Speakers
Order of Malta Speakers & Presenters
On behalf of the Order of Malta, we extend a warm welcome to all the distinguished speakers who will be gracing our religious conference. We are deeply honored to have them share their wisdom and insights with our attendees, and we are confident their contribution will enrich our conference and inspire all those in attendance.
Fra’ Max Rumney
58th Grand Prior of England in the Sovereign Military Order of Malta
Fra’ Max Rumney made his solemn vows as a professed knight in 2017. He was appointed Grand Prior of England in 2022. He had previously been Chancellor and Procurator in England. The Priory oversees the members of the Order in Great Britain.
Fra’ Max is responsible for the religious life of the Priory, including the spiritual formation of members and oversight of its religious activities. He has also written on the spirituality and traditions of the Order.
Fr. Dennis McManus
Theologian, Liturgist, Historian
Fr. McManus is a priest of the Archdiocese of Mobile in Alabama. From 1997 to 2006, he served as Associate Director of the Secretariat for the Liturgy at the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops in Washington, DC. Pope John Paul II named him as consultor and theologian to the newly established Vox Clara commission of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, on which he has served since 2001; Pope Benedict XVI then appointed Fr. McManus as a consultor to the Congregation in 2010 and then as peritus to the Vox Clara Commission.
In addition, he has served as professor of Liturgy at Conception Abbey Seminary, the Dominican House of Studies, Dunwoodie Seminary, St. John the Evangelist Seminary in Boston, and Mt. St. Mary’s in Emmitsburg. Fr. McManus has written widely on liturgical topics but specialized in the application of liturgical translation theory, the development of the Rites of Exorcism, and Judaism in the Roman Rite.
He is also the USCCB consultant for Jewish Affairs and was a member of both the Vatican-Baptist dialogue (2007-2012) and the USCCB-Reform Churches dialogue, which issued a historic joint agreement on the form and recognition of baptism (2012).
Fr. McManus holds a bachelor’s degree in classical languages and philosophy from St. Mary’s College of California, a master’s degree in ethics from Georgetown University, and a doctorate in historical theology from Drew University.
Ned Desmond
Silicon Valley Founder, Journalist and Investor
Ned Desmond has worked in Silicon Valley for 20 years as a founder, journalist, and investor.
He wrote two major pieces for First Things on AI, the most recent of which is “The Twisted Consequences of Chatbots” (Feb. 12, 2026). His wife is Joan Frawley Desmond, Dame of Malta and retired editor at The National Catholic Register.
Fr. Paul Fitzgerald SJ
A faculty member at the Jesuit School of Theology of Santa Clara University
Paul Fitzgerald SJ was born in Burbank CA in 1958, the middle of five children in a Catholic family. Paul earned a B.A. in History from Santa Clara University in 1980. Two years later he entered the Jesuit novitiate in Montecito CA. He subsequently earned further degrees in Philosophy, Theology and Sociology. As a priest he taught and served as an administrator at Santa Clara University, Fairfield University and was the 28th President of the University of San Francisco from 2014-2024.
Currently he is a faculty member at the Jesuit School of Theology of Santa Clara University. His areas of research and teaching include Practical Theology, Historical Ecclesiology, Theology of the Laity, Catholic Social Doctrine, and other questions of Contextual and Systematic Theology.
Gordon G. Chang
The author of Plan Red: China’s Project to Destroy America and The Coming Collapse of China
Gordon G. Chang is the author of Plan Red: China’s Project to Destroy America and The Coming Collapse of China. His other works include The Great U.S.-China Tech War and China Is Going to War.
He lived and worked in China and Hong Kong for almost two decades as a lawyer, most recently in Shanghai, as Counsel to the American law firm Paul Weiss and earlier in Hong Kong as Partner in the international law firm Baker & McKenzie.
He is a columnist at Newsweek and writes regularly for The Hill and other publications.
Mr. Chang has given briefings at the National Intelligence Council, Central Intelligence Agency, State Department, and the Pentagon. Chang has appeared before the House Committee on Foreign Affairs and the U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission.
He appears on Fox News, Fox Business, Newsmax TV, CNBC, and CNN.
He served two terms as a trustee of Cornell University.
Fr. Anselm Ramelow, O.P.
