Event Details:
Opening Day Keynote
Tuesday, April 8, 2025
12:00 PM - 1:30 PM
International Ballroom

Opening Remarks Speaker:
Dr. Brandi Eichstedt
Behavioral Health and Wellness Manager, Children's Institute Inc.
Dr. Brandi Eichstedt, with her 20+ years of experience in behavioral health and education, is a trusted figure in the field. As the Behavioral Health and Wellness Manager for CII's Head Start program, she is deeply passionate about early childhood trauma and brain development. Her luncheon talk, Support for Providers Serving Vulnerable Families, will provide valuable strategies to alleviate stress and reduce burnout for those working with marginalized families.

Featured Luncheon Keynote Speaker:
Dr. John Van Epp, LCPC
Building Bridges from Churches to Community Marriage and Fatherhood Initiatives

This keynote systematically dissects the family and faith crisis in America—a crisis that has both battered society and reduced religious adherence. So far, the Church has struggled to address it, abandoning the positive influence it can have on marriage, fatherhood, and family stability in our society. I summarize the body of existing research along with our original Barna studies to analyze the limited role Churches in America have taken to improve relationship trends in dating, marriage, and parenting in both their congregations and within their communities. Government-funded efforts cannot realign healthy relationships within marriage, parenting and fatherhood, and families. Churches must build bridges into their communities to join forces and increase funding to prepare, strengthen, heal, and secure healthy marriage and family relationships.

Dr. John Van Epp, the visionary founder of Love Thinks, LLC, has made a significant impact on America's family and faith crisis. His work has positively affected marriage, fatherhood, and family stability. With 20+ years of experience training military personnel and developing relationship programs, Dr. Van Epp will emphasize the need for churches to partner with communities to strengthen families. His Relationship Attachment Model (RAM) has already impacted over one million people worldwide, inspiring hope for the future of family support.