ACP Speakers 2021

2021 ACP Speakers

Tim Busch a businessman, lawyer, and Catholic philanthropist based in Orange County, California. Tim is the President & CEO of the Busch Group, a family of companies that include a law firm, hotel management and development company, winery, and faith based non-profit organizations.

Tim has been a practicing attorney in Orange County for more than 35 years and is the founder of The Busch Firm, an Irvine law firm established in 1979 which specializes in tax and corporate law and the representation of religious organizations.  He also has various affiliations in private operating and real estate companies, including Pacific Hospitality Group, a company that owns and operates 12 hotels throughout the United States, including The Meritage Collection, an exclusive collection of lifestyle hotels located in Napa, La Jolla, Kauai and Huntington Beach. He is also a partner in Busch’s Markets, which operates 16 high-end grocery stores in southeastern Michigan.

 Tim and his wife, Steph Busch, are extensively involved in various Catholic organizations and charities. Since 1990, Tim has been an active member of the Orange County chapter of Legatus, an organization for Catholic CEOs and their spouses.

With Fr Robert Spitzer, S.J., Tim and Steph co-founded the Magis Institute, which administers the Reason and Faith Center using modern astrophysics to prove the existence of God.

 In 2011, together Tim and Fr Robert Spitzer, S.J. co-founded the Napa Institute, a Catholic Experiential organization  which holds intellectual apostolic conferences and pilgrimages intended to prepare Catholics for the Next America, www.Napa-Institute.org. 
In 2018, Tim and John Peiffer co-founded Napa Legal Institute which develops programs for professionals advising Catholic aligned nonprofit organizations.

 As long time advocates of private Catholic schooling, Tim and Steph co-founded St. Anne School in Laguna Niguel in 1992, a private Roman Catholic School under the Diocese of Orange with an enrollment of 800 students.  Tim served as Chairman and CEO of the school for 18 years while Steph was the COO for 14 years and is currently on the Board and Executive Committee.  Continuing their tradition of supporting quality Catholic education in Southern California, in 2003, they also co-founded JSerra Catholic High School in San Juan Capistrano, a private Roman Catholic school, with enrollment of 1,300 where Tim served as Chairman of the Board until 2018, and Steph directed the construction. 

Tim serves on the  Board of Visitors of The Tim and Steph Busch School of Business and Economics at the Catholic University of America (Chair),  on the Board of Visitors of the Institute for Human Ecology at Catholic University of America, Magis Institute (Chair), Napa Institute (Chair), Napa Legal Institute (Chair)  The Institute for Church Life at the University of Notre Dame, JSerra Catholic High School, EWTN, and on the Executive Committee and Board of the Papal Foundation.  In 2016, the Catholic University of America, a Pontifical University in Washington, D.C. named its business school the Tim and Steph Busch School of Business and Economics, in recognition of Tim and Steph’s generous support of the school.

Tim, age 65, was born in Southeastern Michigan and relocated to California in 1982 upon meeting his wife, Steph, to whom he has been married for 34 years.  They have two children, Garrett, age 33, and Mackenzie, age 30, and seven grandchildren.   Betsy and Garrett have six children, including triplets and twins.  Mackenzie graduated from Kaplan University with a bachelor’s degree in Natural Health and is the Director of Wellness and Sustainability at Pacific Hospitality Group.  She married Collin Vath in September, 2014, a graduate of Cal State Fullerton with a bachelor’s degree in business, who runs his family’s contracting business. Mackenzie and Collin have one son.

Tim enjoys traveling, golfing in Indian Wells, and fine wine.  In 2002, his passion for wine led him to found Trinitas Cellars, LLC, now located in Napa, CA.  Tim is a part-owner and member of the Board of the Stone Eagle Golf Club in Palm Desert, CA, and is a member of the Reserve Country Club in Indian Wells, CA; Newport Beach Country Club; Rock Creek Cattle Company in Deer Lodge, MT; Pacific Club and Balboa Bay Club in Newport Beach, CA.

