Conference Speaker Bios
America at 250: What 1776 Was All About
Bradley J. Lingo’ 00 became Grove City College’s 10th president in July of 2025, following a distinguished career in law and academia.
Before returning to lead his alma mater, Lingo served as dean of Regent University School of Law. Under his leadership, Regent Law rose more than 45 places in the U.S. News rankings. While at Regent, Lingo was named professor of the year, his scholarship won the faculty excellence award, and he was twice named to the “Virginia 500 Power List” of Virginia’s most influential leaders.
As an academic, his scholarship and advocacy focus on constitutional law and religious liberty. He co-founded Regent’s Center for Constitutional Law. While leading the Center, he filed amicus briefs in support of the prevailing party in three consecutive U.S. Supreme Court terms. He has published in outlets such as Wake Forest Law Review, George Mason Law Review Forum, Regent University Law Review, National Review Online, and World.
Before joining the Regent faculty, Lingo was a partner in King & Spalding’s Trial and Global Disputes practice group. He routinely represented accounting firms and financial institutions in high-stakes litigation—including matters for three Big Four accounting firms where more than $1 billion was at stake. He also litigated many pro bono and religious liberty matters in private practice. Accounts of that work have appeared on the front pages of the New York Times, Washington Post, and Wall Street Journal.
A native of northeast Ohio, Lingo graduated first in his class and summa cum laude from Grove City College in 2000 with a degree in business-economics. “As a student, I found professors who believed in me and friends who encouraged me in my faith, and I experienced the joy of working hard to pursue excellence in a Christian community. I am honored to return to Grove City and ensure that future generations of students will receive the Christian, conservative, academically excellent, affordable education that profoundly shaped me,” Lingo said.
After graduating from Grove City, Lingo earned his J.D., with honors, from Harvard Law School, where he was an executive editor of The Harvard Journal of Law and Public Policy. After law school, Lingo served as a law clerk to Hon. Morris S. Arnold on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit and worked as a litigation associate in the Washington, D.C., office of Gibson Dunn.
He and his wife, Yvonne, have three daughters, ages 10, 13, and 15.
Matthew Spalding is the Kirby Professor in Constitutional Government at Hillsdale College and the Dean of the Van Andel Graduate School of Government at Hillsdale College’s Washington, D.C., campus. As Vice President for Washington Operations, he also oversees the Allan P. Kirby, Jr. Center for Constitutional Studies and Citizenship and the academic and educational programs of Hillsdale in the nation’s capital.
He is the best-selling author of We Still Hold These Truths: Rediscovering Our Principles, Reclaiming Our Future, which details America’s core principles, shows how they have come under assault by modern progressive-liberalism, and lays out a strategy to recover them. Spalding is also executive editor of The Heritage Guide to the Constitution, a line-by-line analysis of each clause of the U.S. Constitution. His other books include A Sacred Union of Citizens: Washington’s Farewell Address and the American Character; Patriot Sage: George Washington and the American Political Tradition; and The Founders’ Almanac: A Practical Guide to the Notable Events, Greatest Leaders & Most Eloquent Words of the American Founding.
Prior to joining Hillsdale, Dr. Spalding was vice president of American Studies at The Heritage Foundation and founding director of its B. Kenneth Simon Center for Principles and Politics. He is a Fellow at the Claremont Institute for the Study of Statesmanship and Political Philosophy, and serves on the boards of the Steamboat Institute and the Philadelphia Society.
He received his B.A. from Claremont McKenna College and his M.A. and Ph.D. in government from the Claremont Graduate School. In addition to teaching at Hillsdale, he has taught at George Mason University, the Catholic University of America, and Claremont McKenna College. He and his wife Elizabeth, a Hillsdale alumna, reside with their two children in Arlington, Virginia.
Gary Scott Smith’72 chaired the History Department and coordinated the Humanities Core at Grove City College where he taught from 1978 to 2017. His specialty is American religious history, and he is an avid sports fan. In 2001, he was named Pennsylvania Professor of the Year by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching and the Council for Advancement and Support of Education. He is the author or editor of nineteen books. His books include Faith and the Presidency: From George Washington to George W. Bush (Oxford University Press, 2006), Heaven in the American Imagination (Oxford University Press, 2011), Religion in the Oval Office: The Religious Lives of American Presidents (Oxford University Press, 2015), Suffer the Children: What We Can Do to Improve the Lives of the World’s Impoverished Children (Cascade Books, 2017), and religious biographies of Winston Churchill, Mark Twain, Jackie Robinson, and Hillary Clinton. His most recent book is The Greatest of All-Time: Fifteen Fantastic Athletes. Smith is also an ordained minister in the Presbyterian Church (USA). He served five congregations as an interim or stated supply pastor and is currently a parish associate at Saint Andrews-Covenant Presbyterian Church in Wilmington, North Carolina.