The Dominican School of Philosophy and Theology in Berkeley, California
Fr. Anselm Ramelow, O.P., a native of Germany, teaches philosophy at the Dominican School of Philosophy and Theology in Berkeley, California, where he serves as the chair of the philosophy department, and is also a member of the Core Doctoral Faculty at the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley and the Academy of Catholic Theology. He is the author of numerous works of philosophy, and areas of research and teaching include Free Will, the History of Philosophy, and Philosophical Aesthetics.
He has worked on a philosophical approach to Miracles and other topics of the philosophy of religion, and more recently the philosophy of technology.
Mary Sonne
Licensed attorney, mother of six, and devoted Catholic
Mary Sonne is a licensed attorney, mother of six, and devoted Catholic. Originally from Huntington Beach, Mary is a proud graduate of Franciscan University of Steubenville and Ave Maria School of Law. Mary resides with her family in the Bay Area, where she and her husband have educated their children through a combination of public, private, and homeschool options.
Daniel Johnson, KM, MA, LMFT
Catholic psychotherapist, life coach, and writer dedicated to integrating faith, reason, and mental health
Daniel Johnson, KM, MA, LMFT is a Catholic psychotherapist, life coach, and writer dedicated to integrating faith, reason, and mental health. He specializes in anxiety, depression, OCD, and life transitions—including college, career shifts, and vocational discernment (particularly for those entering or leaving religious life).
With six years of formation at St. Michael’s Abbey and subsequent experience teaching history, Scripture, and other subjects at Catholic high schools, Daniel brings a rich Thomistic perspective and deep understanding of Catholic anthropology to his clinical work.
Greg Billion
Headmaster of the Chesterton Academy of St. James
Mr. Billion is the founding headmaster of Chesterton Academy of St. James and currently serves as Academic Dean for the Chesterton Schools Network. Now in his ninth year with the Network, he has helped found multiple academies and has served as a teacher, administrator, curriculum writer, teacher trainer, and headmaster consultant. Mr. Billion holds degrees from the University of St. Thomas, University of Notre Dame, and the University of Dallas, and is currently pursuing his doctorate through Christendom College. He is a lifelong student of classical education and an enthusiastic reader of G.K. Chesterton.
Monsignor Steven Otellini
Retired Pastor of Nativity parish in Menlo Park. Chief Chaplain for the Western Association’s Lourdes Pilgrimage.
Wade Hughan
Secretary General of the Western Association of the Order of Malta.
Wade Hughan has been a member of the Order of Malta since 1993 and currently serves as a Knight in Obedience and Secretary General of the Western Association. He has participated in the Order’s pilgrimages to Lourdes, Champion, Compostela, Walsingham, and Assisi. He and his wife, Jane Hughan, DM, live in San Francisco. Wade is currently a student in the Theology program at the Dominican School of Philosophy and Theology.
Conor Heaton
SVP of Growth and Associate General Counsel of the Cristo Rey Network national office
Conor Heaton serves as the Vice President of Growth and Associate General Counsel of the Cristo Rey Network national office. He currently serves on the Board of Trustees of Catholic Theological Union, Cristo Rey San Diego High School, Cristo Rey Miami High School, Cristo Rey Research Triangle High School, Cristo Rey Seattle High School & Cristo Rey Orange County High School. Conor earned a B.A. in English from DePaul University, a Masters of Liberal Arts from St. John’s College (Annapolis), and his J.D. from Loyola University Chicago School of Law.
Fr. Richard Sunwoo
Magistral Chaplain of the Order of Malta and Pastor at St. Louise de Marrilac in Covina, California
Jon Rewinski KM
Subpriory of Our Lady of Philermo Regent
Jon L. Rewinski graduated magna cum laude from Yale University with a B.A. in classics. After earning a J.D. from New York University School of Law, he practiced law as a litigation partner for forty years with some of the country’s most prominent law firms.
He was invested in the Order in 2001 and, in 2016, admitted into the Order’s Second Class. Over the years, he has served in various capacities in the Western Association and Lourdes pilgrimage.
He participated in the Order’s 2014 strategic planning conference and was a capitular in the Order’s 2023 Chapter General and in Councils Complete of State in 2021 and 2023. In 2015 he was awarded the Order’s pro Merito Melitensi medal. In 2019, he was elected Regent. In 2021 and 2022, he served on the Order’s 10-member commission conferring with Pope Francis, Cardinal Ghirlanda and Cardinal Tomasi on the Order’s new Constitution and Code.
