Parental Rights Symposium

An author, mathematician, and political commentator, Dr. James Lindsay has written eight books spanning a range of subjects including education, postmod-ern theory, and critical race theory. Dr. Lindsay is the Founder of New Dis-courses, an organization dedicated to shining the light of objective truth in sub-jective darkness. Dr. Lindsay is the co-author of “Cynical Theories: How Activ-ist Scholarship Made Everything about Race, Gender, and Identity―and Why This Harms Everybody” and is the author of “Race Marxism,” as well as his newest book, “The Marxification of Education.” Dr. Lindsay has been a fea-tured guest on Fox News, Glenn Beck, Joe Rogan, and NPR, and he has spoken at the Oxford Union and the EU Parliament.

Matt Sharp serves as senior counsel with Alliance Defending Freedom, where he is the director of the Center for Public Policy. In this role, he leads ADF’s team of policy experts as they craft legislation and advise government officials on policies that promote free speech, religious freedom, parental rights, and the sanctity of human life.

Since joining ADF in 2010, Sharp has authored federal and state legislation, regularly provides testimony and legal analysis on how proposed legislation will impact constitutional freedoms, and advises governors, legislators, and state and national policy organizations on the importance of laws and policies that protect First Amendment rights. He has twice testified before the United States Congress on the importance of protecting free speech and religious liberty in federal law.

Sharp has also worked on important cases advancing religious freedom and free speech. He has won cases upholding the rights of students to form religious clubs, invite classmates to church, and even perform a religious song at a school talent show. He authored an amicus brief to the U.S. Supreme Court on behalf of nearly 9,000 students, parents, and community members asking the Court to uphold students’ right to privacy against government intrusion.

Sharp earned his J.D. in 2006 from the Vanderbilt University School of Law. A member of the bar in Georgia and Tennessee, he is also admitted to practice in several federal courts.

Michael has been a tireless advocate of tech safety for over a decade. He has worked in federal politics his entire career, starting his own company, Magnitude Consulting, in 2018 to draw on his decades of experience as a strategist, designer, and technologist.

Michael has raised and spent hundreds of millions of dollars for conservative candidates and causes; built and managed companies and campaigns; and overseen huge financial gains and wins for his clients and principals. From 2020 to 2024, he built and launched a communications department at the Catholic University of America and assisted in four GOP chairman's races in the U.S. House. From 2019 to 2023, Michael worked as COO for Data Trust, raising $42 million for RNC data programs in the 2020 cycle.

Michael helped run Adam Putnam's gubernatorial race in Florida for the 2018 cycle and served as senior digital director for the U.S. Chamber of Commerce in early 2017. Working for Thom Tillis, Michael helped Republicans win the U.S. Senate in 2014. Then, as the NRSC’s creative director, hold the majority in 2016. Michael previously worked for Rep. Bill Shuster in the U.S. House and fundraised for Rep. Cory Gardner, Rep. Jason Smith, Rep. Jo Ann Emerson, Sen. Jon Kyl, and many others.

Michael currently lives in Virginia with his wife, Libby, and five children.

Annie is a policy analyst in the Heritage Foundation’s Center for Technology and the Human Person. She joined in November 2023.

Previously, Annie worked in the U.S. Senate for eight years, most recently as the Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee staffer for Senator Ron Johnson (R-WI), and as a legislative assistant for Senator Mike Lee (R-UT), where her policy portfolio included tech and telecom.

She grew up between the South and Midwest and graduated from Wheaton College with a bachelor’s degree in international relations and dual minors in French and art history & painting. Annie is a wine enthusiast and educator currently working towards her level three certification from the Wine & Spirit Education Trust.

Matthew Ladner is Senior Advisor for K-12 Policy Implementation at the Heritage Foundation and serves as Executive Editor of the blog Next Steps. Ladner has written numerous studies on school choice, charter schools and special education reform. Ladner was a part of the team which created the nation’s first account-based choice program in 2011. Ladner has testified before Congress and state legislatures. Ladner is a graduate of the University of Texas at Austin and received a master’s degree and a Ph.D. in political science from the University of Houston.

Jennifer Burns is a wife to David of 30 years, a former homeschooling mom of three young
men, proud bonus mother-in-law, and “Mina” to her most precious grandson. With a
unique background spanning both business and education, Jennifer has spent her career
helping families, educators, and communities build meaningful, transformative
educational opportunities for children.

Jennifer holds a master’s degree from Northwestern University, where she studied
marketing and consumer insight. Before devoting herself fully to education, she built a
successful career working with major brands such as Hewlett-Packard, Kraft, and Jaguar,
helping organizations better understand the needs and motivations of the people they
served. That experience continues to shape her innovative and student-centered approach
to education.

More than two decades ago, Jennifer redirected her expertise toward education with a
mission to help create learning environments worthy of every child. Twenty-two years ago,
she founded HEART, a homeschool enrichment program designed to support and equip
families pursuing home education. Shortly after, she founded Classical Consortium
Academy, a classical Christian hybrid school that has spent the last 20 years partnering
with parents to cultivate wisdom, virtue, and academic excellence in students.

Five years ago, Jennifer expanded her work nationally, helping education entrepreneurs and
communities across the country launch schools modeled after the success of CCA. She
also had the honor of helping launch and shape Turning Point Education, the K–12
education initiative of Turning Point USA. As Director of Academics, she helped launch and
support schools across the country, trained and mentored educators and school leaders,
wrote curriculum, and helped develop academic models designed to help schools flourish.
Today, Jennifer continues to help plant and support schools nationwide while leading
efforts to expand a distinctly Christian, classical, and adaptive model of education. Her
passion is ensuring that every child has access to an education that forms not only the
mind, but also the heart, soul, and character.

Through curriculum development, educator mentorship, strategic consulting, and school
support, Jennifer remains committed to restoring excellence, truth, and purpose in
education while helping the next generation flourish.

Kendra Wesson is a proud Oklahoman and member of the Caddo Nation with more than 30 years of experience in education and business leadership.

She has served on a local school board and most recently spent over two years on the Oklahoma State Board of Education, helping oversee 541 school districts across the state while working to improve educational outcomes for Oklahoma families.

Kendra recently served as the president of a Norman-based accounting firm where she advised businesses on financial management, operational efficiency, and profitability. Deeply engaged in grassroots efforts and community leadership, she brings a practical perspective shaped by decades of experience in education, business, and raising a family of eight children with her devoted husband.