ACP Speakers 2026

Elizabeth Lev holds degrees in art history from the University of Chicago and the University of Bologna and has been teaching art history at Duquesne University’s Italy campus since 2002. She is a well-known tour guide and serves as a consultant to the Vatican Museums for their art and faith itineraries, projects with the Vatican Patrons of the Arts and wrote “Vatican Treasures: The Via Pulchritudinis,” a film presented to Pope Benedict XVI in 2012.



Lev’s books include “The Tigress of Forlì” and “How Catholic Art Saved the Faith.”  She has written for many new outlets, including The Washington Post and First Things. She is a Vatican analyst for NBC, and has appeared on the Today Show, Nightline and 60 Minutes and her TED Talk on the Sistine Chapel has garnered more than 1.8 million views. Her latest book project, “St Joseph in Art,” was published in 2021 by Sophia Institute Press. She and her husband, Thomas Williams, both became certified sommeliers in 2015.

Fr. Dustin Dought was born and raised in the Diocese of Lafayette, LA, for which he was ordained a priest in 2013. He studied theology at the Catholic University of America, receiving a bachelor's degree in sacred theology in 2013 and a licentiate in liturgical studies in 2017. He serves as the executive director of the Secretariat of Divine Worship at the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.

Michael Conrady is a pastoral musician and educator who serves as organist and choirmaster at St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic Church in Dallas, where he leads a vibrant music program. In 2019, Conrady joined the faculty at the University of North Texas, where he teaches sacred music and guides students at the undergraduate and graduate levels.

A native of Wakita, Oklahoma, Conrady began playing organ for Mass at a young age. A third-generation Catholic organist, he studied organ at Baylor University, earning a bachelor’s degree in business along with his music studies. He later completed master’s degrees in sacred music, theology and organ performance at SMU/Perkins School of Theology. 

In 2019, he earned the Doctor of Ministry degree in liturgy from SMU. His doctoral project focused on medieval communion antiphons and included composing new music for use in the Roman liturgy. In addition to his parish ministry and teaching, Conrady enjoys giving concerts and writing liturgical music. 

William Heyer is a classical architect based in Columbus, Ohio. He received his bachelors of architecture from Pratt Institute in New York City and his masters of architecture from the University of Notre Dame. He mentored under Thomas Gordon Smith, founder of the classical architecture program at Notre Dame, and opened his private practice in 2002. His projects include renovations to churches and cathedrals, new churches, monasteries and oratories as well as liturgical furnishings and directives on decorative arts.

Heyer is professor of fine arts at the Pontifical College Josephinum in Columbus where he teaches the popular class Sacred Architecture in the Life of the Church. He lectures nationally on the history and meaning of sacred architecture. His articles and interviews have appeared in Traditional Building Magazine, The National Catholic Register, Adoremus Bulletin, Sacred Architecture Journal, and online at Liturgical Arts Journal and LOGOS.

Heyer is a member of the Society for Catholic Liturgy, the Diocese of Columbus Liturgical Commission, the Institute of Classical Architecture & Art, and the City of Bexley Architecture Review Board. He is director of Ensemble Una Voce, an independent choir performing liturgical music throughout the Columbus Diocese. He lives in Bexley, Ohio, with his wife and children.