Dr. David French, New York Times columnist and distinguished visiting professor of public policy at Lipscomb University, will deliver the Frank and Della Pack Plenary Lecture at the 2024 Thomas H. Olbricht Christian Scholars’ Conference.  Prior to beginning his work as an opinion columnist with the New York Times in January, Dr. French was a senior editor at The Dispatch, which he helped launch, and a contributing writer at The Atlantic. He also served as a senior writer for National Review and as a senior fellow at the National Review Institute. The majority of his career was devoted to practicing law, working in both commercial and constitutional litigation. In 2006, he joined the United States Army Reserve as a judge advocate general. He deployed to Iraq in 2007 and served in Diyala Province, where he was awarded a Bronze Star. During his legal career, he litigated in federal courts and served as a lecturer at Cornell Law School. He is a former president of the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression. Dr. French is also a New York Times bestselling author. His most recent book is Divided We Fall: America’s Secession Threat and How to Restore Our Nation. Dr. French is a graduate of Harvard Law School and Lipscomb University.