ARLAND K. NICHOLS
President and Founder
Arland K. Nichols is President and founder of the St. John Paul II Foundation. Early in his career, as an educator and non-profit executive, he became a popular speaker and successful writer while he established the groundwork for the initiatives that would become the St. John Paul II Foundation. Arland launched the St. John Paul II Foundation in 2014 and he is author of the 4th edition of the Handbook on Critical Life Issues published in 2024 by the National Catholic Bioethics Center. Arland earned a BA in philosophy from Texas A&M, an MDiv in Theology from University of St. Thomas, and pursued doctoral studies in bioethics at Regina Apostolorum in Rome. With the generous support of his wife, Cindy, and their ten children, Arland is blessed to lead the St. John Paul II Foundation as it serves, educates, and supports medical professionals, married couples, and clergy.
DANIELLE BEAN
Author, Speaker, and Podcaster
Danielle Bean, a wife and mother of eight, is creator and host of The Gist, a weekly Catholic women’s television talk show on CatholicTV and host of the Girlfriends podcast. Danielle is author of several books, including Momnipotent, You Are Enough, and most recent book, Whisper: Finding God in the Everyday. Danielle has a special heart for mothers, and she encourages women of all ages and stages of life to find humor in daily challenges and the joy God intends for every one of us. It is in her primary vocation to marriage and motherhood that Danielle finds the inspiration for all of her work.
DR. LEONORA BUTAU
Theologian, Educator, Speaker
Dr. Leonora Butau is a theologian, educator, and speaker based in San Antonio, Texas, where she lives with her wonderful husband, Rufaro, and their three sons. After spending 8 years teaching Theology at St. Mary’s Catholic University in London, England, she moved with her family to Texas in 2018.
Dr. Butau has offered formation on topics in Spiritual Life, St. Joseph, Our Lady, Marriage and the Family, and the Theology of the Body to a wide range of audiences, including seminarians, diaconal candidates, and in parishes and schools nationally and internationally. She worked as a Program Director for the St. John Paul II Foundation in Houston, Texas. She is a Formator in the School of Mary, an apostolate dedicated to empowering Catholics in their spiritual life through the Church’s rich mystical tradition. She serves as a Board Member for Natural Womanhood, an Advisor for Pilgrim Ways, and also has the joy of teaching Theology at Incarnate Word High School in San Antonio, Texas.