In a few short years, Stephanie Bice has earned a reputation as one of Oklahoma’s most effective conservative leaders. Elected to the State Senate in 2014, Stephanie served for two years as Assistant Majority Floor Leader in the Oklahoma Senate and is Chair of Senate Finance Committee.

Stephanie modernized Oklahoma’s liquor laws by engineering the first overhaul since 1959 when prohibition was repealed in Oklahoma. Hailed as a victory for consumers and for economic development, Stephanie’s efforts have expanded opportunities in Oklahoma. Now locally owned businesses can sell their products on-site resulting in dozens of new breweries, wineries and distilleries opening across the state and creating approximately 5000 new jobs. These common-sense changes have increased options for consumers allowing for the sale of wine and beer in grocery stores for the first time.

As chair of the Senate Finance Committee, Stephanie has led efforts to control state spending, which includes requiring legislative approval of line-item budgets for Oklahoma’s largest state agencies.

Stephanie’s leadership skills and abilities garnered state and national attention. She received the Oklahoma State Chamber of Commerce Rising Star award and was selected a member of the Governing Institute Women in Government Leadership Class of 2016.

A pro-life conservative, Stephanie has been endorsed by Oklahoma Right to Life and has maintained an A-rating from the National Rifle Association.

After graduating from Oklahoma State with her Bachelor’s degree in Marketing and a minor in International Business, Stephanie worked for eight years in financial oversight, business strategy and marketing for her family’s technology company. Stephanie later helped lead a boutique digital marketing company in Oklahoma City as Vice President of Business Development.

Because of that experience, Stephanie understands what it is like to sign the front and the back of a paycheck and is keenly aware of the challenges small business owners face as they strive to grow their companies.

Stephanie is a fourth-generation Oklahoman and a graduate of Putnam City High School in Oklahoma City. She and her husband Geoffrey have two daughters. They are members of St. Eugene Catholic Church in Oklahoma City.

Bishop David A. Konderla is the second of twelve children, son of David and the late Ann Konderla. He grew up in Bryan, Texas; graduated from Bryan High School in 1978 and worked for several years as a machinist before entering the seminary in 1985.

After graduating from the University of Dallas in 1989 with a bachelor's degree in history, he earned his Master of Divinity from the University of St. Thomas and St. Mary's Seminary, and was ordained on June 3, 1995.

Bishop Konderla served at St. Louis Parish in Austin and St. Luke's Parish in Temple before his assignment as associate pastor of St. Mary's Catholic Center in College Station. After almost four years with the Aggies, he was named as Vocation Director for the Diocese of Austin, where he served the diocese for four years. He then returned to St. Mary's as pastor and Director of Campus Ministry in August 2005.

Bishop Konderla is known for his skills in woodworking and carpentry. His father lives in Bryan, Texas and all 11 siblings live within the state of Texas.

Bishop Konderla was appointed the fourth Bishop of Tulsa on May 13, 2016 by Pope Francis. He was ordained and installed as Bishop of the Diocese of Tulsa on June 29, 2016.

Hibbs received a B.A. in English and an M.A. in philosophy from UD and both a master’s and a doctorate in medieval studies from the University of Notre Dame. He was a tutor at Thomas Aquinas College for three years before moving to Boston College, where he taught for 13 years as full professor and chair of the philosophy department.

The University of Dallas Board of Trustees has selected Thomas S. Hibbs, Ph.D., BA ’82 MA ’83, to serve as the university’s ninth president. The first alumnus of UD to be president, Hibbs has served as dean of the Honors College and distinguished professor of ethics and culture at Baylor University since 2003.

Hibbs has spent most of his career writing, teaching and designing/implementing academic programs; he has 30 published academic articles, and two are forthcoming. He has written, edited or provided introductions for 12 books. including three on the thought of Thomas Aquinas. He has also written more than 200 movie reviews and dozens of essays and book reviews for publications such as National Review, Catholic World Report, First Things, The Weekly Standard and others.

University of Dallas, B.A.
University of Dallas, M.A. 
University of Notre Dame, M.A.
University of Notre Dame, Ph.D.