William Hearn is a senior at Grove City College, with a major in Communication Arts and a minor in Physics. William grew up in the country of Nepal, and living in its stunning landscapes instilled a love of nature photography and filmmaking in him. Over the years, William has developed this passion, and now runs a video production company Homer Cinema LLC, based out of the Pittsburgh area. William cares about using his skills for Christ, and applying them in a way that matters for the world. William has produced multiple documentaries, including Transformed: a detransitioner’s story (2022), Endless Miles: an Olympians journey to a 100 mile ultramarathon (2024) and more.
Through the IFF, William looks to be able to work with the other talented student and faculty to help tell and create stories that can help the causes of faith and freedom.
William got married in 2023, and currently lives in Grove City, with his wife Madison.
Joseph Loconte is the Director of the Rivendell Center in New York City, is a Presidential Scholar at New College of Florida and the C.S. Lewis Scholar for Public Life at Grove City College. He also serves as a Senior Fellow at Sagamore Institute, and as a Senior Fellow at Founding Forward and at the Trinity Forum. He is the author of the New York Times bestseller A Hobbit, a Wardrobe, and a Great War: How J.R.R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis Rediscovered Faith, Friendship, and Heroism in the Cataclysm of 1914-1918 (Harper Collins, 2015).
Loconte previously served as a an Associate Professor of History at the King’s College in New York City and as a Distinguished Visiting Professor at the School of Public Policy at Pepperdine University.
Loconte’s commentary on religion and public life appears in the nation’s leading journals and newspapers, including the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, the Washington Post, National Affairs, the New Criterion, National Geographic, Law and Liberty, the National Interest, and National Review. For 10 years he served as a commentator for National Public Radio’s All Things Considered. He was the winner of the 2017 Best Article award from the Tolkien Society for his article How J.R.R. Tolkien Found Mordor on the Western Front.
Loconte’s other books include: God, Locke, and Liberty: The Struggle for Religious Freedom in the West (Lexington Books, 2014); The Searchers: A Quest for Faith in the Valley of Doubt (Thomas Nelson, 2012); The End of Illusions: Religious Leaders Confront Hitler’s Gathering Storm (Rowman & Littlefield, 2004); and Seducing the Samaritan: How Government Contracts Are Reshaping Social Services (The Pioneer Institute, 1997).
Loconte has testified before Congress on international human rights and served as a human rights expert on the 2005 Congressional Task Force on the United Nations, contributing to its final report, “American Interests and U.N. Reform.” From 2001-2003, he was an informal advisor to the White House Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives. He also served as a speechwriter for British MP Andrew Mitchell, Shadow Secretary of State for International Development.
Loconte is a native of Brooklyn, NY, a forlorn fan of the NY Mets, and a frequent traveler to sunny Italy.
Jay Cost is the Gerald R. Ford nonresident senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute (AEI), where he focuses on political theory, Congress, and elections. He is also a visiting scholar at Grove City College and a contributing editor at the Washington Examiner.
Dr. Cost’s interests are broadly focused on civic republicanism in the United States, with emphases on the political theory of James Madison, the problem of political corruption, the role of political parties, the development of civic institutions over time, and the power and responsibility of Congress. He writes and speaks frequently on American elections, with a special attention on placing contemporary trends in historical context.
His books include James Madison: America’s First Politician (Basic Books, 2021); The Price of Greatness: Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and the Creation of American Oligarchy (Basic Books, June 2018); and A Republic No More: Big Government and the Rise of Political Corruption(Encounter Books, 2015). Dr. Cost’s next book, Democracy or Republic: The People and the Constitution is due to be released later this year.
Dr. Cost has a PhD and an MA in political science from the University of Chicago and a BA in government and history from the University of Virginia.
Megan Martin is the Chief Operating Officer and General Counsel of the Commonwealth Foundation. Megan is a seasoned legal and public policy professional committed to improving the lives of the people of Pennsylvania. Prior to joining the Commonwealth Foundation, Megan was the vice president and general counsel of the Pennsylvania Chamber of Business and Industry, the state’s largest business advocacy organization, with nearly 10,000 members.
Before that, Megan broke the glass ceiling at the Pennsylvania Senate to become the first and only woman to serve as the Secretary-Parliamentarian. Megan’s distinguished three-decade career of service includes all three branches of state government, as an attorney for the U.S. Navy, and serving in the private sector and academia.
Megan has held many titles, but the one that makes her most proud is Mom to three great kids and, of course, their family dog, an adorable Bernedoodle. She and her husband Scott, who just became empty nesters, reside in Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania.
