Leaders of faithful Newman Guide Recommended schools, colleges, graduate programs, and curriculum providers, as well as NAPCIS (National Association of Private Catholic and Independent Schools) leaders, will gather in June for a very special Newman Guide Leaders Summit, with the theme In Order to Form a More Perfect Union. We will be celebrating The Newman Guide’s 20th year and America’s 250th anniversary.
For the first time, we will bring to our nation’s capital leaders across the Catholic education continuum for a Summit focused on unity, collaboration, and the renewal of faithful Catholic education. Two cohorts will strategize independently—elementary and secondary education leaders on June 16-17, and higher education leaders on June 17-19—and come together for one united, celebratory afternoon and evening on Wednesday, June 17, including a series of exciting keynote addresses and special awards.
Only leaders from Newman Guide Recommended institutions may attend (except by special invitation), from a variety of functional areas including administration, academics, admissions, athletics, campus ministry, career services, communications, development, financial, legal, marketing, operations, residence life, student life, and more.
Agenda at a Glance
ELEMENTARY/SECONDARY EDUCATION LEADERS AGENDA
Tuesday, June 16
12:10 pm Holy Mass
1:00 pm Lunch
1:30 pm ‘E Pluribus Unum’: Welcome and Introductions
Patrick Reilly, President, The Cardinal Newman Society)
1:45 pm ‘A City Upon a Hill’: Building a Newman Guide Network
The Cardinal Newman Society Leadership
The Newman Guide, the gold standard of truth and fidelity in Catholic education, is rapidly expanding to recommend hundreds of elementary and secondary schools, homeschooling programs, colleges, and graduate programs. We’ll discuss the growing opportunities for collaboration across various models and levels of faithful Catholic education, explain the Newman Guide strategy for Catholic education reform, and highlight the benefits of Newman Guide recognition.
2:30 pm ‘Under God, Indivisible’: Forging Ties with Newman Guide Recommended Colleges
Dr. Denise Donohue, Vice President of Educator Resources and Evaluation, The Cardinal Newman Society
Rich Olon, Director of Religious Education and Youth Minister, St. John Francis Regis Catholic Parish (Hollywood, Md.)
A major goal of the Newman Guide Network is to build strong ties between Newman Guide Recommended institutions at the elementary/secondary level and in higher education. This session will encourage recruitment of school leaders and teachers from educator formation programs and career services at Newman Guide Recommended colleges and The Cardinal Newman Society’s jobs board, NewmanGuideJobs.com. We will also explore ways of encouraging families to understand the value of choosing Newman Guide Recommended programs along their path of growth and sainthood.
3:15 pm Breakout Sessions
(Option 1) NAPCIS Accreditation Integrated with Newman Guide Recognition
Dr. Denise Donohue, Vice President of Educator Resources and Evaluation, The Cardinal Newman Society
After 30 years of service to faithful independent schools, the National Association of Private Catholic and Independent Schools (NAPCIS) is now a subsidiary of The Cardinal Newman Society. NAPCIS standards are now fully aligned with The Newman Guide, and accredited schools will also be Newman Guide Recommended. In addition to the traditional membership, other schools will soon be eligible for both accreditation and Newman Guide recognition.
(Option 2) Tools, Toys, or Temptations? Overcoming the Challenges of Technology to Form Virtuous Students
Dr. Christopher Reilly, bioethics specialist, author of AI and Sin: How Today’s Technology Motivates Evil
Malia Busekrus, Principal, Saint Rita School (Alexandria, Va.)
Christina Mehaffey, Principal, Faustina Academy (Irving, Tex.)
Educators today must compete with students’ attraction and even addiction to artificial intelligence, smart phones, social media, video games, and more harmful content. This session will feature a Catholic expert who has written extensively on AI and how technology can lead young people into the sin of acedia. We will also look at model school programs to cultivate virtue and the responsible use of technology in students, including the Real Presence Collective at Saint Rita School (Alexandria, Va.) and the Fight for Purity at Faustina Academy (Irving, Tex.).
4:30 pm ‘We Hold These Truths’: Protecting Your Religious Freedom (Sponsored by Alliance Defending Freedom)
Gregory Baylor, J.D., Senior Counsel and Director of the Center for Religious Schools, Alliance Defending Freedom
ADF has been a key ally to The Cardinal Newman Society in helping Catholic educators understand their legal rights and protections. This session will provide a tutorial in the primary threats and legal defenses for Catholic education and the great importance of clear and consistent internal policies. Topics include nondiscrimination laws (Title VII, Title IX, state law analogs), discriminatory exclusion from government benefits, and health insurance coverage mandates. Legal protections include statutory religious exemptions, religious freedom restoration acts, and constitutional defenses like the ministerial exception.
