Dr. Jeffery Ventrella

Visiting Professor Dr. Jeffery Ventrella directs its Center for Public Legal Theology and teaches constitutional law and jurisprudence. Following a successful career as a “partner” serving clients in “Big Law” for 15 years, Dr. Ventrella then served for nearly 23 years as Senior Counsel and Senior Vice President of Academic Affairs and Training at Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF), including serving on ADF’s Executive Team for many years.

After joining ADF in 2000, he designed and developed the curriculum for a number of ADF training programs, including the Blackstone Legal Fellowship (BLF), and ADF International’s Areté Academy Europe, Areté Academy Asia, and Areté Academy Latin America.

As an approved speaker for the Federalist Society, he serves as an appointed member of the society’s executive committee – guiding its Religious Liberties Practice Group. Dr. Ventrella is also an elected member of The Philadelphia Society.

He is the author of numerous published monographs, law review articles, and has authored, contributed to and/or edited about thirteen books.

Dr. Ventrella received a bachelor’s degree in music education, magna cum laude, from the University of Northern Colorado, where he specialized in trumpet performance. He holds a Doctorate (Ph.D.) in church and state studies from Whitefield Theological Seminary and earned his Juris Doctorate from the University of California Hastings College of the Law, where he served as Production Editor of the Hastings Constitutional Law Quarterly.

He has practiced law since 1985 and is a member of the state bar of Idaho serving on its Professionalism & Ethics Section as well as its Diversity Section. He is admitted to practice before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, the U.S. District Court for the District of Idaho, and the U.S. Supreme Court. Married since 1986, he and his wife enjoy their five adult children and one granddaughter.