Mike Gonidakis, President of Ohio Right to Life, has been with the organization since February 1, 2008.

Born in Akron and raised in Stow, Mike graduated from the Ohio State University in 1995 with a BA in Political Science and a Minor in Sociology.  He earned his Juris Doctorate from the University of Akron, School of Law and was admitted to the practice in 1999.  Mike brings valuable insight and knowledge regarding regulatory affairs, public policy, federal and state politics, and grassroots organizations.

Mike's professional career includes experience in both the private and public sector.  Beginning his career with then State Auditor Jim Petro, he provided legal counsel regarding statutory compliance with federal and state laws to elected officials and political subdivisions.

He then practiced law in Columbus at the law firm of Kegler, Brown, Hill & Ritter focusing in the areas of national adn state government affairs, health care law and administrative law.  Soon thereafter, he served in a variety of capacities at the request of former Attorney General Jim Petro as the Senior Deputy Attorney General for Policy and Legislative affairs as well as the Senior Deputy for Consumer Protection throughout Ohio.

Mike has been involved with numerous statewide and local political campaigns as well.  He served as Campaign Director for both Pro-Life Justice Robert Cupp and Justice Terrence O'Donnell during their successful 2006 campaigns for the Ohio Supreme Court.

Mike, his wife Amy and their adopted daughter Olivia Grace reside in Dublin with their chocolate Labrador Reagan and English Bulldog Ruby.

Dr. Willke (pronounced Will-key), MD, is the president of the nationwide educational Life Issues Institute.  He has served for ten years as the president of the U.S. National Right to Life Committee.  He helped found the International Right to Life Federation in 1984 and remains its president.  His daily 5-minute radio program was carried on over 300 radio stations for 18 years until recently.  His one-minute comments, Life Jewels, were on over 1,000 stations in English and Spanish, with 50 in Australia, 30 in South Africa and many stations in Brazil.

Dr. Willke practiced medicine in Cincinnati, Ohio for 40 years, where he was on the senior attending staff of the Providence and Good Samaritan hospitals.

Dr. and Mrs. Willke are authors of their fourth generation book, video, and power point and slide set, Abortion, Questions and Answers:  Why Can't We Love Them Both.  These succeeded the seven editions of their classic books, beginning with Handbook on Abortion in 1971, being the most widely read books in the presenting scientific case for the unborn.  These have been published in 22 languages worldwide.  He has also written Abortion & Slavery, History Repeats, and Assisted Suicide & Euthenasia, Past & Present.  Dr. & Mrs. Willke are the authors of six other books in the field of human sexuality.  Their works have been translated into 30 languages.

They have authored other videos, audio/visual sets, pamphlets, articles, movies, brochures and CD's.

Dr. Willke has appeared on almost every major network show in the United States.

He and his wife, Barbara, have lectured in 87 countries.  He is listed in 12 different regional and national Who's Who editions.  They are parents of six children and 22 grandchildren.

Scott and Laura Schulze are both trained Natural Family Planning (NFP) instructors.  They are skilled in the three main NFP methods (Billings Ovulation, Sympto-Thermal and Creighton) and have been trained to teach the Billings Ovulation Method.

Scott is a Lead Design Engineer at Emerson Climate Technologies in Sidney. He earned his Bachelors Degree in Mechanical Engineering and his Masters Degree in Business Administration both from the University of Dayton.

Laura is a nurse at Holy Family Prenatal Care, which is owned and operated by Elizabeth's New Life Center.  She earned her Bachelors of Arts Degree from the University of Dayton and her Masters of Nursing Degree from the College of Mount Saint Joseph.

Father Larry Gearhart is the pastor of two small country parishes in Champaign County, Ohio: St Michael’s in Mechanicsburg and Immaculate Conception in North Lewisburg. Prior to that, he served as associate pastor at Our Lady of Lourdes in Cincinnati and St Albert the Great in Kettering. Before entering Mt St Mary’s Seminary in 1997 he was a systems engineer for TRW. He has a doctorate in mathematics from the University of Illinois at Chicago. Fr Larry is deeply interested in foundational issues in the Catholic faith. 

Dr. Coleman is an Associate Professor of Human Development and Family Studies at Bowling Green State University.  She received her Ph.D. in Life-Span Development Psychology from West Virginia University in 1998.  A major concentration of her research has been on the psychological outcomes of abortion and recent studies address the impact of abortion on interpersonal relationships (parenting and intimate partners).  Additional research has focused on mother-child interaction, attachment, and the development of competency beliefs across the transition of parenting.  The author of over 40 peer-reviewed articles, Dr. Coleman has published numerous studies in psychology and medical journals on the psychology of abortion and she has presented her research to national and international audiences.  Dr. Coleman has also served as an expert on the state and civil cases related to the harmful effects of abortion and she is on the editorial boards for two international medical journals.

Her presentation today is titled, "Abortion and Mental Health:  The American Psychological Association Task Force Report of the Research Evidence and Reality".  The objectives of this presentation are threefold.  First evidence of a strong pro-choice bias in the APA Task Force Report released in 2008 on abortion and mental health will be addressed.  Second, an up-to-date review of the scientific literature on the mental health implications on abortion will be provided.  The overview of the literature will include three new articles published this year by Dr. Coleman and colleagues as well as studies published by other researchers in the U.S., New Zealand, Norway, and Australia.  Finally, Dr. Coleman will share information related to the Alliance for Post-Abortion Research and Training (APART), a non-profit organization developed to encourage more research on the psychological effects of abortion and to disseminate information that is easily understood by various audiences.

Dr. Sullivan is a Professor of Biology at Cedarville University, Cedarville, Ohio, where he teaches human biology and bioethics. He received his M.D. from Case Western Reserve and an MA in bioethics from Trinity Graduate College.

Dr Sullivan served in the U.S. Army as a staff surgeon at the Blanchfield Army Community Hospital, Fort Campbell, Kentucky. He and his family served for twelve years as missionaries with Baptist Mid-Missions, in Haiti and the Central African Republic. A major civil conflict in C.A.R. in 1996 forced a return to the United States. Dr. Sullivan then joined the biology faculty at Cedarville University where he is now Director of the Center for Bioethics.

He is a member of the American Board of Surgery, the American College of Surgeons, the American Medical Association, the Christian Medical Association, the Center for Bioethics and Human Dignity, and the American Scientific Affiliation. He has authored numerous articles in Ethics and Medicine and other journals. He continues to travel, and has conducted two short-term medical mission trips to Africa and two teaching tours of medical schools in Vietnam.

He and his wife Barbara live in Beavercreek, Ohio.  They have three daughters.

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Jessicah Zehring serves as research assistant for the Center for Bioethics at Cedarville University.  She is a 2008 Cedarville University graduate with a B.A. degree in Biology.  Jessicah has a passion for bioethics, especially environmental ethics and pro-life issues.  She is a recipient of the Austin Elmore Award in Plant Biology, and presented her environmental research at the 21st Annual North Prairie Conference in Winona, MN.  Her previous employment experience included positions with the Ohio Department of Natural Resources and as a Cedarville University biology laboratory assistant.  She has performed volunteer work with local pro-life organizations such as the Miami Valley Women's Center.

Jessicah and her husband Kevin enjoy many outdoor activities, including hiking, paddling, skiing.  A snow lover, she trains and races sled dogs and gives presentations to church and school groups about the sport of mushing.