Lawrence W. Reed ’75 became President of the Foundation for Economic Education (FEE) in 2008 after serving as chairman of its board of trustees in the 1990s and both writing and speaking for FEE since the late 1970s. He previously served for 21 years as President of the Mackinac Center for Public Policy in Midland, Michigan (1987-2008). He also taught economics full-time from 1977 to 1984 at Northwood University in Michigan and chaired its economics department from 1982 to 1984.
In May 2019, he retired to the role of President Emeritus at FEE and assumed the titles of Humphreys Family Senior Fellow, and Ron Manners Global Ambassador for Liberty. The 2020 Chairman of the prestigious Mont Pelerin Society, Linda Whetstone of Britain, says “Larry is a rarity in the liberty movement. From scratch, he built one fantastic think tank (Mackinac Center), engineered a perfect succession transition after 21 years, then went on to save and rebuild another great organization (FEE). He pioneered a leadership program that trained think tank executives and staff from all over the world and he writes some of the movement’s best and most enduring materials. His ‘Seven Principles’ and ‘Great Myths of the Great Depression’ are two of the most popular essays among lovers of liberty in country after country. He is in constant demand as a powerful speaker. He is a success wherever he goes and in whatever he does. And he’s a genuine gentleman, always a joy to work with.”
He holds a B.A. in economics from Grove City College (1975) and an M.A. in history from Slippery Rock State University (1978), both in Pennsylvania. He holds two honorary doctorates, one from Central Michigan University (public administration, 1993) and Northwood University (laws, 2008).
Reed has authored nearly 2,000 columns and articles in newspapers, magazines and journals in the United States and abroad. His writings have appeared in The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Examiner, Christian Science Monitor, Eurasia Review, Intellectual Takeout, USA Today, The American Spectator, The Epoch Times, Informe Orwell, The Stream, Detroit News, and Detroit Free Press, among many others. He has authored or co-authored eight books, the most recent being Was Jesus a Socialist? (a major expansion in 2020 of an earlier essay) and Real Heroes: Inspiring True Stories of Courage, Character and Conviction. Additionally, he co-authored and edited five e-books. See the “Books” section of this website for more info. He is frequently interviewed on radio talk shows and has appeared as a guest on numerous television programs.
Reed delivered at least 75 speeches annually between 1985 and 2019 in virtually every state and in dozens of countries from Bulgaria to China to Bolivia. His best-known lectures include “Seven Principles of Sound Policy” and “Great Myths of the Great Depression,” both of which have been translated into over a dozen languages and distributed worldwide.
His interests in political and economic affairs have taken him as a freelance journalist to 92 countries on six continents. He is an adviser to numerous organizations around the world. He served for 15 years as a member of the board (and for one term as president) of the State Policy Network. His numerous recognitions include the Champion of Freedom Award from the Mackinac Center for Public Policy, the Distinguished Alumni Award from Grove City College and the Citizen Warrior Award from Heirs of the Republic.
Over his nearly 11 years as the 10th President of FEE, the organization experienced explosive growth by all measures of output and impact—in contributions, seminar attendance, web page visits (www.fee.org), online courses, school and campus events, online content, publications, videos, etc. His presidency was the longest and most consequential of any since that of the organization’s founder, Leonard E. Read. He served a second time as FEE president, on an interim basis, from October 2023 until March 2024.
In 2022, Reed was named by the President of Poland as a recipient of the highest honor that Poland bestows upon a foreigner, the Grand Cross of the Order of Merit of the Republic of Poland. U.S. President Ronald Reagan is among past recipients.
He serves on the board of the Frontier Institute in Montana, the Free Society Coalition executive committee, and on numerous advisory boards around the world.
He is a native of Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania and a 30-year resident of Midland, Michigan. Since 2010 has resided in Newnan, Georgia, where he writes a column for The Newnan Times-Herald.
Michael Medved hosts a daily talk radio show and podcast that combines politics and pop culture, history and values. He is also a New York Times best-selling author of 14 nonfiction books—most recently The American Miracle: Divine Providence in the Rise of the Republic, and its follow-up God’s Hand on America: Divine Providence in the Modern Era. In this series, Michael describes astonishing incidents in which luck, nature, or some higher power seems to intervene on behalf of the United States. An honors graduate of Yale, he also attended Yale Law School and has worked as both a political speechwriter and Hollywood screenwriter. He is a member of USA Today’s Board of Contributors, and his pieces appear frequently in the Wall Street Journal, Newsweek, and Commentary. Michael has lectured for religious, political, and academic audiences in all 50 states and six Canadian provinces.
