Every year, we invite speakers to inform and inspire us as we stand up for the lives of unborn children and their families. Below is a short bio for the speakers we have lined up for 2025:

Ryan Bomberger

Ryan has a rather unique perspective of the innate nature of Purpose. His biological mother was raped yet courageously gave him a chance to live and the beautiful gift of adoption. He was adopted at 6 weeks of age and grew up in a loving, multi-“racial” Christian family of 15. With siblings of varying ethnicities, he grew up with a great appreciation for diversity. Ten of the thirteen children were adopted in this remarkable family. His life defies the myth of the “unwanted” child as he was adopted, loved and has flourished.

Today, he is an Emmy® Award-winning Creative Professional who founded The Radiance Foundation (TRF), a life-affirming 501c3, along with his wife, Bethany.

Sister Deirdre “Dede” Byrne

Sister Dede is a member of the Little Workers of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary, a traditional religious order founded in 19th century Italy. She was previously an Army surgeon in Afghanistan, and later addressed the 2020 Republican National Convention, where she encouraged Americans to use the rosary as a “spiritual weapon” to defeat the “Culture of Death.”

Sister Dede, whose brother is the Bishop of Springfield in Massachusetts, was born into a devout Catholic family of Georgetown-trained doctors.   After attending Virginia Tech for undergraduate study, Sister Dede graduated from Georgetown University Medical School.  After residencies in family medicine and and in surgery (where she was the Chief Surgical Resident at Georgetown), she provided medical care to Cardinal Hickey of Washington, D.C., and to Mother Teresa of Calcutta during a visit to the nation’s capital.

Following an active duty and reserve career as a medical doctor in the U.S. Army, Sister Dede retired as a colonel and professed her final vows as a member of the Little Workers order in 2011.

Rev. Clenard Childress

 

The Rev. Clenard Howard Childress, Jr., has spoken at almost every Walk West for Life Coast since its founding. A life- long resident of Montclair, New Jersey, he joined the New Calvary Baptist Church in September of 1974 under the pastorate of Dr. Shellie Sampson. He was ordained in 1988 by the North Jersey Shiloh Association and installed as Senior Pastor of New Calvary in April of 1989. The Reverend Childress is a tireless advocate for the Right to Life for all American, with a special emphasis on eliminating the scourge of abortion from the African-American community. He is one of the most respected leaders in the pro-life movement. His accomplishments and awards are too many to list here, but include his 1999 appointment as President of the Life Education And Resource Network (L.E.A.R.N) in Northeast Region; and the founder of BlackGenocide.org. Rev. Childress was extensively profiled in PBS’s Frontline documentary “Anti-Abortion Crusaders inside the African American Abortion Battle.”