James Muffett
SSI Founder & President - Speaker & Instructor

James Muffett has a passion for the Lord and an enthusiasm for life. He offers a clear message of hope and inspiration for people of all ages. His dynamic teaching style, humor, and depth of historical knowledge leave a lasting impression. He speaks from the heart to reach the heart.

He established and is President of Foundation for Traditional Values, a Michigan-based education and research organization, which conducts the Greatest Story Never Told (GSNT) American heritage seminars and trains leaders to uphold traditional values in their local schools and communities. SSI & GSNT are ministries of Foundation for Traditional Values.

Additionally, James is also President of Citizens for Traditional Values a nonprofit civic league working on the grassroots level to encourage an active and informed citizenry in the State of Michigan. His work at Citizens for Traditional Values has been featured in The Christian Right in Michigan: Mixed Success by Dr. Jim Penning at the American Political Science Association and the Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs at the University of Texas at Austin.

He was also featured in With God On Their Side, a national PBS television special documenting Christian involvement in politics. Other citations include The Detroit News, Detroit Free Press, Washington Post, Chicago Tribune, CNN, National Public Radio and the Christian Broadcasting Network.

For more than a decade, James has spoken to hundreds of audiences, including public and Christian radio and television, churches, schools and school associations, home school conferences, civic and public policy groups. In 1999 he addressed the national Reclaiming America For Christ Conference hosted by Dr. D. James Kennedy.

James received the 2002 Homeschool Hero Award, given at Michigan's annual I.N.C.H. Conference.

Originally from Salina, Kansas, James received his Bachelor's Degree from Western Kentucky University. He and his wife of more than 25 years, Margot, have five children: Christopher, Emily, Jason, Justin and Joel, and one grandchild.

Dan Armstrong
Anchor/Reporter, WEYI NBC Channel 25 - Media Instructor, Coach, Speaker

Since Dan was young, he enjoyed being in plays and performing in front of people. The television news business is a good fit for him. It allows him to express himself creatively while fulfilling the responsibility of being the community's eyes and ears.

Dan joined NBC 25 MID-MICHIGAN in July, 2003, as a reporter. He's originally from Ortonville, MI, in northern Oakland County. He's a high school graduate of Faith Baptist School in Davison, MI. He later majored in Radio and Television Broadcasting at Bob Jones University in Greenville, SC. After getting his college degree, Dan began his reporting career at WLUC, the NBC affiliate in Michigan's Upper Peninsula.

Dan's passion is to tell the news in an interesting and creative way. He makes viewers feel the emotion of the story. He's one of the most trusted reporters in Mid-Michigan.

Dan admits that he's an extremely competitive person. He always wants to have all the facts and from all the sides. Dan says, "Many times the quietest person has the most compelling story, you just have to find that person." Dan believes the best part of his job is the awesome responsibility of informing people. He looks at his reports as the "first draft" of history.

Dan is married to Amber, and they have two beautiful children.

John Beck
High School Teacher - Advanced Biblical Worldview Instructor

John Beck is a High School Government/History Teacher at Heritage Christian Academy in Kalamazoo and part-time instructor at Kalamazoo Valley Community College. He has a BA in History, MA in Political Science and is working on his masters in History. John is married with 3 children.

DeeDee Briski
Author & Speaker - Instructor

DeeDee Briski holds a Liberal Arts degree from Macomb Community College with a specialization in journalism and certification in Behavioral Sciences. A former newspaper journalist, she is also certified with the Macomb Literacy Partners as an English as a Second Language and reading tutor.

She authored the book "Impressive Deception / Creation or Evolution-You Decide" in 2004.

DeeDee is a member of Concerned Women for America, Creation Research Institute, Access Research Network, Answers in Genesis, Creation Worldview, American Family Association, and Media Research Center.

She can be contacted through her company's website at www.gistings.net, or via email at evidence@gistings.net.

Gary Britten
Assistant Professor of Business, Spring Arbor University - Business Instructor & Coach

Gary W. Britten is a 1973 graduate of the University of Michigan School of Business and a 1976 graduate of the University of Detroit School of Law. Gary has been on the faculty of the Gainey School of Business at Spring Arbor University for seventeen years, teaching law and strategy courses. He is also "of counsel" to Chalgian & Tripp Law Offices, PLLC, an elder law firm with offices in Lansing, Jackson and Ithaca. Gary and his wife, Kim, live near Parma, Michigan, and have four children, all home-educated.