5:30 pm Dinner
6:30 pm Red, White, and Blue Reception (Sponsored by NAPCIS)
Wednesday, June 17
8:30 am Breakfast
9:00 am Breakout Sessions
(Option 1) Resources for Integrating Faith and Reason
Courtney Brown, Executive Director, Ruah Woods Institute
Dominican Sisters of Mary, Mother of the Eucharist, Open Light Media
Megan Lengyel, Chief Academic Officer, Kolbe Academy
Rosario Reilly, President and Founder, Aquinas Learning
The Newman Guide Network promotes collaboration among recommended institutions and programs. In this session, representatives from faithful Catholic curriculum and resource providers will share opportunities and innovations in the integration of faith and reason.
(Option 2) Forming Athletes in Faith and Virtue
Mike Salomon, Head Tennis Coach, Belmont Abbey College
Christopher Vander Woude, Tom Vander Woude Guild
In a Catholic school or college, athletics should never be primarily about winning at all cost. Sports should form students in virtue and communion with others, giving glory to God. Mike Salomon, a championship tennis coach, will lead a conversation on best practices and why schools should guide athletes toward Newman Guide Recommended colleges. Chris Vander Woude will tell the inspiring story of his father, a former coach at Newman Guide Recommended Seton School (Manassas, Va.) and Christendom College, and his cause for canonization.
10:15 am Small-Group Discussion: Opportunities for Newman Guide Networking
The Newman Guide Network facilitates collaboration among leaders of Newman Guide Recommended institutions, to share best practices and work together toward their mutual success. With 40-and-counting elementary and secondary schools added to The Newman Guide, plus school and homeschool curriculum providers, we are eager to launch working groups for leaders in grades K-12. Participants will break into small groups to brainstorm opportunities for collaboration through the Newman Guide Network.
11:30 am Lunch
12:30 pm Meet-and-Greet with College Representatives
Elementary and secondary education leaders are invited to meet with admissions representatives and teacher formation directors from Newman Guide Recommended colleges.
1:30 pm Holy Mass
2:30 pm ‘In Order to Form a More Perfect Union’: Welcome Address
Patrick Reilly, President, The Cardinal Newman Society
2:45 pm Speed Networking for Newman Guide Leaders
For the first time, Newman Guide Recommended leaders in elementary and secondary schools, homeschool programs, and curriculum providers are united with college leaders in undergraduate an graduate education for this afternoon and evening. Participants are invited to a speed networking exercise, pairing K-12 leaders with higher education leaders to exchange program highlights and identify opportunities for collaboration.
4:00 pm Keynote Addresses
A Catholic Education Worthy of Children of God
Dr. Peter Kilpatrick, President, The Catholic University of America
Catholic education has a long and storied history, deep in the roots of our Western culture and engaging Athens, Rome, and Jerusalem. In this keynote address, the essential features that animate Catholic education and make education fruitful will be described and examples will be given.
The Catholic Moment in America
Kelsey Reinhart, President, CatholicVote
Now is the “Catholic moment,” when America needs the witness of faithful Catholics and the formation of young people to renew the Church and culture. This keynote address will consider the history of Catholics in America and today’s opportunities to renew our nation’s foundation of Christianity, virtue, and religious freedom.
A Saint for Our Time: John Henry Newman, Patron of Catholic Education and Doctor of the Church
Patrick Reilly, President, The Cardinal Newman Society
St. John Henry Newman prescribed an inspired vision for the renewal of the Church in 19th-century England’s secularist and often anti-Catholic culture. His cure: formation of the laity by authentic Catholic education. He sought to restore human integrity by cultivating wisdom and virtue through the unity of faith and reason. Today Newman’s vision has taken root across the United States with faithful Newman Guide Recommended education, which is vital for the renewal of the Church and American society.
5:30 pm A Star-Spangled Celebration
Join with educators, speakers, and special guests for a pre-dinner cocktail reception.
7:00 pm The Newman Guide Awards Banquet
Master of Ceremonies: Kevin Murphy, Vice President of Marketing and Communications, The Cardinal Newman Society
Pope Benedict XVI Distinguished Lecture on Catholic Education
A Time for Catholic Patriots
Major General Patrick Brady, U.S. Army (Ret.)
