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ABOUT US

Board of Directors 

Joe Kral, M.A., is the President and Founder of the Society of St. Sebastian. He also serves as the Editor in Chief for the Society’s publication, Bioethics in Law & Culture. Mr. Kral has been involved in the pro-life movement since he has been in college. He has served as the Legislative Director for Texas Right to Life, a lobbyist for the Department of Medical Ethics at the National Right to Life Committee, and as a bioethics consultant for the Texas Catholic Conference. In 2006 he was awarded the “Bishop’s Pro-Life Award for Civic Action” from the Respect Life Ministry in the Diocese of Dallas. Mr. Kral has testified on numerous pro-life issues before the Texas Legislature such as human cloning, abortion-related issues, and end-of-life issues. He was a regular contributor to the Truth and Charity Forum, an online publication for Human Life International where he primarily focused on the relationship between morality and pro-life legislative initiatives. He also serves as a voluntary legislative advisor to Texas Alliance for Life and is a member of the Fellowship of Catholic Scholars. He has also taught as an adjunct at the University of St. Thomas. His MA in Theology was completed at the University of St. Thomas where he specialized in bioethics and is currently pursuing doctoral studies at Harrison Middleton University where he is specializing in the ethical and legal theory of St. Thomas Aquinas. He has been married to his wife, Melissa since 2004 and they have 2 children together.

Ana Brennan, J.D., is the Vice President of the Society of St. Sebastian. She also serves as the Senior Editor for the Society’s publication, Bioethics in Law & Culture. Ms. Brennan began her pro-life activism in college, continued through law school, and ultimately worked at the national level in Washington, D.C. As a State Legislative Associate for the National Right to Life Committee, working closely with grassroots lobbyists, state attorney generals, and governors she helped state affiliates pass pro-life legislation. Additionally, Ms. Brennan participated in educational activities including being a regular speaker for the Washington Semester Program at American University, debates, TV interviews, and educational workshops for other pro-life activists. She also has researched and written about end-of-life issues, including researching and drafting life-affirming advanced directives for health care, as well as writing her law school graduation writing requirement about medical futility as applied to elder care. Her work also includes editing online columns on a variety of issues. Ms. Brennan received her Bachelors in History from Northern Arizona University and her Juris Doctor from Widener University School of Law.

J. David Franks, Ph.D., is the Development Director for the Society of St. Sebastian. He has served Massachusetts Citizens for Life as Chairman of the Board for almost a decade, where he also founded and directs the Lincoln Forum for Human Dignity, a project to reignite civic conversation through liberal arts and high culture. Dr. Franks is a 2020 Academic Fellow for the Society of St. Sebastian. He is also a Senior Research Fellow at the Abigail Adams Institute (Cambridge, Mass.), conducting its flagship program, The Great Conversation—a weekly discussion group pursuing the question “how should we live?” by working through exemplary texts. Dr. Franks received his doctorate in systematic theology from Boston College and was a professor of sacred theology for almost a decade at St. John’s Seminary (Boston), where he co-founded the Theological Institute for the New Evangelization. His entry into the pro-life movement came early in the course of his graduate studies when he interned in the State Organizational Development Department at the National Right to Life Committee, and he has since continued to integrate his scholarly and activist commitments. David is a devoted father of six wonderful children.

Steven Meyer, S.T.D., is the Treasurer for the Society of St. Sebastian. He holds a Sacred Theological Doctorate in Dogmatic Theology from the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas in Rome, Italy. He has a Sacred Theological Licentiate (S.T.L.) from the Dominican House of Studies in Washington, DC. He also has a Master's and Bachelor of Arts in Theology from the Franciscan University of Steubenville. Dr. Meyer currently serves as an assistant professor in theology for the University of St. Thomas School of Theology at St. Mary’s Seminary.  

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Catherine Glenn Foster, M.A., J.D., is a Board Member for the Society of St. Sebastian and Editorial Board member. She served as President & CEO of Americans United for Life from 2017 to 2023. Catherine earned her J.D. at Georgetown University Law Center, an M.A. in French from the University of South Florida, and a B.A. in History and French from Berry College. She has litigated many vitally important issues including precedent-setting § 1983. She has authored and testified on numerous domestic, foreign, and international legislation and initiatives, appearing on multiple occasions before the U.S. Senate, the U.S. House of Representatives, and other federal and state bodies and representatives. Catherine spent seven years with Alliance Defending Freedom, was Executive Director of Euthanasia Coalition USA, and founded and managed a law practice focusing on respect for the sanctity of human life and support for like-minded organizations. Ms. Foster is also a permanent Fellow of the Society of St. Sebastian and a Senior Fellow for Legal Policy for the Charlotte Lozier Institute.

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EDITORIAL BOARD

Steven Meyer, S.T.D.

Catherine Glenn Foster, M.A., J.D.

Michael New, Ph.D. is an Assistant Professor of Political Science and Social Research at the Catholic University of America in Washington D.C.  Previously he was a Visiting Associate Professor of Economics at Ave Maria University in Florida, as well as an Associate Scholar at the Charlotte Lozier Institute. Additionally, he is a Fellow with the Witherspoon Institute, Princeton, New Jersey. Dr. New has both a Ph.D. in Political Science and a Master’s Degree in Statistics from Stanford University. He has served as a post-doctoral fellow at the Harvard-MIT data center and a lecturer at the University of Massachusetts, Boston. His articles have appeared in various peer-reviewed journals, three of which have examined the impact of state-level abortion legislation.

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