Chuck Bultman
Founder, Creation First! - Instructor

Chuck attended Christian schools all the way through high school and came out believing the Bible was completely correct. Then at a Christian college he accepted the belief that God had used evolution to get everything we see. After graduating from Stanford University with a teaching degree, creation remained an issue for his science-friendly mind and he kept trying to reconcile evolution andthe Bible. After attending summer school at U of Colorado, U of Washington, U of Wisconsin, Michigan Tech, and Grand Valley State U, (all of which assumed evolution in their teaching,) he heard a presentation by ICR’s John Morris and AIG's Ken Ham which brought his theistic evolution to extinction. When they pointed out the implications of “no death before Adam” and a truly globe covering flood, there was no room left for his theistic evolution compromise.

His next journey then became how to explain all of the geology and biology that he had been taught- but now within a creation model. Many great family trips out west and to museums have resulted from this on-going quest. Now, after 40 years, he has retired from teaching in the public high school and looks forward to helping others resist the claims of evolutionary science, by demonstrating that these claims are scientifically answerable from a biblical world view.

Aaron Burns
Producer, Burns Family Studios - Business Speaker

Aaron has a passion for creativity, entrepreneurship, and his Christian faith; he enjoys uniting these passions in his role as a feature film producer with Burns Family Studios. Aaron graduated from Oakland University with his Masters of Business Administration in May of 2011, and lives with his wife Andrea in Lake Orion, MI.

Brian Calley
Lt. Governor - Speaker

Brian Calley is the second youngest lieutenant governor in Michigan's history. Before being elected to this position, Calley served two terms in the Michigan Legislature as a state representative. In that role, Calley served as minority vice chair of the House Tax Policy Committee where he worked with lawmakers from both sides of the aisle. Calley is committed to continuing this spirit of bipartisanship to bring an end to the bitter fighting and divisiveness that has held Michigan back for so long.

Prior to his time as a state lawmaker, Calley worked 10 years as a community banker and small business lender. He was also elected to the Ionia County Board of Commissioners, serving from 2003 to 2006 as the vice chairman for all four years of his tenure there. Calley graduated from Michigan State University in 1998 with a B.A. in business administration and received his MBA from Grand Valley State University in 2000.

Calley is an active member of the Portland Baptist Church where he is a song leader and pianist as well as serving on the deacon board. His wife Julie teaches Sunday school to middle school age children. Together, they have three young children: Collin, Reagan and Karagan.

Larry Carter
President, Great Lakes Christian College - Speaker

Mr. Carter received a B.S. in Biblical Studies from Cincinnati Bible College. While a student, he served as Youth Minister of the New Burlington Church of Christ and the Felicity Church of Christ, as well as Youth Coordinator of an inner city Salvation Army. He then received a Masters of Christian Ministries degree from Huntington College, graduating Summa Cum Laude.

Mr. Carter served as the Senior Minister at Coburn Corners Church of Christ, Indiana, for four years (1973-1977), Senior Minister of the Delta Church of Christ, Ohio, for seven years (1977-1984), and then served as the Senior Minister at the Kentwood Christian Church, Michigan, from 1984 until 1999, when he accepted the position as President of Great Lakes Christian College. Mr. Carter also teaches classes in Personal Spiritual Formation, and other Christian Ministries classes as the need arises. He and his wife, Judy, have three grown children.

Kurt Cullison
Director, Michigan Youth Alive - Speaker

Kurt currently serves as the director of Youth Alive ministries for the state of Michigan. Youth Alive is a national Assembly of God student-led organization that presents Jesus Christ to students on every secondary school campus and provides a positive moral tone where students lead by example. The ministry of Youth Alive provides a strategy and the resources to equip and empower students, leaders as well as pastors to more effectively reach their campuses with the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Kurt has served in youth ministry for the past 16 years. He has traveled to several countries around the world distributing hundreds of thousands of copies of the Book of Hope to students.

Rachael Denhollander
Attorney - Moot Court Instructor

Rachael Moxon is a graduate of Oak Brook College of Law, and a member of the California Bar Association. She has been active in the legal and political arena through teaching, speaking and speech writing, for the last six years. Rachael has been involved with SSI since 2000, and has been instructing the Moot Court track at SSI for a number of years.

Rachael married Jacob Denhollander in August of 2009, and, with her husband, plans on pursuing full-time ministry teaching students and families comprehensive Biblical worldview as a natural outgrowth of a life devoted to Christ Jesus. They have one child, Jonathan.

Jim Fink
Attorney & Candidate for Judge- Trial Judge

Jim Fink is currently a candidate for Circuit Court Judge in Washtenaw County. Jim is a partner in the Ann Arbor law firm Fink & Valvo, PLLC. Before entering private practice in 1998, Fink was a police officer for over 22 years, rising through the ranks before retiring from the Washtenaw County Sheriff's Department as the Police Services Commander.

Fink has been active in combating domestic violence for over 20 years. He helped draft the Michigan Commission on Law Enforcement Standards model policy and training curriculum. In 1999, Governor Engler appointed Fink Chair of the Michigan Domestic Violence Prevention and Treatment Board, where he served until 2003. He was a member of the Governor's Domestic Violence Homicide Prevention Task Force and the Michigan Judicial Institute's Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Benchbook Review Committee.