Lance Izumi J.D.
Pacific Research Institute Senior Director at the Center for Education
Mr. Izumi has written and produced books, studies and films on a wide variety of education topics. Most recently, he is the author of the 2017 book The Corrupt Classroom and the 2019 book Choosing Diversity: How Charter Schools Promote Diverse Learning Models and Meet the Diverse Needs of Parents and Children. From 2004 to 2015, he served as a member of the Board of Governors of the California Community Colleges, the largest system of higher education in the nation, and served two terms as president of the Board. Lance served as a commissioner on the California Postsecondary Education Commission and as a member of the United States Civil Rights Commission’s California Advisory Committee.
James A. Sonne J.D.
Stanford University. Professor of Law Director, Religious Liberty Clinic
Jim Sonne is a professor of law at Stanford Law School and founding director of its Religious Liberty Clinic, the leading and only full-time academic program in the country where students can learn the practice and profession of law through supervised litigation in that field. He is an experienced and award-winning teacher, practitioner, and scholar, with particular expertise in law and religion issues.
Fr. Michael Sweeney O.P.
Dominican Priest Founder of the Lay Mission Institute
Fr. Michael was appointed in June 2004 as the President of the Dominican School of Philosophy and Theology (DSPT) at the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley. Ordained in 1979, Fr. Michael has served as both a university chaplain and as a pastor in a parish setting. He founded the Lay Mission Institute in Oakland, California. The Lay Mission Institute is an apostolate committed to igniting the Faith of lay Catholics and helping them discern and live out their unique vocations. During the three-year program, students learn what it means to have a lay vocation (yes, you have one!) and how you are called to live it out.
Anthony Lilles
St. Patrick’s Seminary Professor of Spiritual Theology
Anthony Lilles, STD, a graduate of Franciscan University of Steubenville, completed his graduate and post-graduate studies in Rome at the Angelicum. His expertise is in Saint Elisabeth of the Trinity and the Carmelite Doctors of the Church. He is currently a professor of spiritual theology at St Patrick’s Seminary and University in Menlo Park, CA. His work at St. Patrick’s began in 2014 when he helped start and teach an annual summer spirituality program. He was appointed Academic Dean from 2019-2022 before joining the full-time teaching and formation faculties. From 2024 through 2027, he will be committed to a new initiative for priestly renewal jointly sponsored by St. Patrick’s Seminary and the High Calling program of the Avila Foundation.
Robert Royal Ph.D.
Faith and Reason Institute President
Dr. Royal is a former Fulbright scholar and holds a B.A. and M.A. from Brown University and a Ph.D. in Comparative Literature from The Catholic University of America. He has taught at both his alma maters as well as Rhode Island College. A prolific writer and sought after speaker on ethics, culture, religion, and politics, he has appeared on various radio and television stations nationally and internationally and his books have been translated into several languages. Dr. Royal is currently responsible for an online website and daily forum for intelligent Catholic commentary called “The Catholic Thing.”
Jennifer Donelson-Nowicka Ph.D.
St. Patrick’s Seminary Director of Sacred Music
Dr. Jennifer Donelson-Nowicka is Professor and the Director of Sacred Music at St. Patrick’s Seminary in Menlo Park, California, where she holds the William P. Mahrt Chair in Sacred Music and serves as the founding Director of the Catholic Institute of Sacred Music. She serves as the Vice President and Director of Publications for the Church Music Association of America (CMAA), is the managing editor of the CMAA’s journal Sacred Music, and is a regular member of the faculty for the CMAA’s annual Sacred Music Colloquium.
Gregory Goodrich KM
Historian
Gregory serves as Director of Development at an IT company. He holds a CertHE in
Archaeology from the University of Leicester (UK), a BA in Anthropology from Oregon State University, and an MBA (with Merit) from the University of York (UK). Alongside his career he has worked on archaeological excavations and has written and presented on historical subjects.
His article on the Order of Malta’s 1794 quest for American land appears in the current issue of Crux Alba: A Journal of the Order of Malta (No. 2). He lives in Seattle with his wife, Janine, and recently celebrated their 20th wedding anniversary.