President George Washington said, “To the distinguished character of Patriot, it should be our highest glory to add the more distinguished character of Christian.” General Brady, one of America’s most-decorated soldiers, will explain how his Catholic faith and education inspired his exploits during the Vietnam War and service to his country. He will extol the value of faithful Newman Guide Recommended education in forming Catholic patriots who are prepared to serve God and country and renew American values.
HIGHER EDUCATION LEADERS AGENDA
Wednesday, June 17
1:30 pm Holy Mass
2:30 pm ‘In Order to Form a More Perfect Union’: Welcome Address
Patrick Reilly, President, The Cardinal Newman Society
2:45 pm Speed Networking for Newman Guide Leaders
For the first time, Newman Guide Recommended leaders in elementary and secondary schools, homeschool programs, and curriculum providers are united with college leaders in undergraduate an graduate education for this afternoon and evening. Participants are invited to a speed networking exercise, pairing K-12 leaders with higher education leaders to exchange program highlights and identify opportunities for collaboration.
4:00 pm Keynote Addresses
A Catholic Education Worthy of Children of God
Dr. Peter Kilpatrick, President, The Catholic University of America
Catholic education has a long and storied history, deep in the roots of our Western culture and engaging Athens, Rome, and Jerusalem. In this keynote address, the essential features that animate Catholic education and make education fruitful will be described and examples will be given.
The Catholic Moment in America
Kelsey Reinhart, President, CatholicVote
Now is the “Catholic moment,” when America needs the witness of faithful Catholics and the formation of young people to renew the Church and culture. This keynote address will consider the history of Catholics in America and today’s opportunities to renew our nation’s foundation of Christianity, virtue, and religious freedom.
A Saint for Our Time: John Henry Newman, Patron of Catholic Education and Doctor of the Church
Patrick Reilly, President, The Cardinal Newman Society
St. John Henry Newman prescribed an inspired vision for the renewal of the Church in 19th-century England’s secularist and often anti-Catholic culture. His cure: formation of the laity by authentic Catholic education. He sought to restore human integrity by cultivating wisdom and virtue through the unity of faith and reason. Today Newman’s vision has taken root across the United States with faithful Newman Guide Recommended education, which is vital for the renewal of the Church and American society.
5:30 pm A Star-Spangled Celebration (Sponsored by The Catholic University of America, The Heritage Foundation, and Marsh McLennan)
Join with educators, speakers, and special guests for a pre-dinner cocktail reception.
7:00 pm The Newman Guide Awards Banquet
Master of Ceremonies: Kevin Murphy, Vice President of Marketing and Communications, The Cardinal Newman Society
Pope Benedict XVI Distinguished Lecture on Catholic Education
A Time for Catholic Patriots
Major General Patrick Brady, U.S. Army (Ret.)
President George Washington said, “To the distinguished character of Patriot, it should be our highest glory to add the more distinguished character of Christian.” General Brady, one of America’s most-decorated soldiers, will explain how his Catholic faith and education inspired his exploits during the Vietnam War and service to his country. He will extol the value of faithful Newman Guide Recommended education in forming Catholic patriots who are prepared to serve God and country and renew American values.
Thursday, June 18
8:30 am Breakfast
9:00 am ‘A City Upon a Hill’: Building a Newman Guide Network
The Cardinal Newman Society Leadership
The Newman Guide, the hallmark of truth and fidelity in Catholic education, is rapidly expanding to recommend hundreds of elementary and secondary schools, homeschooling programs, colleges, and graduate programs. We’ll discuss the growing opportunities for collaboration across various models and levels of faithful Catholic education, explain the Newman Guide strategy for Catholic education reform, and highlight the progress of the Network’s higher education working groups.
9:45 am ‘E Pluribus Unum’: Collaboration Across Faithful Catholic Higher Education
Nicholas Reilly, Newman Guide Network Coordinator, The Cardinal Newman Society
With difficult times ahead for higher education, the future success of faithful Newman Guide recommended colleges and graduate programs will depend on mutual support and promotion more than competition. This session will highlight examples of collaboration already underway and suggest opportunities for new initiatives. Topics include undergraduate and graduate admissions and aid, transfer credits, dual enrollment, employee discounts, faculty sharing, study abroad, hiring standards and training, and more.