Fink and Beth, his wife of 25 years, live in Ypsilanti, where they have home schooled their six children. They have been supporters of SSI and Citizens for Traditional Values for many years. They are members of St. Luke Lutheran Church where Fink has served as a member of the church council and as coordinator of monthly men's breakfasts.

Rob Fowler
President and CEO, Small Business Association of Michigan - Business Speaker

Having joined the staff of SBAM in 2000, Rob served for three years as the Vice President of the subsidiary corporation Small Business Insurance Services. He assumed his current position in July of 2003.

The Small Business Association of Michigan was founded in 1969 and today serves over 13,500 member companies from all of Michigan’s 83 counties. The organization’s mission is to help Michigan small businesses succeed by promoting entrepreneurship, leveraging buying power and engaging in political advocacy. Recently SBAM has become a leading voice for growing the state’s entrepreneurial community through a strategy know as Economic Gardening.

Before coming to Michigan, Mr. Fowler served as the Executive Director of the Council of Smaller Enterprises (COSE) in Cleveland Ohio from 1995 to 2000. COSE is the small business arm of the Cleveland Chamber of Commerce which was, at that time, the country’s largest Chamber of Commerce. Prior to that he was a lobbyist for the Indiana Chamber of Commerce for ten years where he also served as the Executive Director of the Indiana Small Business Council. Rob worked for the Indiana Lt. Governor for two years before his time with the Indiana Chamber.

In his capacity as President of SBAM he is a registered lobbyist representing small business before the Michigan legislature. He also serves as the President of the Small Business Foundation of Michigan, a wholly owned subsidiary of SBAM. He is a member of the Board of Directors of the National Small Business Association and the past Chairman of the Board of Directors for Junior Achievement of Mid-Michigan.

A graduate of Ball State University with a degree in Political Science, he serves on the National Development Council of Ball State University. Rob and his wife Lisa live in Haslett with their son Reid and daughter Emma. In June of 2008 he was elected to his second four-year term on the Haslett Board of Education.

Rusty Hills
Director of Public Affairs for Michigan's Attorney General - Speech Instructor

Rusty has had more than twenty years of experience in management, communications and public policy positions. After degrees from both Michigan State University and Notre Dame, he went on to work for the Michigan Republican Party in the late 1980s. From there he moved to the Office of the Governor, working as both Director of Communications and Director of Public Affairs for ten years.

Going back to the GOP, he served as Chairman of the Michigan Republican State Committee, as well as instructing classes at both MSU and University of Michigan.

Wally Hostetter
Executive Director, E.A.C.H. - Speaker

Wally and his wife Linda have served the Lord for thirty years. They are "Revivalists" of the Twenty First Century! Their ministries have included a rural pastorate, a mega-church pastorate, a church planting-founding pastorate and a missions ministry at a large church in Michigan. In 2001, God called them to the mission field to preach, teach and train men, women and youth for Christ and to work with the widows of the world. Of late, Linda and Wally have been very involved with Widows Might.

Wally and Linda have served and continue to serve the Lord by working with indigenous ministries and helping widows in Nigeria, Guatemala, Ireland, Mali, Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya, Belarus, Siberia and Thailand. Currently, Wally and Linda can be found in Michigan where Wally is Executive Director of EACH.

Steven M. Jentzen
Attorney - Trial Instructor & Coach

Attorney Steven M. Jentzen has been in private practice for over 27 years, participating in landmark cases in the areas of family law, land development and constitutional law.

A Fellow of the Michigan State Bar, Jentzen is a member of Who’s Who in American Law, and is affiliated with several national attorney associations.

Jentzen has been an active member of Citizens for Traditional Values since its inception. He has also been involved with numerous organizations to promote conservative values, including Alliance Defense Fund and American Center for Law and Justice.

Jentzen and his wife Mary have been married for 27 years and have homeschooled all of their seven children.

Jeffrey M. Jentzen
Medical Examiner - Trial Instructor

Dr. Jentzen received his M.D. from Wayne State Medical School in 1980. He completed a transitional internship at St. Joseph Mercy Hospital in Ann Arbor, Michigan from 1980-1981 followed by residency training in Anatomic and Clinical Pathology at the Hennepin County Medical Center, Minneapolis, Minnesota during the period 1980-1985. Following this, he completed a Forensic Pathology Fellowship at Hennepin County from 1985-1986. Dr. Jentzen also received an M.S. (1997) and Ph.D. (2007) in the History of Science from the University of Wisconsin - Madison. He served as Medical Examiner for Milwaukee County and was on staff at the Medical College of Wisconsin Affiliated Hospitals from 1987-2008. He also served as Medical Examiner for Fond du Lac County from 2000-2006. He was the Co-Director of the Forensic Pathology (1989 - 2008) and Tixicology Fellowship (1998-2008) Programs at the Medical College of Wisconsin. In 1997, he was appointed Assistant Clinical Professor in the Department of Pathology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He was promoted to the rank of Professor in 1998. He also held the rank of Assistant Clinical Professor in the Department of Health and Allied Sciences at the University of Wisconsin from 2000-2007.