As an active leader in the Jewish community, Michael has served as president of an Orthodox synagogue and co-founder of a Jewish day school. His lectures to Jewish communities frequently discuss the historic connection between America and Israel, the revival of Orthodox Judaism, and the sometimes tortured relationship between Jews and the entertainment industry.
He’s been married to Dr. Diane Medved, clinical psychologist, and best-selling author, for 37 years; they are the parents of three grown children and grandparents of the five most remarkable grandchildren on God’s Green Earth.
Lenny McAllister has been described by KDKA’s Larry Richert as “a man that wears many hats.”
The Pittsburgh native has spent decades working in both state and national venues influencing public policy and civics. A Senior Fellow with Commonwealth Foundation and Founding Forward, he also serves on the board of the American Consumer Institute after serving as CEO of the PA Coalition of Public Charter Schools.
His new book, A Venn Diagram of One: An American Story, hits bookstores August 2026 and has been endorsed by Reagan biographer Dr. Paul Kengor, who wrote, ” In a Reaganesque style, (Lenny McAllister is) a winsome and persuasive conservative, (giving) conservatives a choice, not an echo.”
Lenny is also active in the civil rights community, including his work with Muhammad Ali Humanitarian Award winner Leon Ford on criminal justice reform, and continues doing extensive work in the media. The KDKA Radio host appears twice weekly, providing insight and analysis on current affairs. Lenny has appeared as a renowned political analyst and media staple on outlets ranging from Radio New Zealand and Sirius XM Radio to CNN, MSNBC, and Fox News. His op-eds have appeared in publications including The Root, The Dallas Morning News, The Washington Post, and RedState. He has appeared in multiple documentaries including America in Perspective (FreedomWorks) and The Impossible Dream (by Grove City’s own William Hearn).
A veteran of the lecture circuit, Lenny has appeared at the Union League of Philadelphia, the Pennsylvania Leadership Conference, CPAC, the State of the Black Union, Heritage Foundation, and America for Prosperity. He has testified before the PA General Assembly on public policy issues.
He served as adjunct professor of African-American History at LaRoche University. He holds a degree in history from Davidson College.
Lenny is the proud husband of Lannie, father to his five children, and grandfather to one.
Paul Kengor is professor of political science at Grove City College in Grove City, Pennsylvania, and a New York Times bestselling author of over 20 books. He is senior director and chief academic fellow at the Institute for Faith & Freedom and former visiting fellow at the Hoover Institution at Stanford University. His articles have appeared in publications from the Washington Post and USA Today to the Wall Street Journal and New York Times. He is a longtime columnist for The American Spectator and was named editor in chief of the magazine in September 2022, to succeed founder R. Emmett Tyrrell, Jr. He is an internationally recognized authority on several subjects, particularly Ronald Reagan, the Cold War and communism, and the American presidency.
Dr. Kengor is frequently interviewed by the BBC, Fox News, MSNBC, C-SPAN, NPR, EWTN, the Christian Broadcasting Network, by radio hosts such as Glenn Beck, Mark Levin, and Bill Bennett, and by TV personalities like Megyn Kelly, Bill O’Reilly, and Joe Scarborough. He often writes for National Catholic Register and Crisis Magazine.
Dr. Kengor’s books have been published by HarperCollins, Simon & Schuster, Harvard University Press, Oxford University Press, Ignatius Press, the Intercollegiate Studies Institute, HarperPerennial, and many others. In 2017, he released what has been described as his “magnum opus,” A Pope and a President: John Paul II, Ronald Reagan, and the Extraordinary Untold Story of the 20th Century. Among his bestsellers are the 2012 book, The Communist, and his 2004 classic, God and Ronald Reagan. Several of his books are the basis for major films, including the documentary, The Divine Plan (Robert Orlando, producer), which screened in theaters nationwide in 2019, and the upcoming bio-pic Reagan: The Movie, starring Dennis Quaid and David Henrie. In August 2020, he released his latest The Devil and Karl Marx (TAN Books/St. Benedict Press).
Kengor is a frequent public speaker, at venues such as the Ronald Reagan Library, the Reagan Ranch Center, National Press Club, Heritage Foundation, American Enterprise Institute, the Center for Strategic & International Studies, the Gerald Ford Library, the National Presbyterian Church, the John Paul II National Shrine, and at colleges from the University of Virginia to William & Mary to the Naval Academy to Notre Dame University to Princeton University.
Kengor received his doctorate from the University of Pittsburgh’s Graduate School of Public and International Affairs and master’s degree from The American University’s School of International Service. He holds an honorary doctorate from Franciscan University. He and his wife, Susan, have eight children, two of which are adopted.