Leadership

NIFLA Leadership

Thomas Glessner, J.D.
Founder and President

Thomas Glessner founded the National Institute of Family and Life Advocates nearly thirty years ago. On the anniversary of the Dobbs decision, Mr. Glessner was profiled as one of the top fifty pro-life leaders of the last fifty years in the Legacy of Life, alongside Ronald Reagan and Mother Teresa.

  • Serves and represents a network of more than 1,700 pregnancy centers and medical clinics across the nation, NIFLA has challenged laws targeting its member centers in several states – including California, Hawaii, Illinois, North Dakota, New York, and Vermont.
  • NIFLA successfully challenged a California law forcing pro-life pregnancy centers to advertise for abortion. That landmark case, NIFLA v. Becerra, secured the free-speech rights of not only pregnancy centers, but all Americans, on June 26, 2018.
  • Authored several books; his most recent, entitled, “Created Equal: Reflections on the Unalienable Right to Life,” highlights the constitutional protection of our most vulnerable citizens - children in the womb.
  • Appeared in media outlets such as Fox News, USA Today, Tucker Carlson, CBN News, EWTN, 700 Club, The Washington Examiner, The Washington Times, Townhall, National Review, The Federalist, and many more.
  • A University of Washington School of Law (Seattle, WA) graduate, 1977; member of the bar associations for the Supreme Court of the United States as well as the states of Washington and Virginia.

To book interviews with Thomas Glessner, J.D., please contact NIFLA’s media team at [email protected].

Anne O'Connor, J.D.
Vice President of Legal Affairs

Anne O’Connor has been with the National Institute of Family and Life Advocates since 1993. She served as NIFLA’s general counsel until she joined the staff full-time as NIFLA Vice President of Legal Affairs in April 2013.

During her tenure with NIFLA, O’Connor has been responsible for writing the monthly NIFLA Legal Tips, performing about 1,000 legal audits, consulting with hundreds of centers about the medical clinic conversion process, and teaching at board trainings, conference workshops, webinars and at NIFLA’s Institute of Limited Obstetric Ultrasound.

  • She also has written and updated many of NIFLA’s publications, including the Legal Primer, the Medical Clinic Conversion Manual, the Medical Policies & Procedures, the Basic Operational Policies & Procedures, the Employment Handbook, and the HIPAA Voluntary Compliance Manual.
  • O’Connor acted as co-counsel on the pro-life Supreme Court case NIFLA v. Becerra.
  • She has also been published by or featured in media outlets such as The Washington PostThe Wall Street JournalThe HillThe Washington Examiner, CBN News and more.
Audrey Stout, R.N., R.D.M.S.
Ultrasound Medical Consultant

Audrey Stout has been actively involved in pregnancy centers since 1987. She was a nurse manager at pregnancy centers in Marietta, GA and Sandy, OR during their conversion to medical clinics. She developed and taught a curriculum for post-abortive women, served on a pregnancy medical clinic board of directors.

  • In addition to writing curriculum and instructing with NIFLA's Institute in Limited Obstetrical Ultrasound 2000, Stout has written NIFLA’s monthly Clinic Tips, provided consultation with hundreds of pregnancy medical clinics, spoken at numerous conferences on nursing and sonography.
  • She has trained medical professionals in OB sonography across the U.S. and in Ukraine. Stout challenges her students to always pursue growth in knowledge, skills and ability to serve the women and their unborn with integrity, compassion and excellence.
Angie Thomas, J.D.
General Counsel

Angie Thomas serves as a staff attorney for NIFLA. She also serves as the associate director for Louisiana Right to Life, specializing in development, legislative advocacy and education about life issues.

  • Prior to these positions, she served as CEO of the Woman’s New Life Clinic, a professional counseling and medical clinic offering life-affirming services for women in unplanned pregnancies, post-abortive men and women, and women’s health.
  • Thomas has been featured in outlets such as the Washington Examiner, Daily Caller, NPR and many more.
Byron Calhoun, M.D., FACOG, FACS
National Medical Director

Dr. Byron C. Calhoun, MD, FACOG, FACS, MBA is a diplomat of the American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology and is board certified in general Obstetrics/Gynecology and the sub-specialty of Maternal-Fetal Medicine.

  • He has authored over 60 peer review articles in the obstetric and gynecologic literature, presented over 100 scientific papers, participated in over 40 research projects, and published several articles on perinatal hospice. He is an original author of the perinatal hospice concept, which provides a multidisciplinary care to families with a lethal prenatal diagnosis.
  • Calhoun serves as professor and vice-chair in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at West Virginia University-Charleston.
Dotsy Davis, R.D.M.S.
Ultrasound Consultant

Dotsy Davis, BSRT, RDMS, RVT, is an instructor for NIFLA. She has over 30 years of obstetrical ultrasound experience in OB/Gyn offices, pregnancy medical clinics and as a college program director.

  • Davis started a college-based medical sonography program and facilitated the program's accreditation through the JRCDMS.
  • Her heart is to serve in this ministry for His purposes and His glory.
Karen Poehailos, M.D.
Assistant Medical Director

Karen D. Poehailos is a family physician in Virginia. She currently serves as NIFLA Assistant Medical Director and on the NIFLA board.

  • Poehailos became a physician volunteer for the Charlottesville Pregnancy Center in 1997. She moved on to serve as its volunteer medical director.
  • From 2018 to 2021, Poehailos was the regional medical director for ThriVe Central Va. Women’s HealthCare. She supervised medical services including pregnancy tests, performing and reading limited OB ultrasounds, and STI/STD testing and treatment at its four locations in Central Virginia.
  • Poehailos become a member of the Abortion Pill Reversal hotline in 2015. She now serves on the medical advisory team for the Abortion Pill Rescue Network.
  • Poehailos is a graduate of the University of Virginia School of Medicine and its Family Medicine Residency. She is a certified fertility care medical consultant and a FEMM medical provider working with women on recurrent miscarriage, infertility, and irregular cycles without IVF or hormonal contraception.
  • Local secular media and national Catholic media outlets have interviewed Poehailos on abortion pill reversal and other pro-life issues and natural family planning.
  • Poehailos will always be grateful to NIFLA for providing her first limited obstetrical ultrasound training and for all the services they provide to the pregnancy medical clinic movement.