Dr. Jentzen is a member of numerous professional organizations including the National Association of Medical Examiners where he served as Vice-President in 2007 and is currently President-elect. He is a fellow in the College of American Pathologists and the American Academy of of Forensic Sciences and served as Chairman of the Forensic Pathology Subcommittee for the American Association of Clinical Pathology from 1988-1994. He was the recipient of the Outstanding Service Award from the National Association of Medical Examiners in 2001, the Outstanding Service Award from the American Board of Medicolegal Death Investigators in 2002 and the President's Award from the National Association of Medical Examiners in October 2007.

He is board certified in Anatomic and Clinical Pathology and Forensic Pathology. Dr. Jentzen joined the faculty of the Department of Pathology for the University of Michigan in March 2008 as Professor and Director of Autopsy and Forensic Pathology Services. Dr. Jentzen also serves as Deputy Medical Examiner for Washtenaw County. He is married to Dorianne and has two grown daughters.

Kathleen Lavey
Reporter for the Lansing State Journal - Media Coach

Kathleen Lavey is a news reporter at the Lansing State Journal. She also has worked in the features department, on the news copy desk and as an assigning editor. She has a degree in political science and communication from the University of Michigan and a master of fine arts degree in creative writing from Western Michigan University. She has been a journalist for 25 years.

Lisa Posthumus Lyons
State Representative - Speaker

Lisa was elected in 2010 to her first term in the Michigan House to represent residents of eastern Kent County. Representative Lyons was formerly the Director of Public Policy & Community Outreach for the Grand Rapids Association of Realtors and the Commercial Alliance of Realtors. Prior to that, Lyons managed a House campaign and worked as a staff member in the Michigan House and Senate. There, she gained a first-hand knowledge and understanding of the legislative process.

Representative Lyons is a life-long resident of West Michigan. She is the fourth generation to own their family's family farm in Alto, Michigan. She married her high school sweetheart Brad, who is a Deputy Sheriff in Kent County. Together they are raising their four children: Easton, Charlie, Gage, and Fisher. She spends her spare time coaching the kids' YMCA soccer team, and enjoying Michigan's great outdoors with her family, going fishing, hunting, and exploring. Her family praises and worships at Ada Bible Church.

Representative Lyons graduated from Lowell High School and received her Bachelor's Degree from Michigan State University, where she majored in Agricultural & Natural Resources Communications. She spent time overseas studying food and agricultural systems in Ireland, Scotland, and England. Lisa believes that citizens have a responsibility to serve their community, state, and nation. Lyons formerly served on the Board of Directors for Alpha Women's Center in Grand Rapids, a crisis pregnancy counseling center whose mission is to show compassion and love to families facing unplanned pregnancy and to seek mercy for the unborn.

Lennie Mailand
Educator - Instructor

For over twenty-five years, Mr. Mailand has worked in the field of education at the college and secondary level as an administrator, teacher, and coach. He has taught classes in Bible, apologetics, logic, history, government, economics, introductory Greek, and comparative worldviews utilizing an adaptation of the “Understanding the Times” curriculum. His other contributions have included curriculum development and teacher training.

Mr. Mailand is also a guest lecturer at the Student Statesmanship Institute in Lansing, Michigan, where he speaks on comparative worldviews and biblical leadership. His passion is teaching people to think and live out of a Biblical world and life view, standing confident and ready to give a defense for biblical faith. Throughout the years, it has been his privilege to teach students, parents, educators, and administrators the truths found in the Bible and the importance of teaching from a Biblical perspective.

Mr. Mailand earned his M.Ed. at Seattle Pacific University. He is a self-employed educator currently teaching in 3 different Home Education venues. He and his wife Brenda (32 years) have 7 children ranging in ages from 6 to 28 and 1 grandson.

Kerry Morgan
Attorney - Trial Instructor & Coach

Kerry Lee Morgan is "Of Counsel" to Pentiuk, Couvreur, & Kobiljak, P.C. His chief areas of practice involve municipal law, employment discrimination, litigation, environmental law and educational policy. Prior to his current legal affiliation, he served as an Attorney-Advisor with the United States Commission on Civil Rights in Washington D.C.

