About Us

Founded in 2014, The Parental Rights Foundation is a research and educational institution.

Goals

We believe that one blessing of liberty is the freedom of parents to raise their children without undue government interference. Our vision is to secure this liberty by educating those in government and the public at large on the important role that parental rights holds in ensuring that the freedom, opportunity, prosperity, and civil society of America continue to flourish from generation to generation.

The Parental Rights Foundation works to inform Americans of the growing contest between government and families regarding who should be the primary decision maker for children. Parental rights are good for children, good for families, and good for society.

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Our Work

Producing Rigorous Policy Research and Analysis

The Parental Rights Foundation gathers and analyzes data from official, reputable sites to produce research memos and publications useful for driving policy to protect parental rights.

Building Coalitions

The Parental Rights Foundation works to build coalitions with policy makers, donors, organizations, and others who share our vision.

Advocating Solutions

The Parental Rights Foundation advocates solutions and comprehensive responses to parental rights, even when opposed by powerful interests.

Legal

The Parental Rights Foundation provides legal analysis, amicus briefs, and litigation support.

Our Structure & Funding

Governed by an independent Board of Directors, The Parental Rights Foundation is a non-partisan, 501(c)(3) tax-exempt institution. The Foundation relies on the private financial support of the general public, individuals, foundations, and corporations for its income and accepts no government funds.

Parental Rights Foundation Board & Staff

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Shaun Alexander (Board Member, Vice President)

Shaun Alexander is a former football player for the Univeristy of Alabama, the Seattle Seahawks, and the Washington Redskins. A father himself, Shaun is passionate about the potential of parents to raise their children with the tools and outlook to make a positive change in the world.

Shaun Alexander is a former football player for the Univeristy of Alabama, the Seattle Seahawks, and the Washington Redskins. In 2005 Shaun was voted MVP of the National Football League for a season in which he led the league in rushing yards, rushing touchdowns, and points scored. His performance helped the Seahawks to their first Super Bowl appearance in the team's 30-year history and ushered in a winning tradition that continues to this day.

Shaun brings that same winning attitude to ParentalRights.org where he serves as vice-president. Shaun, a father himself, is passionate about the potential of parents to raise their children with the tools and outlook to make a positive change in the world, and this approach is a common theme in his other service programs and ministries, including his just-launched podcast, "Finish the Game." Shaun lives in Northern Virginia with his wife, Valerie, and their eight children.

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Ethan Demme (Chairman)

Ethan Demme is the President and CEO of Demme Learning, as well as an elected member of the board of supervisors in East Lampeter Township (Pennsylvania).

Allison Folmar, J.D. (Board Member)

Civil rights attorney Allison Folmar garnered international attention as she passionately fought numerous charges brought against Michigan mother Maryanne Godboldo.

Civil rights attorney Allison Folmar garnered international attention as she passionately fought numerous charges brought against her client, Michigan mother Maryanne Godboldo. Folmar, who holds a B.S. in Criminal Justice from Wayne State University and a Juris Doctorate from Thomas Cooley Law School, stood for Godboldo's right to choose the course of medical treatment for her daughter and fiercely challenged the state's medical kidnapping of Ariana.

Folmar won a 10-month legal battle against the Michigan Attorney General and state prosecutors on behalf of a parent's fundamental constitutional right to choose the course of medical treatment for their child. Her zealous advocacy also changed Michigan state law, making it illegal for CPS to intervene simply on the basis that parents choose not to administer certain mind-altering drugs to their child.

She has assisted in writing federal legislation to protect parental rights, and she has won cases similar to the Godboldo case for numerous families across the country.

In addition to her private practice, Folmar travels the country enthusiastically lecturing attorneys, legislators, and parents on the constitutional aspects of parental rights.

Allison lives with her teen-aged daughter in her home town of Detroit.

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Rick Green (Board Member)

Rick Green is a former Texas State Representative, national speaker, author, and radio host.

Don Howe (Board Member) and Vickie Howe (Board Member)

Don Howe, CLU, ChFC, is a Vietnam-era veteran of the United States Air Force and the Founder and CEO of Howe Insurance Services in Caldwell, Ohio. In 2003, he and Vickie founded Shepherd's Retreat.

Don Howe, CLU, ChFC, is a Vietnam-era veteran of the United States Air Force and the Founder and CEO of Howe Insurance Services in Caldwell, Ohio. A designated "Chartered Life Underwriter" and "Charter Financial Consultant," Don has been in the insurance business for three decades, winning several awards from many top-name insurance companies. He also designed and implemented the proprietary National Agent Training Program, becoming a leader in the Final Expense Market.

Vickie Howe met Don at The Ohio State University and became his wife in 1979. Together, they raised and homeschooled their ten children, and now their eight grandchildren are also being homeschooled.

