Brandon J. O'Brien (PhD, Trinity Evangelical Divinity School) is Director of Content Development and Distribution for Redeemer City to City, where he coordinates, edits, and shepherds writing projects with Timothy Keller and urban church planters around the world. Brandon has served in pastoral ministry, worked in publishing, authored a few books, and taught for state and Christian colleges and universities. He and his wife Amy and their two children live in Manhattan, NY. They enjoy good food, good company, and exploring New York City.

Professor Rob Natelson, a nationally known constitutional scholar and author whose research has been used by the US Supreme Court, federal appeals courts, et al. As the most-published active scholar on the U.S. Constitution’s amendment process, he has chosen to join the Convention of States Project as Senior Adviser. He is also a Senior Fellow, Independence Institute.

Nicole Neily is the president of Speech First. Nicole grew up passionate about civil liberties thanks to her family history; her grandparents, both Japanese-American citizens born in California, met in the Manzanar War Relocation Center during WWII. In college, Nicole joined the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) student group and passed out “know your rights” cards to over 8,000 sorority members while serving as vice president of risk management for the University of Illinois’ Panhellenic Council, the largest Greek system in the country at the time.

Nicole’s commitment to First Amendment protections was strengthened while serving as the president of the Franklin Center for Government and Public Integrity, an investigative journalism nonprofit focused on highlighting abuses of power, cronyism, and government overreach in the states. Watchdog journalists frequently uncovered misdeeds in various universities across the country – including the cronyism scandal at the University of Texas that led to the departure of powerful university president Bill Powers. Through tenacity, shoe leather, and countless Freedom of Information Act requests, reporters worked to hold Ivory Tower administrators (and others) accountable.

She holds a bachelor’s degree in political science from the University of Illinois, and a master’s of public policy from Pepperdine University’s School of Public Policy. Originally from the Chicago suburbs, she now lives in Arlington, Virginia with her husband Clark and two children.

Girien (pronounced “Gideon”) Salazar serves as the Director of the Faith and Education Coalition for the National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference (NHCLC). Prior to serving in this capacity, Girien taught English in Mexico, served as a member of the Naval Reserves including two deployments, and worked as Associate Professor for Latin American Bible Institute in San Antonio, TX. He is a board member for the Latin American Heritage Society, and a former community liaison for Grace Tabernacle Church and former city official for San Antonio Parks and Recreation. He is a licensed minister with the Assemblies of God, teaches and preaches at El Tabernáculo Church in Houston, TX, and is a third-year PhD student in Leadership Studies at Dallas Baptist University. Girien holds a B.S. in Church Ministry and a M.A. in Theological Studies from Southwestern Assemblies of God University.

Judy Knotts is the author of You Are My Brother: Lessons Learned Embracing a Homeless Community. Her professional career has centered on education as a consultant to schools, school head, and writer. She is interested in how human beings develop and become who they are. Dr. Knotts’ journey into the homeless world began when she was in her sixties and continues into her seventies. She believes change always brings with it an invitation to become our best selves.

The Daily Briefing is a newsletter sent straight to your inbox every morning that provides biblical insight on today's news. This five-minute read gives an overview of the news driving the day and provides Nick Notes. These Notes offer biblical insight of the highlighted article. In essence, each note tries to answer this question: how should we think about this from a biblical perspective?