In addition to practicing law, since 1980, Mr. Morgan received his Masters of Arts, magna cum laude, in Public Policy from Regent University. He has also written a number of thought-provoking articles in the areas of natural law and unalienable rights. He recently completed an extensive legal review of religious liberty principles and Supreme Court cases titled, Unalienable Rights, Equality and The Free Exercise of Religion. In 1997, University Press of America published his book, Real Choice, Real Freedom in American Education, a scholarly work that articulates the legal and Constitutional case for parental rights and against governmental control of American Education.

Mr. Morgan's 2006 bid for the Michigan Supreme Court was featured in Michigan Lawyers Weekly. The interview focused on his commitment to natural rights and belief that they must be protected more stringently than they have been in the recent past. Also discussed was his legal philosophy -- " The Constitution [and] the statutes, they are the organic documents that make up our laws," Morgan said. "The job of the court is to go back and determine what the constitution says, not what the court says the constitution says."

Christopher M. Murray
Michigan Court of Appeals Judge - Moot Court Judge

Chris Murray is a Judge on the Michigan Court of Appeals. Previously he was a Wayne Circuit Court judge, serving in the Family Division. He graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree from Hillsdale College in 1985. In 1990, he received a Juris Doctor degree from the University of Detroit School of Law.

Judge Murray practiced law with Keller, Thoma, P.C., in Detroit from 1990 until 1995, while from 1995 to 1997, Judge Murray served as deputy legal counsel to Governor John Engler. In 1997, Judge Murray returned to Keller, Thoma, and remained there until his appointment to the Wayne Circuit Court on January 10, 2000. Judge Murray was elected to a six-year term on the Wayne Circuit Court in November 2000. He was appointed to the Court of Appeals on January 16, 2002, and was elected to a full term on November 5, 2002.

While in private practice, Judge Murray also served as chairman of the State Board of Ethics, and as a member of the Local Government Claims Review Board. He has had several articles published in Michigan legal periodicals, including "State-Tribal Issues: A Legal Perspective," in The Michigan Bar Journal (October 1996). Judge Murray is a member of the Michigan Bar Association, the Detroit Metropolitan Bar Association, is Treasurer for the Irish-American Lawyers Association, a Fellow of the Michigan State Bar Foundation, and is on the Board of Directors for the Catholic Lawyer’s Society. He is also a member of the Model Civil Jury Instructions Committee.

Judge Murray is married with three children.

Don Pearson
Pastor of Student Ministries at Blythefield Hills Baptist Church - Speaker

In his twenty-plus years of youthwork, Don Pearson has lost kids in the mountains, called in a helicopter rescue during a backcountry blizzard, fought off bears in camps, driven a bus through a glass toll booth in Mexico with armed guards pointing machine guns at the windows, rented fifteen large vans for one trip, swam with sharks, rescued kids getting stung by jellyfish in the dark waters off the Spanish Virgin Islands, separated students who were fighting in a pile of horse manure, logged untold hours in emergency rooms all over the world, run hundreds of trips and retreats, sat through countless board meetings and budget battles, and partnered to raise money for four building projects—all at the same church. During this time, God has faithfully extended the range of his ministry from six kids in the eighties to over six hundred today.

A graduate of Moody Bible Institute (Pastoral/Greek), Cornerstone University (B.A. in Religion), and Grand Rapids Theological Seminary (M.A. in Theological Studies), Don now spends most of his time working with parents of adolescents.

As always, his emphasis is on reaching, discipling, and equipping young people for spiritual leadership in the church and the world. Don and his wife, Julie, have three grown children, a son-in-law and have recently entered the magical world of grandchildren. They reside near Grand Rapids, Michigan.

Scott Robe
Attorney - Trial Instructor & Coach

Scott M. Robe, Esq., earned an A.B. degree summa cum laude in History at Ohio University in 1984. He received a Master of Public Policy and a Juris Doctor degree from Regent University in 1986, and 1989 respectively. He passed the Virginia Bar Exam in 1989, the District of Columbia exam in 1990, and the Ohio exam in 1991, and is admitted to practice in each of those jurisdictions.

From 1989-90 he was a judicial law clerk at the U.S. Court of Federal Claims, in the office of Special Master for vaccine injury litigation. Since 1990 he has engaged in the general practice of law, emphasizing probate and trust law, estate planning, business organization, real property, municipal law, personal injury, and civil litigation involving those subject matters. He has scholarly interests in the areas of the history and philosophy of law, and in the history, foundation, and relationship of ideas, particularly in regard to legal and constitutional systems.

Daniel Ryan
Circuit Court Judge - Trial Judge

Judge Daniel P. Ryan is a general jurisdiction judge for the 3rd Judicial Circuit Court in Detroit, Michigan and has been assigned to that court's Criminal Trial Division since 1998. In July 2002, he was assigned to serve as visiting judge on the Michigan Court of Appeals.