In the 1990's, Don and Vickie served on the Board of Directors for the Christian Home Educators of Ohio (CHEO). They also helped found and served on the board of the Lancaster Area Christian Homeschoolers in Lancaster, Ohio.

In 2003, they founded Shepherd's Retreat to "Minister to the Ministers,"and they continue to run this ministry. Shepherd's Retreat serves those who are in ministry to Jesus Christ by providing a place of respite and relaxation in a tranquil rural area in the rolling foothills of southeastern Ohio.

The Howes joined the board of ParentalRights.org in 2013.

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Dr. Stephen M. Krason, Ph.D. (Board Member)

Dr. Stephen M. Krason is Professor of Political Science and Legal Studies and Director of the Political Science Program at Franciscan University of Steubenville. He has authored and edited numerous books and volumes.

Dr. Stephen M. Krason is Professor of Political Science and Legal Studies and Director of the Political Science Program at Franciscan University of Steubenville where he has been on the faculty since 1986. He is the co-founder and President of the Society of Catholic Social Scientists, and publisher of the society's scholarly journal, The Catholic Social Science Review. He also serves on the Board of Advisors of the Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights. A lawyer and scholar, Dr. Krason did his law and Ph.D. studies at the State University of New York in Buffalo. He has received several research grants, and in the 2008-09 academic year he was a visiting fellow in residence at the Witherspoon Institute in Princeton, N.J.

Dr. Krason has authored and edited numerous books and volumes including Abortion: Politics, Morality, and the Constitution; The Public Order and the Sacred Order: Contemporary Problems, Catholic Social Teaching, and the Western and American Traditions; The Recovery of American Education: Reclaiming a Vision; Defending the Family: A Sourcebook; and Parental Rights: The Contemporary Assault on Traditional Liberties. He has also published several articles on false child abuse reporting and the threat to parental rights of the child protective system. In 1999, he co-authored an amicus curiae brief in Troxel v. Granville, a major parental rights case before the U.S. Supreme Court. Dr. Krason and his wife, Therese, have four children and live in the Steubenville, Ohio, area.

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Grover Norquist, M.B.A. (Board Member)

For more than two decades, Grover Norquist has been one of DC's most effective issues-management strategists.

Grover Norquist is the president of Americans for Tax Reform (ATR), a coalition of taxpayer groups, individuals, and businesses opposed to higher taxes at the federal, state, and local levels. A native of Massachusetts, Norquist has been one of DC's most effective issues-management strategists for more than two decades. He also serves on the board of directors of the National Rifle Association of America and of the American Conservative Union, and is president of the American Society of Competitiveness. Norquist is a Contributing Editor to the American Spectator Magazine, and authored the book Leave Us Alone: Getting the Government's Hands Off Our Money, Our Guns, Our Lives (published in 2008).

Prior to working with ATR, Norquist served as a commissioner on the Advisory Commission on Electronic Commerce and on the National Commission on Restructuring the Internal Revenue Service. He was an economist and chief speech-writer with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, and also the executive director of the National Taxpayers' Union.

Norquist holds a Masters of Business Administration and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics, both from Harvard University. He lives in Washington, DC, with his wife, Samah, and his daughters, Grace and Giselle.

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John K. Rosemond, M.S. (Board Member)

John Rosemond, M.S., is one of America's most well-known and respected parenting experts.

John Rosemond, M.S., is one of America's most well-known and respected parenting experts. His nationally-syndicated newspaper column, one of the longest-running lifestyle columns in the industry (since 1976), is carried in more than 200 newspapers nationwide. John has written fourteen books on parenting and family issues, most of which are best-sellers in the field. Parenting by The Book, published by Howard Books, won the Mom's Choice Award in 2008. John has also been or is a columnist for Better Homes and Gardens magazine, Hemispheres (the United Air Lines in-flight magazine), and Signs of the Times.

John is the busiest public speaker in his field. In a typical year, he gives 200 presentations on parenting and family issues to parent and professional groups across the USA. John has also been invited to speak in England, Belgium, Istanbul, Kenya, Saudi Arabia, Canada, Mexico, Australia, China, Japan, Malaysia, Cyprus, St. Thomas, Puerto Rico, and the Bahamas. His talks are known for being informative, entertaining, and provocative.

John is licensed to practice psychology by the North Carolina Psychology Board, but retired from full-time private practice in 1990. Since then, although he does the occasional consultation, he has devoted the majority of his time to writing and public speaking. He is proud to be a member of the Board of Directors of ParentalRights.org, the mission of which is the enactment of a much-needed Parental Rights Amendment to the Constitution.

John says his "real" qualifications are that (1) he's been married to the same woman (Willie) for 42 years, (2) he and Willie have two adult children, Eric and Amy, both of whom are responsible members of society who do not ask for any entitlements, and (3) John and Willie are grandparents to seven well-behaved grandchildren, ranging in age from two to fifteen.

