meet our new executive director,
cynthia schmidt

Cynthia Marie Schmidt comes into her new role as CPLC’s Executive Director as a mother of five, an attorney, and a recent member of the Catholic Pro-Life Community's Board of Directors.

Raised in Alabama as the child of two Catholic school teachers, Cynthia studied theology and political science at the University of Notre Dame and received her Juris Doctorate from Southern Methodist University. After clerking for Judge Barbara M.G. Lynn of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Texas, Cynthia practiced law in Gibson Dunn's class actions group until she discovered and joined Hilgers PLLC, a growing national law firm. At Hilgers, Cynthia was a trusted problem-solver for clients facing costly and complex commercial litigation, as well as a key leader of the firm's largest practice group.

Cynthia is married to Grant, an attorney and fellow Notre Dame graduate, and they are the proud parents of four daughters and one living son. In 2023, they lost their infant son, Ignatius "Iggy" David Schmidt, shortly after birth. They lovingly remember him through their charitable giving and honor him by their commitment to pro-life causes. When she isn't caring for her family or serving the most vulnerable members of society through the CPLC, Cynthia is spending time in Eucharistic Adoration at St. Rita Catholic Community, leading the neighborhood kids in praise and worship music, or writing. Her most recent article about her family's private devotion to relics was just published in The Lamp Magazine.