Prior to his appointment to the Circuit Court, Judge Ryan served on the 17th District Court in Redford, Michigan from 1994-1998. Judge Ryan was appointed by the Michigan Supreme Court to serve as Chief Judge of the 17th District Court from 1996 through 1997.

Prior to joining the bench in 1994, Judge Ryan was employed by the law firm of Plunkett & Cooney in Detroit, Michigan from 1988 through 1994, where he specialized in the defense of construction liability and architect and engineer professional liability claims. He was an associate at Burt, Blee, Hawk, and Sutton in South Bend, Indiana from 1987 through 1988.

Judge Ryan earned his B.A. in History from the University of Detroit and his J.D. from the University of Notre Dame Law School. Judge Ryan has taught Advanced Evidence Problems as an adjunct professor of law at the Thomas M. Cooley Law School and has also served as an adjunct professor at the University of Detroit Mercy Law School and Ave Maria School of Law. He has also been a member of the evidence faculty of the National Judicial College since 1996.

Matthew Schneider
Chief of Staff and General Counsel, Michigan Supreme Court - Trial Instructor & Coach

Matthew Scheider was recently appointed as Chief Counsel to the Michigan Supreme Court. Previously, Mr. Scheider was a federal prosecutor with the United States Department of Justice, appointed by Attorney General John Ashcroft.

Matthew Schneider is the Michigan Supreme Court’s Chief of Staff and General Counsel. As Chief of Staff, Schneider provides overall direction for administration of the Supreme Court, formulates policy, and serves as an advisor to the Chief Justice and the Justices. Schneider represents the Court in interactions with the Governor, the State Senate and House, the federal government, and local governments. As General Counsel, Schneider is the legal advisor to the Justices of the Supreme Court and to all of Michigan’s trial courts.

Schneider is a former federal prosecutor with the United States Department of Justice appointed by Attorney General John Ashcroft. Schneider was assigned to the Public Corruption Unit of the United States Attorney’s Office in Detroit, Michigan. His focus was on prosecuting corrupt public officials and members of organized crime, as well as street gangs and outlaw motorcycle gangs. As a lawyer for the United States, he obtained hundreds of convictions against large-scale drug traffickers, child pornographers, bank robbers, armed felons, and other violent criminals. He handled an anti-terrorism caseload and held the U.S. Government’s highest security clearance, known as Top Secret S.C.I. From 2007 to 2011, Schneider was deputized as a Special Deputy United States Marshal and was qualified under the federal government’s use of deadly force procedures. During his eight years as a federal prosecutor, he received numerous awards from federal law enforcement agencies such as the FBI, the DEA, and the ATF.

Prior to becoming a federal prosecutor, Schneider served on the legal staff of President George W. Bush. President Bush appointed Schneider as Senior Advisor and Assistant General Counsel in the White House Budget Office during the President’s first term. Schneider helped to develop the President’s major policy, budget, and legal initiatives at the White House. Among other things, he drafted the President’s Executive Orders and Signing Statements, advised the President’s Cabinet members on their testimony before Congress, and advised senior policy makers on the creation of the Department of Homeland Security.

Schneider previously practiced international law with the Washington, D.C. firm of Wiley, Rein & Fielding LLP, where he represented American companies in suits against foreign governments for unfair business and trade actions. Schneider is a Visiting Professor of Constitutional Law at Cooley Law School, and he has spoken and written on numerous aspects of Constitutional Law.

Schneider is a life-long Michigan resident and grew up in Frankenmuth. He graduated from the University of Michigan Law School in 2000. He holds a degree in International Relations from Michigan State University’s James Madison College, where he graduated as a member of the Honors College and served as Senior Class President of the Michigan State University Class of 1996. After graduation, Schneider served on the staff of Michigan Governor John Engler as the Governor’s Public Events Coordinator.

Matthew and Rebecca Schneider have one daughter, Ava.

Blaine Schultz
President of Advance Employment - Business Coach

Blaine Schultz is the President of the Advance Employment family of companies. He is responsible for the day-to-day management of the financial, accounting and computer operations. His organization is divided into three administrative departments; accounting, payroll / billing center and a Human Resource Outsourcing division.

Prior to joining Advance in 1991, Blaine was Controller of the Michigan Republican State Committee from 1990 - 1991, and an accountant at Lindell Drop Forge from 1988 - 1989. Blaine received a B.S. in Accounting from Michigan State University in 1986.

James Sheridan
District Court Judge & Marriage Enrichment Speaker - Speaker

James Sheridan has long been known for his dynamic, humorous and creative teaching style. He began teaching college classes in 1976 and has been honing his skills in the classroom ever since. Mr. Sheridan began teaching marriage enrichment courses in 1991, when he helped start and then led the marriage enrichment program at his church, Hope Lutheran in Adrian, MI.

