the executive director of the South Dakota Republican Party. In 1991, then-Gov. George S. Mickelson appointed him to be state railroad director, a position he held until 1993, when he became executive director of the South Dakota Municipal League.

In 1996, with a shoestring budget and the support of family and friends, John won his first term as South Dakota’s lone member of the U.S. House of Representatives. John was re-elected to a second term by the largest margin in South Dakota history. He returned again to Washington in 2001 to serve his third term in the House.

John then honored his 1996 campaign pledge to serve only three terms in the House. After a narrow loss in a U.S. Senate race in 2002, he won his current Senate seat in 2004, when he made history by defeating a sitting Senate party leader for the first time in 52 years.

In 2010, John was elected to serve a second term in the Senate in a rare unopposed race. He was only the third Republican and the only South Dakotan to run unopposed for the Senate since direct elections were created in 1913. John was elected to a third term in 2016. In 2022, John became the second South Dakotan in history to be elected to a fourth term in the U.S. Senate.

For the 119th Congress, John serves on the Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry Committee; the Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee; and the Finance Committee. He also serves as the Senate Majority Leader, and has previously served as the Senate Republican Whip from 2019-2024, chairman of the Senate Republican Policy Committee from 2009–2011, and chairman of the Senate Republican Conference from 2012-2018.

John and his wife Kimberley live in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, and they have two grown daughters and five grandchildren. In his free time, John enjoys spending time with his family, pheasant hunting, and running.

The Rev. Dr. Matthew C. Harrison has served as president of The Lutheran Church— Missouri Synod (LCMS) since 2010. As president, he is the chief ecclesiastical supervisor of the Synod and is responsible for the national ministries of the LCMS, including the Office of International Mission, which calls and employs some 150 missionaries globally.

Before becoming president, Harrison served for nine years from 2001–2010 as executive director of LCMS World Relief and Human Care which expended over $100,000,000 for mercy, including 9-11, Katrina and many hurricanes, the great Asian Tsunami, the Haiti Earthquake, among many other disasters and humanitarian efforts, all in the clear name of Christ. Harrison also managed relationships with some 120 LCMS recognized service organizations and other inter-Lutheran social ministry organizations; worked in consultation with LCMS partner/sister churches to build capacity during numerous mercy outreach efforts; and managed LCMS pro-life efforts.

From 1995 to 2001, Harrison served as pastor of Zion Lutheran Church in Fort Wayne, Ind. He served St. Peter’s Lutheran Church in Westgate, Iowa, from 1991 to 1995. Ordained in 1991, he has served in a number of elected and appointed positions in the LCMS, and various entity boards of directors. Harrison is co-founder and chairman of the board of The International Luther Society of Wittenberg (Old Latin School), which hosts some 40 students and church planters from the European Union and beyond who are studying to become ordained pastors. In addition, Harrison chairs the board of the Lutheran Center for Religious Liberty and serves on the executive committee of the International Lutheran Council. Harrison is also active in the pro-life movement and frequently speaks at such events.

A native of Sioux City, Iowa, Harrison holds a bachelor’s degree in religious studies from Morningside University in Sioux City, Iowa. He attended Concordia University, Nebraska in 1984. He has M.Div. and S.T.M. degrees from Concordia Theological Seminary, Fort Wayne. Harrison has pursued additional graduate study at Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, and Concordia Theological Seminary, Fort Wayne. He has received honorary doctorates from Concordia University Ann Arbor, Mich., and Concordia Theological Seminary, Fort Wayne.

Since 2010, Pastor Harrison has served as assistant pastor of Village Lutheran Church, Ladue, Mo. He has translated and edited five volumes of essays and letters by Lutheran theologian, Hermann Sasse (published through Concordia Publishing House [CPH]). He has also revised C.F.W. Walther’s, The Church and the Office of the Ministry (CPH), and written several other books, including Christ Have Mercy, A Little Book on Joy, and At Home in the House of My Fathers.

