National Vocation Summit Speakers
Stephen D. Minnis, President Benedictine College
A native of St. Joseph, MO, Stephen D. Minnis graduated from Benedictine College in 1982. He obtained his Juris Doctorate degree from Washburn University in 1985 and Master of Business Administration degree in 1993 from Baker University. He served as an Assistant District Attorney and as General Attorney, Director, regulatory policy at Spirit Corporation before becoming President of Benedictine College in 2004. He was a contributing author to Inside the Mind: Achieving Success as a CEO (©2008 Thomson Reuters/Aspatore) and has given numerous talks on spirituality in the workplace and academic freedom to groups across America, including the Heritage Foundation, Legatus, and Catholic Charities. He was one of only five college presidents to be included on the Committee on Catholic Education Ex Corde Ecclesia Working Group and he was invited by the Vatican to participate in the 2012 Pontificia Comisión Para América in Rome. In November of 2021, Caritas in Veritate (CiV) honored him as a distinguished leader in the international community and in the Church with the organization’s Papal Award.
Father John VanDorpe LC
Fr. John is from Dayton, OH and from a large Catholic family. He felt the call early on, and decided to leave home for a pre-seminary High School in New Hampshire for his freshman year. After graduating, he joined the novitiate of the Legionaries of Christ and was sent to Dublin, Ireland where he made his first vows in 2009. His studies have brought him to Connecticut, New York, and a total of six years in Rome. He also had the chance to do three years of apostolic internship at another pre-seminary High School in Guadalajara, Mexico. He was ordained just over two years ago, and is now serving as the regional vocations director for the Legionaries in Atlanta, Georgia. He enjoys cheering for his favorite sports teams (all the ones from southern Ohio) playing sports, the outdoors and a good read.
National Vocation Summit Speakers
Andrew W. Lichtenwalner, PhD
Andy is the Director of the Office of Evangelization and Discipleship in the Archdiocese of Atlanta. He serves on the Family Rosary board of Holy Cross Family Ministries, the board of Life-Giving Wounds, and the advisory committee for Newman Ministry. He was also a member of the advisory committee for Chesterton Academy of Atlanta. His faith was nurtured through family life and the love of his parents and siblings, with the support of Catholic schools, campus ministries, and parish life in the Archdiocese of Atlanta. After taking time in college (University of Georgia) to discern the Lord’s call, Andy married his college sweetheart, earned an MA and PhD in theology (University of Dallas and The Catholic University of America, respectively), and worked for the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops for twelve years before returning home to Georgia. Andy and his wife are blessed with four living children, with three little ones entrusted to the Lord.