10:30 am Working Group Session: Opportunities for Newman Guide Networking
The Newman Guide Network facilitates collaboration among leaders of Newman Guide Recommended institutions, to share best practices and work together toward their mutual success. In addition to coordination among colleges an graduate programs, The Newman Guide now recognizes 40-and-counting elementary and secondary schools, homeschool programs, and curriculum providers. Participants will break into focused working groups to brainstorm opportunities for collaboration through the Network.
Noon Holy Mass
1:00 pm Lunch
2:00 pm Breakout Sessions
(Option 1) Federal and Private Funding Opportunities for Catholic Education
Dr. Thomas Harmon, Scanlan Foundation Professor of Theology and Division Dean of Core and Centers for Excellence, University of St. Thomas (Houston)
This session will explore opportunities for student aid privatization and federal grants to schools, homeschool co-ops, and colleges. Topics include a pilot program to navigate away from federal student loans, a $1 million grant to the University of St. Thomas (Houston) from the National Endowment for the Humanities, and federal grant and loan opportunities.
(Option 2) Legal Rights and Responsibilities in Hiring for Catholic Mission
Heather Lachenauer, J.D., Partner, Brown and Streza LLP
Perhaps the most misunderstood laws impacting Catholic higher education concern personnel decisions. This session will address legal considerations when recruiting and hiring for leadership, faculty, and staff positions, with reference to Title VII, the ministerial exception, and employee benefits.
(Option 3) Teaching Catholic Social Doctrine to Business Students (Sponsored by CUA Busch School of Business)
Dr. Andrew Abela, Dean of the Busch School of Business, The Catholic University of America
Dr. Marc Fusaro, Dean of the DeVille School of Business, Walsh University
Students graduating from faithful Catholic colleges and graduate programs should have a right understanding of Catholic social doctrine and how it affects their lives and careers. In this session, two business school deans will present their programs and make recommendations for other colleges.
(Option 4) Forming Athletes in Faith and Virtue
Mike Salomon, Head Tennis Coach, Belmont Abbey College
Casey Scott, Assistant Director of Undergraduate Admissions, University of Mary
In a Catholic college, athletics should never be primarily about winning at all cost. Sports should form students in virtue and communion with others, giving glory to God. This session will focus on best practices in Catholic college athletics.
3:15 pm Breakout Sessions
(Option 1) Teaching Gender and Sexuality in a Catholic College
Leah Jacobson, Director, M.A. in Catholic Women’s and Gender Studies, University of St. Thomas (Houston)
Dr. Deborah Savage, Professor of Theology and Director of Institute for the Study of Man and Woman, Franciscan University of Steubenville
“It is becoming increasingly clear that we are now facing with what might accurately be called an educational crisis, especially in the field of affectivity and sexuality” (Male and Female He Created Them, Vatican Congregation for Catholic Education). Graduates of Catholic education should fully understand the nature of humans as male and female and the complementarity of the sexes. This session will explore efforts to teach both students and educators the dangers and falsehoods of gender ideology.
(Option 2) Balancing Student Liberty and Moral Behavior
Dr. Linda Henry, Vice President for Student Life, Benedictine College
Kimberly King, Vice President of Student Life, Franciscan University of Steubenville
A Catholic college must balance student liberty and moral expectations. Young adults should have appropriate liberties to learn to direct their own behaviors and conform their consciences to Catholic teaching. But they are still learning, and guardrails are necessary to both protect students from spiritual and physical harm while teaching them through the witness of the college, which fully embraces Catholic morality. This session will discuss topics including campus speaker policies, student clubs, residence policies, pornography blocking on wifi networks, and staff hiring in student life, counseling, and campus ministry.
(Option 3) Helping Students Succeed in Career and Life
Andrew Antonio, Senior Director of Corporate Engagement and Professional Training, Ave Maria University
John Spadaccini, Director of Corporate Partnerships, Ave Maria University
A Catholic education features the liberal arts and aims for cultivation of the mind, virtue, and conscience—yet colleges must also prepare students for careers, public service, and their vocations. This session will consider innovations in career guidance and job skills development, consistent with Catholic education.
(Option 4) Creating the Conditions for Transformational Giving
Michael Barvick, Senior Partner, Partners in Mission
Philip Brach, Senior Partner, Partners in Mission
Transformational gifts don’t happen by chance; they are the result of intentional strategy and deep relationship-building. This presentation explores two critical drivers of extraordinary philanthropy: an integrated advancement office that harmonizes direct response, major gifts, and planned giving into a unified strategy, and a deliberate process for cultivating donor relationships rooted in shared vision and mission. Attendees will gain practical insights into building a culture and structure that inspires lasting, mission-aligned generosity.
