Speaker Bios
Daniel J. Schmid
Associate Vice President of Legal Affairs, Liberty Counsel
Daniel Schmid is Associate Vice of Legal Affairs with Liberty Counsel, an international nonprofit, litigation, education, and policy organization dedicated to advancing religious freedom, the sanctity of life, and the family. With offices in Florida, Virginia, Washington D.C., and a presence in Israel, Liberty Counsel has hundreds of advocates around the world.
Mr. Schmid received his undergraduate degree in Political Science from the School of Public and International Affairs at the University of Georgia. Mr. Schmid received his Juris Doctor from Liberty University School of Law. While in law school, Mr. Schmid was the Managing Editor of the Law Review and a member of the National American Bar Association Moot Court Team. Mr. Schmid received the Roger C. Bern Planning Award for his excellence in business and transaction work, and the Distinguished Service Award for his work managing the law review’s publications.
Mr. Schmid is a constitutional litigator specializing primarily in First Amendment law. In addition to his busy litigation schedule at Liberty Counsel, Mr. Schmid is also an Adjunct Assistant Professor of Law at Liberty University School of Law where he teaches First Amendment law, appellate advocacy, legal writing, and bar preparation course.
Mr. Schmid joined Liberty Counsel in August 2012, after following the Lord’s calling to defend and protect the constitutional freedoms of Christians and churches. Since then, Mr. Schmid has litigated many critical First Amendment issues, including being on the front lines of the litigation to protect the rights of counselors to provide and minors to receive counseling on unwanted same-sex attractions, defending pastors and pro-life advocates arrested for speaking in the public square, protecting student organizations seeking to host Christian clubs in public schools, defending marriage laws designed to protect the Biblical definition of marriage, and defending churches, businesses, and individuals across the country who refuse to solemnize any marriage outside of the institution ordained by God in Scripture.
Mr. Schmid has appeared on FoxNews, NewsMax, Real America News the Glenn Beck program on The Blaze, and is a frequent guest on local radio programs throughout the country.
Jonathan Alexandre
Vice President of Governmental Affairs & Senior Counsel, Liberty Counsel Action
Jonathan Alexandre, Esq., is Vice President of Governmental Affairs and Senior Counsel for Liberty Counsel and Liberty Counsel Action. Jonathan consults with and advises state and federal legislators and policy groups in government relations. He also serves as General Counsel for the Frederick Douglass Foundation.
Jonathan came to Liberty Counsel and Liberty Counsel Action with wide-ranging legal and public policy experience. During the Trump administration, he was a Presidential Appointee serving on the U.S. Agency for Global Media board of directors. Formerly the Assistant General Counsel and Public Policy Coordinator for the Massachusetts Family Institute in Boston, Jonathan also developed the Massachusetts Attorney Resource Council, a network of pro-family Massachusetts attorneys. Jonathan was a Scholar in Residence at the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs in Israel. He also previously served as a civilian attorney at the U.S. Army’s Judge Advocate General’s Legal Center and School. Jonathan and his wife, Renee, enjoy traveling with their daughters.
Abigail Foreman
Public Policy Analyst, Liberty Counsel Action
Abigail Forman is a Public Policy Analyst, and a writer for Liberty Counsel Action. She served in the Minnesota House of Representatives for two terms (2014-2018) where she authored many pieces of pro-Family legislation. During this time, she also co-founded the Congressional Prayer Caucus Foundation. Abigail also worked for four years overseas as the Director of Public Affairs for Right to Life UK where she was responsible for writing to and engaging members of Parliament. Most recently, Abigail is primary author of a groundbreaking, academic white paper exposing the horror of the 700,000 aborted babies from chemical abortions that are being flushed into home toilets and placed into our water system. She holds a magna cum laude bachelor's degree in political science and history and a Master of Public Policy from the University of Minnesota.
Other Speakers
Mariah Gondeiro
Litigation Counsel, Liberty Counsel
Mariah Gondeiro serves as litigation counsel at Liberty Counsel in Maitland, Florida, where she assists with a variety of cases under the First Amendment and Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, including research and writing. She also assists with client development and legislative advocacy.
Prior to joining Liberty Counsel, Mariah gained extensive experience overseeing a wide array of constitutional cases at a non-profit organization in California, including cases involving religious liberty, free speech, and election integrity. Mariah has argued several successful appeals in California and the Ninth Circuit. She was one of few attorneys to successfully get past standing at the Ninth Circuit in the slew of election integrity-related cases filed after the 2020 presidential election. One of her most notable victories featured on Fox News involved overturning over $200,000 of contempt fines and sanctions levied against a pastor in San Jose, California for violating COVID-19-related orders. She was the only attorney to depose Santa Clara County Public Health Officer Sara Cody – one of the leading architects of the COVID-19 lockdown orders. The deposition is cited by doctors and health professionals all across the country.
