Leadership Team

Maddie Brown

Executive Director
Maddie was born and raised in the Dallas area. She attributes her involvement in the Pro-Life Movement to her parents and her older sister, who took her along to various Pro-Life events when she was small. In college, Maddie volunteered at a Pro-Life summer camp where she met her husband. Maddie has spent the last few years serving as the Youth & Young Adult Director for the Catholic Pro-Life Community where she was the Director of Pro-Life Boot Camp. Maddie and her husband Ryan have 6 children on Earth, and one in Heaven.

Andrew Smith

President of the Board
With a background in the military and law enforcement, Andrew has served the pro-life movement at the national, state and local level in various capacities since 2000. He has testified and lobbied on behalf of pro-life bills in the Texas Legislature, spoken at churches, conferences and banquets on the life issue, engaged in public witness and formed families, college students, clergy and religious. As a Missionary of the Gospel of Life he is dedicated to serving the poorest of the poor in doing the "most important work on earth." He is the father of 7 children and married over 20 years to fellow pro-life advocate Jacquelyn Smith.

Megan Kuo

Secretary
Megan was raised in the Dallas area. She became active in the pro-life movement as a teenager. As an adult, Megan has volunteered in various ways throughout the movement. She is passionate about spreading the culture of life by supporting families and raising children to be pro-life warriors. Megan and her husband Stephen have 3 children.

Ron Engler

Treasurer
Ron Engler has been active in the Pro-Life movement for 30 + years. He started by supporting his daughter Jacquelyn with her pro-life activities in high school and with her activities as youth director for CPLC. Ron went on to become the CPLC civic action director, joined the Knights in 2000 and became the pro-life coordinator and has held that position for 25 years. Ron started working with Hike for Life as graphics designer, printer for at least 20 years. Ron also did graphics design and sign printing for CPLC for the Bishop's Dinner, Christ child Luncheon and other pro-life events. Ron helped found the Bella House Maternity home in 2012 with all of the legal work to create a non-profit and was on the board of directors for 12 years. Ron also created a non-profit with Andrew and Jacquelyn focused on education which would later become Ablaze for Life.

Paul Borchard

Board member
Paul Borchard has been a lifelong advocate for life, first praying outside abortion facilities as a child with his family and later training in sidewalk counseling as a student. Since then, he has dedicated his career to defending the unborn and equipping others to do the same. Paul has served in leadership and ministry roles with national and local pro-life organizations, including sidewalk counseling, youth training, and community outreach. His efforts have helped mobilize volunteers, train young leaders, support mothers in choosing life, and witness the closure of multiple abortion facilities.

Jacquelyn Smith

Board Member/Director of Education
Jacquelyn Smith is a Catholic pro-life educator and activist passionate about Building a Culture of Life. She holds a degree in Elementary Education and a Masters in Theology both from the University of Dallas. With 25+ years’ experience in the movement, she has spoken to thousands of youth and adults, organized medical ethics conferences, executed chastity rallies, testified and lobbied for life affirming Texas legislation, written articles and directed youth pro-life leadership camps. Her topics have included abortion, fetal development, bioethics, chastity, Evangelium Vitae, dating, end of life and the need for life affirming approaches to a life limiting prenatal diagnosis. Her most important pro-life work is being a mom to 12 children: 6 on Earth and 6 in Heaven.

Deacon Michael Hastings

Spiritual Director
My wife Kathleen and I moved to Texas from Michigan 13 years ago, we love living in Texas. We have been married 40 years and are parents to two married adult children and Grandparents to six Grandkids. I am assigned at St. Francis of Assisi in Frisco. Our children are graduates of the University of Dallas. Our daughter Stephanie and her family live in Redlands, California and our son Alex and his family live in Alexandria, Virgina. During High School we home-schooled our kids using the Seton curriculum, this allowed our family to have time and the opportunity to be very active in Pro-Life ministry. During this time our passion to defend all life, from conception to natural death, was ignited and grew. Today I am blessed to help Ablaze go out and spread the good news of the Gospel of Life.

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