4:30 pm ‘We Hold These Truths’: Religious Freedom Threats and Protection (Sponsored by Alliance Defending Freedom)
Gregory Baylor, Esq., Senior Counsel and Director of the Center for Religious Schools, Alliance Defending Freedom
ADF has been a key ally to The Cardinal Newman Society in helping Catholic educators understand their legal rights and protections. This session will provide an update on legal and policy threats to religious freedom and legal defenses for Catholic education. Topics include nondiscrimination laws (Title VII, Title IX, state law analogs), discriminatory exclusion from government benefits, health insurance coverage mandates, and the “Do No Harm” provision in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which will bar many students pursuing ministry degrees from Higher Education Act Title IV funding. Legal protections include statutory religious exemptions, religious freedom restoration acts, and constitutional defenses like the ministerial exception.
5:30 pm Dinner
6:30 pm God Bless America Reception (Sponsored by CBIZ)
Friday, June 19
8:30 am Breakfast Breakouts
Participants will meet over breakfast and afterward in Newman Guide Network working groups according to administrative function, such as presidents, admissions, student life, finance and operations, legal, etc. Participants will network and plan future meetings and collaborative projects.
10:00 am Working Group Reports
Each working group will briefly share with the full group its plans going forward and key opportunities for collaboration.
11:00 am Next Steps: Newman Guide Education’s Witness to Faithful Formation
Patrick Reilly, President, The Cardinal Newman Society
In the context of our new Patron of Catholic Education, St. John Henry Newman, this session will consider the unique value and calling of faithful Newman Guide education within the Church’s mission of evangelization and will propose next steps toward a unified witness to faithful Catholic formation.
Noon Holy Mass
Summit Speakers
Pope Benedict XVI Distinguished Lecture on Catholic Education
Major General Patrick H. Brady, United States Army (Ret.)
Brady is a retired U.S. Army Major General and helicopter pilot, one of only two men to receive both the Medal of Honor and the Distinguished Service Cross during the Vietnam War. Brady flew more than 2,000 combat missions and evacuated more than 5,000 wounded. He serves on the Board of Directors of the Congressional Medal of Honor Society and Medal of Honor Foundation and is a former chairman of the American Flag Alliance. In 2025, the Great Hall at the new National Medal of Honor Museum in Arlington, Tex., was named in Brady’s honor.
Keynote Speaker
Peter Kilpatrick, President, The Catholic University of America
Kilpatrick is the 16th President of The Catholic University of America. Before assuming this role, he served as Provost at Illinois Institute of Technology, Dean of Engineering at the University of Notre Dame, and a longtime faculty member at North Carolina State University. A convert to Catholicism, Kilpatrick frequently lectures on the integration of faith and reason, including the meaning and purpose of a Catholic university, beauty in science, and Catholic social teaching and innovation. He and his wife, Nancy, have four adult children and three grandchildren.
Keynote Speaker
Kelsey Reinhardt, President and CEO, CatholicVote
Reinhardt is a Catholic media executive with a rich background that enables her to integrate deep theological insight, global advocacy, and innovative communication strategies into her wide-ranging endeavors. She joined CatholicVote in 2024 as Head of Media and Evangelization and was appointed to the role of President and CEO in 2025.
Keynote Speaker
Patrick Reilly, President and Founder, The Cardinal Newman Society
Founded in 1993, The Cardinal Newman Society promotes and defends faithful Catholic education through The Newman Guide, the hallmark of truth and fidelity in Catholic education. The Society’s experts and resources help educators achieve Newman Guide standards and collaborate through the Newman Guide Network. Reilly also serves as Adjunct Professor of English at Holy Apostles College and Seminary (Cromwell, Conn.) and a teacher and developer of logic, rhetoric, and philosophy courses at Aquinas Learning (Manassas, Va.).
General Session Speaker
Gregory S. Baylor, Senior Counsel and Director of the Center for Religious Schools, Alliance Defending Freedom
Gregory S. Baylor serves as senior counsel with Alliance Defending Freedom, where he directs the Center for Religious Schools and serves with the Center for Public Policy. Since joining ADF in 2009, he has defended the religious freedom of faith-based educational institutions through advice, legislative and public advocacy, and representation in disputes, and has testified on religious liberty before congressional committees. Baylor regularly comments on religious liberty and higher education issues in national media, including The New York Times, Christianity Today, and National Public Radio.