In June, 1996, James Sheridan founded the organization, Marriages That Work in Lenawee County, Michigan, to address the problem of divorce. He spearheaded a gathering of local ministers and civil officials who perform weddings to work on the issue and invited Mike McManus of Marriages Savers® as the primary speaker. The group met on February 14, 1997, and the result was striking: sixty-six members of the Lenawee County clergy and all thirteen civil officials authorized to perform weddings agreed to require education in communication skills and dispute resolution, in addition to taking a premarital inventory, before they would perform weddings.This was the first time in the United States all the civil officials in a county have joined together to require premarital education. James Sheridan was interviewed by over a dozen radio talk shows from across the United States, the BBC in England and Germany. Articles appeared in publications quoting Sheridan extensively in Europe, England and many cities in the United States. He was interviewed on ABC Good Morning America, The CBS Evening News, The ABC Evening News along with local news shows from Detroit and Toledo. He was also an invited guest on The Oprah Winfrey Show.

James Sheridan has served as a District Court Judge in Adrian, MI, since his election in 1978. He has been married to his wife, Sharron, since 1966, and has two children. Part of his passion for learning more about male / female relationships and the Biblical aspects of marriage is the growth it has caused in his own relationship with his wife and family.

David Thompson
Film Maker - Media Instructor

A committed Christian, passionate patriot, and the first of ten children, David was home educated from an early age. He began his self-directed film and video studies sometime around 2004, has written, directed, and produced a number of short projects since, and has served in various capacities on larger film projects. He is currently working on a Science Fiction novel and has numerous film projects in various stages of development.

David was introduced to SSI through the Flint Onsite program in 2002 and attended the Summer program as a student from 2002-2005. He then came back, first as an ADC, then as a chaperone. In 2010, he was asked by SSI leadership to be the instructor for the broadcast portion of the Media Track and assist the young lady who served as newspaper coach and track administrator. Together, they have run the Media Track ever since, and have recently become engaged.

Barb Vander Veen
Liaison, MI Department of State - Speaker

Barb Vander Veen currently serves as the West Michigan & Upper Peninsula Liaison for the Michigan Department of State. She formerly served three terms in the Michigan Legislature, first elected as State Representative in 2001 representing the 89th district.

She graduated from Grandville Public Schools, and received her RN degree from Blodgett Memorial Hospital School of Nursing. Barb was active in civic involvement, serving as Allendale School Board Member for 8 years, the Ottawa County Community Mental Health Board, and the Lakeshore Pregnancy Center Board. She is also actively involved in her church, serving in various positions of service and leadership.

Barb was born in Grand Rapids and currently resides in Allendale, in Ottawa County with her husband of 42 years, Nick. She has 5 Children and 14 Grandchildren.

Jeff & Jennie Visscher
C.O.O. and Summer Program Director of SSI - Speakers

In January of 2001, Jeff Visscher became the Chief Operations Officer and Summer Program Director at SSI, a ministry of Foundation for Traditional Values.

Previously, for more than ten years, Jeff served as the Executive Director of Citizens for Traditional Values, a non-profit civic league which mobilizes citizens for grassroots political action and lobbies for traditional family values in the public arena.

Jeff is a 1991 graduate of Liberty University in Lynchburg, Virginia, finishing with a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science. Jennie was homeschooled and received her teaching instruction in violin at the Suzuki Institute in Stevens Point, Wisconsin.

Jennie is a home-schooling mom and an accomplished violinist, who teaches violin out of her home. She also serves as the String Director and Senior Orchestra Conductor for the Home School Music Association. In addition, Jennie works along with Jeff at SSI’s Summer Program, serving as Head Chaperone and "Camp Nurse".

Jeff & Jennie are members of Faith Bible Church in Lansing, where Jeff serves as a lay leader. Both have ministered extensively in short-term missions around the world, serving in China, Russia, Australia, Dominican Republic, Mexico, and Peru.

Jeff has spoken on a variety of topics including politics and grassroots activism. Jeff and Jennie have also spoken to a variety of audiences on courtship.

Jeff and Jennie, with their two children Andelisia and Nicholas, reside in Eaton Rapids, Michigan.

William Wagner
Law Professor, Cooley Law School - Moot Court Judge

William Wagner is President of the new Salt and Light World Center and holds a tenured law school professorship in Ethics and Constitutional law. He is a frequent speaker at world conferences and has published a number of articles, books, and other publications.

Professor Wagner previously served on the Federal Bench as the United States Magistrate Judge for the Northern District of Florida. Prior to his appointment in the United States Courts, he served as the chief American diplomat for the Department of Justice at the American Embassy in Liberia. During his career in public service, he has provided international assistance to the justice sector institutions of numerous countries. Professor Wagner also served as a senior United States prosecutor, litigating hundreds of federal cases and serving as chief of appellate litigation for the Office of the United States Attorney.