Harrison has been married to Kathy (Schimm) Harrison since 1981, and they have two sons (Matthew M.L. married to Courtney, and Mark M.C. married to Tara). The Harrisons have two grandchildren, Rosie and Shiloh.

President Harrison enjoys reading, writing, vintage Jeeps, old banjos and books, and most of all time with family.

When Beverly Jacobson’s daughter Verity was diagnosed with Edwards syndrome—a condition deemed “incompatible with life”—she was met with devastating words from medical professionals. Despite their dire predictions, Verity is now thriving at nearly eight years old. Having moved from heartache to hope, Beverly has made it her mission to help moms on this journey through her nonprofit ministry, Mama Bear Care. With fierce love and tender care, she offers hope, resources, and the message that every baby is a precious gift, worthy of celebration.

Hannah Lape is a senior at Wheaton College where she studies Politics, Philosophy, and Economics and serves as Co-President of Wheaton’s Voice for Life ministry. In Wheaton, Hannah attends Christ Presbyterian Church (PCA). Hannah was born and raised in Baldwinsville, New York, and has interned at the United States House of Representatives and Susan B. Anthony Pro-life America. After graduation, Hannah hopes to dedicate her career to ending abortion and physician-assisted suicide in the United States.

Jennie Bradley Lichter was chosen as President-elect of the March for Life Education and Defense Fund in September 2024. She will assume the office of President of the organization on February 1, 2025. As a longtime Marcher who began attending the National March as a college student in 2001, Jennie is humbled and honored by the opportunity to lead the March for Life.

Jennie has wide-ranging legal and policy experience in the public, private, and nonprofit sectors, including at the highest levels of the federal government. During the Trump Administration, Jennie served in the White House as a Deputy Assistant to the President and Deputy Director of the White House Domestic Policy Council (DPC) where she supervised rulemaking and policy efforts implicating a number of federal agencies, and led policy initiatives across the federal government to defend the dignity of life.

Prior to her White House service, Jennie worked on policy issues and federal judicial (including Supreme Court) confirmation efforts in the Office of Legal Policy at the U.S. Department of Justice. She previously served as in-house counsel for the Archdiocese of Washington. Early in her legal career, Jennie clerked for two federal appeals court judges and was an associate at the international law firm Jones Day.

Jennie recently served as the Deputy General Counsel at The Catholic University of America. In addition to her legal work at Catholic University, Jennie also founded and directed The Guadalupe Project, the University’s campus-wide initiative to support and lift up pregnant and parenting students, staff, and faculty. She is a Fellow at the Center for Religious Liberty in the University’s Columbus School of Law.

Jennie graduated from the University of Notre Dame and from Harvard Law School, and earned an M.Phil in Theology & Religious Studies from the University of Cambridge in the UK. She and her husband, Brian, have three young children who love attending the March for Life.

Jeanne Mancini was appointed to the role of President of the March for Life Education and Defense Fund in the fall of 2012. In this capacity, she proudly directs the iconic organization committed to restoring a culture of life in the United States, most notably through the annual March for Life in Washington, D.C., held around the anniversary of Roe v. Wade and through the growing State March for Life program.

In her role as President of the March for Life Jeanne’s responsibilities include frequently speaking to students, pro-life groups, churches, pregnancy care centers and other groups nationally and internationally. She serves as a consultant to the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishop’s Pro-Life Committee She has testified before the U.S. Congress and regularly consults, meets with and presents to state and federal elected officials, including at the White House and Department of Justice.

Previously Jeanne worked with the Family Research Council (FRC), where she focused on issues related to the inherent dignity of the human person, including abortion, women’s health, and end-of-life issues. Prior to FRC Jeanne worked for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services in the Office of the Secretary. Her federal government experience includes global health policy, as well as domestic and international health care issues.

Jeanne has made frequent media appearances including interviews on MSNBC, CNN, FOX, ABC, CBS, and others. Jeanne’s writings have appeared in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, U.S. News and World Report, USA Today, the Washington Post and numerous others publications.

