Tom Minnery
Senior Vice President, Government & Public Policy
Tom Minnery, senior vice president of CitizenLink, has led the Government and Public Policy division since 1988, serving as a steady voice articulating the conservative Christian viewpoint on family, marriage and religious civil liberties issues. His views and influence have helped to shape public policy at both the national and state levels.
Minnery and his staff track federal policy in bioethics issues from abortion to euthanasia; sexual abstinence education; pornography and obscenity; education; marriage; religious civil liberties; homosexuality; and gambling. The expert commentary they provide helps mobilize informed grassroots participation of Christians in the political process. This is accomplished mainly by providing family advocates with trusted news and information on pressing social issues through Focus’ Citizen magazine, CitizenLink daily e-mail, Family News in Focus radio broadcast, as well as a variety of online videos ranging from the humorous Stoplight commentaries to in-depth analysis and the TurnSignal news videos. Minnery himself regularly appears in the weekly “Focus Action Update” webcast.
Minnery also oversees the network of 38 state-level family policy councils (FPCs) that often serve as the front lines for the organization of grassroots participation. These FPCs are increasingly helping to affect the tone of national policy, including playing a major role in passing the 31 marriage amendments that have garnered media attention across the U.S.
Like the team he leads, Minnery is one of the first people journalists call when seeking a voice to articulate the conservative Christian viewpoint. He has been featured on countless media programs and print outlets, including CNN, Fox News, all network news programs, The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and Newsweek.
Minnery also serves as a member of the board of the Alliance Defense Fund, a national organization devoted to the legal strategy, training and funding of court cases involving pro-life, religious freedom and family-values issues.
Prior to coming to Focus on the Family, Minnery was senior editor at Christianity Today magazine in the Chicago area. He also worked as a Capitol Hill correspondent and was a manager in the Washington bureau of Gannett Newspapers. Minnery has a Bachelor of Science in journalism from Ohio University and Master of Arts in religion from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. He is the author of the book Why You Can’t Stay Silent, published by Tyndale House (2002).
Stuart Shepard
Digital Media Director
Stuart Shepard is director of digital media for Focus on the Family Action and also oversees the teams for CitizenLink and the Family News in Focus radio program. He’s best known as host of the Stoplight® video commentaries. Stoplight® has collected millions of views and drawn the attention of CNN, Fox News and MSNBC. Keith Olbermann declared Stuart the “Worst Person in the World,” while Bill O’Reilly called him a “Patriot.” And Alan Colmes admitted on Fox News Hannity & Colmes that even he thinks Stuart is funny.
Earlier, Stuart served as managing editor of CitizenLink for a couple years, and before that he was associate producer of the Family News in Focus radio program for seven.
Prior to coming to Focus in 1999, he was the award-winning chief meteorologist at WLEX-TV in Lexington, Ky. He held the American Meteorological Society and National Weather Association seals of approval. During his 15 years in the Bluegrass State, he hosted weekly features on kids in the Special Needs Adoption Program, co-hosted the Children’s Miracle Network Telethon, and served as part-time pastor for a small country church. He is a Kentucky Colonel. He’s a graduate and distinguished alumnus of Kentucky Christian University, a graduate of Eastern Kentucky University and holds a certificate of broadcast meteorology from Mississippi State University.
Catherine Snow
Managing Editor, Citizenlink
Jennifer Mesko
Managing editor, Citizen magazine
Jennifer Mesko is responsible for the day-to-day operations of Focus on the Family’s Citizen magazine, which lands in more than 60,000 homes each month. Previously, she was editor of CitizenLink.com and the CitizenLink Daily Update, an e-mail news service distributed to 100,000 subscribers.
Prior to joining Focus in March 2007, Mesko spent four years at The Detroit News and two years at The Jackson (Mich.) Citizen Patriot. She’s a graduate of Michigan State University.
Andrew McCauley
Technical Producer
As CitizenLink.com’s technical producer, Andrew McCauley develops, maintains and updates the Web site and sends out the CitizenLink Daily Update e-mail. He also operates the camera and edits many of the citizenlink.com video features.
Before joining Focus on the Family Action, McCauley was a high school teacher and freelance Web designer.
Steve Jordahl
Senior Correspondent
Steve Jordahl joined Family News in Focus in 2002 after working as a talk-show host in Santa Cruz, Calif. He is responsible for state-specific radio stories, as well as a network of freelance reporters.
Jordahl is married and has two kids. He makes his home in Colorado Springs.
Roger Greer
Reporter
A 30-year broadcast veteran, Roger Greer reports for Family News in Focus as well as CitizenLink. He has a bachelor’s degree in communication arts from Louisiana College and has worked at KSBJ in Houston, USA Radio Network in Dallas and the Arkansas Radio Network in Little Rock. Greer also has pastored several churches. He and his wife live in Colorado Springs and have three grown children.
Audrey Bright
Reporter
Audrey Bright covers political, religious and education stories for the Family News in Focus daily broadcast.
Prior to joining Focus on the Family in 2010, she worked as a Web News Editor for FoxNews.com. Bright holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Communication from Berry College.
Jimmy Peck
Director, Family News in Focus
Jimmy Peck served as production and program director for WCTN radio in Washington, D.C., before coming to Focus on the Family in 1992. He directs the daily Family News in Focus broadcast. Peck holds a bachelor’s degree in communications from Messiah College in Grantham, Pa., and a master’s degree in theological studies from Golden Gate Seminary. Married with three children, Peck makes his home in Colorado Springs.
Pete Berg
Audio Production Specialist
Pete Berg started his broadcasting career at the University of North Dakota, where he hosted jazz and blues shows for public radio station KFJM while earning his Bachelor of Arts in music. He also has worked as technical director at WDAZ-TV in Grand Forks, N.D. A gifted musician, Berg uses those creative talents to make Family News in Focus sound great. He lives in Colorado Springs.