Sylvia Warner
Media Specialist - Speech Instructor

Sylvia Warner recently retired after 10 years in Washington D.C. where she served as the press secretary and spokeswoman for U.S. Representative Mike Rogers of Michigan. As a Washington D.C. press secretary, Sylvia coordinated media coverage for the Congressman, dealing with reporters from Michigan and across the U.S. as well as from other nations. She also coordinated media contacts, working with press secretaries from the offices of Congressional leaders as well as the White House on a few occasions. Before her Washington assignment, Sylvia had a 25-year career as a Michigan newspaper journalist. Then she spent seven years working in the Michigan House of Representatives and the Michigan Senate as a media specialist before working for Rogers in his Michigan Senate office and on his successful 2000 campaign for Congress.

A native of Roanoke, Virginia, Sylvia has been a proud Michigander since 1960. She is blessed with three grown sons, three great daughters-in-law, five grandchildren and a great-granddaughter. Today, she works part-time for Sen. Judy Emmons in the Michigan Senate.

Michael Warren
Circuit Court Judge - Mock Trial Judge

Hon. Michael Warren was appointed to the Oakland County Circuit Court in December 2002, retained the position in an unopposed election in 2004, and won re-election in 2006.

Judge Warren has published How to Kit: Obtain a Finding of Contempt of Court for Failure to Obey an Order or Judgment of the Court with the Institute of Continuing Legal Education (ICLE), and Contempt of Court & Broken Windows, Why Ignoring Contempt of Court Undermines Justice, the Rule of Law, and Republican Self-Government in Engage, The Federalist Society’s Practice Group Publication. ICLE has committed to publishing his book on contempt of court as well. He has also published a large number of guest commentaries regarding the law, education, and civics in The Detroit News, Detroit Free Press, Oakland Press, and other newspapers. He has participated as a member of the faculty for various ICLE conferences.

Judge Warren is a former member of the Michigan State Board of Education. After leaving the State Board of Education, he served on the State Board of Education’s Task Force on Social Studies. He also served on the Advisory Boards of the Michigan Civics Institute and Michigan School Board Leaders Association.

A former partner of the Detroit based law firm Honigman Miller Schwartz and Cohn LLC, he concentrated on business transactions, corporations, and securities work. He also served as the Executive Director (and in other capacities) for The New Common School Foundation (a Detroit based foundation working to build models of excellence in urban education).

Judge Warren is a 1992 graduate of the University of Michigan Law School (Juris Doctor Degree, Cum Laude) and a 1989 graduate of Wayne State University (Bachelor of Arts Honors History, Magna Cum Laude). Following graduation from law school, Judge Warren was a clerk to Michigan Supreme Court Justice Dorothy Comstock Riley.

Anthony Weber
High School Teacher, Pastor & Author- Advanced Biblical Worldview Instructor

Born and raised a Mennonite in the backwoods of Alabama, the valleys of Oregon, and the wilds of Ohio (go Buckeyes), I eventually ended up at Cedarville University. There I received a Bachelor's degree in English Education, making me officially unilingual. I earned a Masters Degree in Christian Theology and Philosophy a number of years ago, and now my brain is officially full.

I met the lovely and gracious Sheila in Bible college in 1987 B.C. (before Cedarville). We eventually married in 1990, and we currently have three handsome boys who clearly favor their mother.

I have been teaching at Traverse City Christian School for 10 years (English, Bible, Worldviews, and Logic) as well as coaching (girls’ and boys’ basketball). For the past nine years, I have also been a youth pastor and teaching pastor at Church of the Living God in Traverse City, MI. In April of 2012, I and several others founded a philosophy group here in Traverse City called Etcetera: Street Level Philosophy. We plan to discuss ordinary topics using very big words.

Christine Weiler
Small Business Owner - Business Speaker

Christine is a self-taught prodigy. While she began decorating at age thirteen, she created her first wedding cake at age nineteen. As a stay at home mother of three boys, she began using her talents, baking and art. While working out of her home for years, she fulfilled her dream by opening her first commercial bakery in 1994 at 19 Mile Rd. & Garfield in Clinton Twp. After eleven years and two expansions, a new location was needed. A prime spot was found and on October 11, 2006 she opened the Shelby Twp. store. Her fabulous works of art are worth the trip!

Kendall Wingrove
Communications Specialist - Media Coach

Kendall Wingrove is the Communications Director for the Senate Republican Office, where he started in October 2005 after many years as a press secretary in the Michigan House.He received a master's degree from Michigan State University and a bachelor's degree from Central Michigan University. Kendall also is a free-lance historical writer and columnist who is regularly featured on the editorial page of several Michigan newspapers.