John is one of less than a handful of parenting experts who promote a truly traditional approach to family living. He advocates for adult-centered families in which (1) it is clear that the primary and most active relationship is between husband and wife, (2) parental authority is conveyed to the children in a relaxed, confident manner and understood to be the final word, and (3) children enjoy lots of freedom and lots of family responsibility.

"I'm a man on a mission," says John. "Through this ministry to America's families, I am attempting to spearhead a retro-revolution in how families are structured and function. I am absolutely convinced," he says, "no, make that I absolutely know that although times have changed, traditional parenting still works. In fact, it is the only parenting paradigm that does work for parent, child, marriage, school, community, and culture."

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Dr. Rodger Sayre, M.D. (Board Member)

Rodger Sayre, M.D., FAAFP, has a busy family practice and is also a school physician. He is a Diplomat of the American Board of Family Medicine and member of the American College of Sports Medicine.

Rodger Sayre, M.D., FAAFP, has a busy family practice in Tunkhannock, Pennsylvania, as an associate with the Geisinger Medical Group. He is also involved in sports-related health issues, and is the school physician for the Tunkhannock Area School District.

Dr. Sayre is a Diplomat of the American Board of Family Medicine and member of the American College of Sports Medicine. He also serves on the board of Home School Legal Defense Association.

Dr. Sayre received his medical degree from Thomas Jefferson University in 1983, and completed his residency with Williamsport Hospital and Medical Center in 1986. He and his wife, Mary, have eleven children and reside in Pennsylvania.

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J. Michael Smith, J.D. (Board Member)

A licensed attorney in CA, DC, and VA, Michael Smith is the President and co-founder of Home School Legal Defense Association.

J. Michael Smith is the President of Home School Legal Defense Association, an organization which he co-founded with Michael Farris in 1983 to protect the right of parents who choose home education as their way to satisfy the compulsory attendance law in the various states and Canada. HSLDA now represents over 80,000 member families. Smith has been speaking to homeschool audiences for 23 years. His columns on home education appear regularly in the Washington Times, and he has been a guest on numerous television and radio programs, including Focus on the Family with Jim Dobson, and Hannity and Colmes on Fox News.

Smith is an attorney licensed to practice in California, the District of Columbia, and Virginia. After serving two years as a Deputy City Attorney assigned to the Criminal Division in San Diego, he went into private practice specializing in personal injury and criminal defense. After he and his wife, Elizabeth, decided to home school their children, Smith became involved in defending the rights of homeschoolers in California. It became glaringly apparent that home educators could not afford attorneys, and as a result, HSLDA was established to defend and advance the constitutional rights of parents to direct the education of their children and protect family freedom. Smith received his undergraduate degree from the University of Arkansas and his Juris Doctorate from the University of San Diego. He and Elizabeth have four children.

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Paul A. Suarez, M.D. (Board Member)

Paul A. Suarez, MD, is an orthopedic surgeon and a father to seven-four biologically and three through international adoption from China.

Vickie Suarez (Board Member)

Vickie served as the volunteer Pennsylvania State Coordinator for ParentalRights.org for eight years (and continues to serve in that capacity) before joining the board in 2018.

James Mason, J.D. (President)

Jim Mason serves as President of ParentalRights.org while working as Vice President of Litigation and Development at the Homeschool Legal Defense Association (HSLDA).

Steve G. Oberlander, C.P.A. (Treasurer)

Steve Oberlander has a long history of serving as Chief Financial Officer or in other accounting capacities for various organizations.

Steve Oberlander, C.P.A., is Chief Financial Officer of ParentalRights.org, Home School Legal Defense Association, and Home School Foundation. He previously served as CFO of the Christian Broadcasting Network, Operation Blessing International, and as Assistant Controller of Smithfield Foods, Inc.

Oberlander is a CPA and holds a Master of Accountancy and a Bachelor of Science in Business, both from Virginia Tech. He has served as treasurer for Boy Scout Troop 711 and is founder of the Loudoun County Patriots home school basketball program in Loudoun County, VA. Oberlander is an active member of Cornerstone Chapel in Leesburg, VA, and is a member of The Gideons International. He and his wife, Shelley, reside in Lovettsville, Virginia, and have four children.

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Michael Ramey, M.Div. (Secretary, Executive Director)

Michael Ramey is the Executive Director for ParentalRights.org as well as the Director of Communications & Research.

ParentalRights.org and The Parental Rights Foundation

The Parental Rights Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that works to educate policymakers and the general public in order to raise awareness of parental rights. We also publish and review academic research papers and occasionally submit amicus briefs in individual court cases in defense of parental rights.

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ParentalRights.org is a related nonprofit political action organization. While ParentalRights.org also works to raise awareness of these issues in the public eye, its status as a (c)(4) means its non-tax-deductible dollars can fund lobbying efforts to pass legislation that will protect families by preserving parental rights, and stop legislation that endangers those rights.