Jeanne’s pro-life work was included in the 2019 book, “Activists: Portraits of Courage” by KK Ottesen. In 2020 Jeanne was honored by the Sisters of Life as the recipient of the annual Cardinal O’Connor Award. In 2021 Jeanne received the St. John Paul II New Evangelization Award from the Catholic Information Center.

Jeanne holds an undergraduate degree in psychology from James Madison University and a Master’s degree in the theology of marriage and family from the Pope John Paul II Institute for Studies on Marriage and Family. Jeanne resides in northern Virginia with her husband, David.

Lila Rose has been called the "messenger-in-chief of the pro-life movement" by VICE News and "the face of the Millennial anti-abortion movement" by The Atlantic. Lila Rose is a writer, speaker, activist, and founder and president of Live Action. With over 2.5 billion lifetime video views, Live Action leads the pro-life movement in online influence, reaching more than 40 million people each month. Lila is dedicated to ending abortion and building a culture of life where families flourish. Lila is the author of Fighting for Life: Becoming a Force for Change in a Wounded World and the host of The Lila Rose Show.

Elected in 1980, U.S. Rep. Chris Smith (R-Manchester, N.J.) is currently in his 23rd two-year term in the U.S. House of Representatives and serves residents of the Fourth Congressional District of New Jersey. Mr. Smith serves as a senior member on the Foreign Affairs Committee and a subcommittee chairman. He also serves as the Co-Chair of the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission, Chairman of the bipartisan House/Senate/White House Congressional-Executive Commission on China (CECC) and as “Special Representative” on Human Trafficking for the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly. Congressman Smith has long chaired a number of bipartisan congressional caucuses including, the Pro-life, Autism (co-founder), Alzheimer’s (co-founder), Human Trafficking (co-founder), and Pediatric and Adult Hydrocephalus Caucuses.

On October 22, 2014 the Most Reverend Daniel E. Thomas was named by Pope Francis as the eighth Bishop of the Diocese of Toledo.

Bishop Thomas was born and raised in Philadelphia, where he earned both a Bachelor and Master of Arts degree. He also earned a Licentiate in Sacred Theology (S.T.L.) in 1989 from the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome.

Bishop Thomas was ordained as a priest for the Archdiocese of Philadelphia in 1985. In 1990, he was assigned to serve the Holy See as an Official of the Congregation for Bishops. During his 15 years there, Bishop Thomas also served as an Adjunct Spiritual Director at the Pontifical North American College Seminary in Rome.

In 1995, he was named Chaplain to His Holiness (Monsignor), and in 2005, was named a Prelate of Honor, both by Pope John Paul II. In 2005, Bishop Thomas was appointed Pastor of a parish in Strafford, PA and in 2006 he was named by Pope Benedict XVI as an Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia.

Dr. Wheeler is a board-certified Ob/Gyn physician, who practiced in Salt Lake City, Utah for 24 years. As part of her medical training and early practice, she performed abortions. Being fully aware of what abortion truly is and does to the developing baby, she is dedicated to educating the public about the truth of abortion, and the humanity and development of the preborn child. Dr. Wheeler is on the Board of The American Association of Prolife Ob/Gyns, the Board of Prolife Colorado, and the Medical Advisory Board of Save the Storks, in addition to speaking publicly, providing testimony, and writing regarding life and abortion. She is also the State President of the American Association of Prolife Ob/Gyn’s first state chapter, right here in Colorado, officially launching today.

MARCH FOR LIFE 2025 OFFICIAL SPEAKER LIST

BETHANY HAMILTON

UNSPOKEN

GOV. RON DESANTIS

MAJORITY LEADER JOHN THUNE

REV. DR. MATTHEW HARRISON

BEVERLY JACOBSON

HANNAH LAPE

JENNIE BRADLEY LICHTER

JEANNE F. MANCINI

JOSIAH PRESLEY

LILA ROSE

REP. CHRIS SMITH

THE MOST REVEREND DANIEL E. THOMAS

DR. CATHERINE WHEELER

Together, we March for Life