Mat Staver
Founder and Chairman, Liberty Counsel
Mat Staver serves as Chairman of Liberty Counsel Action. He is also the Founder and Chairman of Liberty Counsel, an international nonprofit litigation, education, and policy organization dedicated to advancing religious freedom, the sanctity of human life, and the family. Mat is Chairman of the Freedom Federation, The Salt & Light Council, and National House of Hope; Chairman of Christians in Defense of Israel; Founder and Chairman of Liberty Relief International; Vice President and Chief Counsel of the National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference-CONEL; Director of the Hispanic Israel Leadership Coalition; former Vice President of Liberty University; former Dean and tenured professor of law at Liberty University School of Law; Trustee of The Timothy Plan, a New York and Tel-Aviv Stock Exchange-traded family of mutual funds; Trustee of the Supreme Court Historical Society; Board of Reference of The Christian Film and Television Commission; Board of Advisors of Care for Pastors; Founder and former President of Staver & Associates; and Founder and former President of The Staver Group. Mat has over 230 published legal opinions. He has authored eight scholarly law review publications and 10 books, including Faith & Freedom: A Complete Handbook for Defending Your Religious Rights, Same-Sex Marriage: Putting Every Household at Risk, and Eternal Vigilance: Knowing and Protecting Your Religious Freedom. He has authored many booklets and brochures, along with hundreds of articles.
Mat is the host and producer of Faith and Freedom, an 11-minute daily radio program, and Freedom's Call, a 60-second daily radio program. He is a frequent guest on international and many national network and cable television and radio programs, including print and electronic media.
Amber Haskew
Director of Public Policy, Liberty Counsel Action
Amber Haskew serves as Director of Public Policy for Liberty Counsel Action, where she employs investigative reporting, policy analysis and copy writing to advance religious freedom, the sanctity of human life, God’s design for marriage and family, responsible government, national security and support for Israel.
Amber was a TV reporter, ghostwriter for a national news radio program and Communications Director for Liberty Counsel. She has been involved in about 100 political campaigns. She also served as the State Director of Women for Glenn Youngkin (Virginia Governor).
Amber volunteered as the Political Director for the Lynchburg Republican City Committee in Lynchburg, Virginia. While focusing on election integrity and voter turnout efforts, she built a team of nearly 400 volunteers, which led to flipping City Council to Republican leadership for the first time in more than 20 years. The Virginia Sixth U.S. Representative District Republican Chairman named the volunteer award “The Amber Haskew Award” in her honor and presented it to her and the top volunteers in the district.
Previously, she mentored teens in political activism through Generation Joshua, served on staff for the South Dakota Family Policy Council and was Executive Director of the College Republican Federation of Virginia. She graduated from Patrick Henry College with a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism.
Stephanie Bowen
Public Policy Analyst & Copywriter
Stephanie Bowen is a public policy analyst with nearly two decades experience battling the globalist agenda in state legislatures, Washington DC and around the world.
Cindy Matthews
Vice President, Covenant Journey
Cindy Matthews is vice president of Covenant Journey and Covenant Journey Travel and director of external affairs for Liberty Counsel. Cindy was part of the strategic planning for the launch of Covenant Journey and other Israel programs in 2011. In May 2012, May 2013, and May 2014, Cindy participated in the development and deployment of an Israel Study Tour program and internship program for young Christian leaders. Cindy was part of the first Covenant Journey experience in Israel in 2014. In addition to overseeing Covenant Journey, Cindy has dedicated her life to minister to and mentor young people. From handling travel logistics to late night talks with students, Cindy loves every minute of the Covenant Journey trips and looks forward to many more journeys!
As a young adult, Cindy made her first trip to Israel, which greatly impacted her life and launched a love and passion for the Jewish people. Covenant Journey combines Cindy’s passion for Israel and young people. She considers it an absolute blessing to work with Covenant Journey.
Prior to her work with Covenant Journey, Cindy participated in a leadership team that ministered with churches, missionaries and pastor’s wives in Eastern Germany. Cindy loves digging into God’s Word and watching it come alive as she walks the land of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. When Cindy is not traveling in Israel, she loves spending time with her family, preferably around the pool or at the beach or while gardening or cooking.
Peggy Nienaber
Senior Vice President, Faith & Liberty
Peggy Nienaber currently serves as the Senior Vice President for Faith & Liberty overseeing the ministry programs and events that focus on building strong alliances on Capitol Hill. Peggy also serves as President of the Capitol Forum Club a meeting held inside the U.S. Capitol.
Peggy has been actively involved with Pro-Life, Pro-Family and Religious Freedom issues for over 27 years working formerly as a special assistant to celebrity Art Linkletter and legendary singer Pat Boone promoting senior issues. Involved in grassroots efforts that lead to the confirmation of four U.S. Supreme Court Justices and the election of many Members of Congress, and the passing of many bills in Congress. Recently Peggy oversaw the organization of the Prayer Teams during the most recent Associate Justice confirmation process.
Peggy was a NGO Liaison for the United Nations in New York and participated in the UN Commission on the Status of Women, World Congress of Families in Poland, and was involved in changing opinions and the resolutions passed by the United Nations.
Peggy has appeared on numerous radio talk shows, national television with Wolfe Blitzer host for The Situation Room, Bill O'Reilly on The O'Reilly Factor and Fox & Friends with Steve Doocy. Peggy also co-directed the Fox & Friends' "True Meaning of Christmas", Christmas Eve Special for 5 years.
Peggy has 2 children, 3 stepchildren, and 10 grandchildren.
