NFDA Announces “Meet the Mentors” Program Attendees

Funeral Industry News August 3, 2011
CDFuneralNews

We believe that every funeral director should have the tools to succeed. With the help of our field-leading partners, we publish daily funeral industry news and provide free tools to help our readers advance their careers and grow their businesses. Our editorial focus on the future, covering impact-conscious funeral care, trends, tech, marketing, and exploring how today's funeral news affects your future.


NFDA Announces “Meet the Mentors” Program Attendees

Brookfield, Wis. — Last week, the National Funeral Directors Association (NFDA) announced the names of the 50 young funeral professionals who will learn from leading funeral directors and network with like-minded peers during the inaugural Meet the Mentors program.

Throughout June and early-July, NFDA-member funeral directors and embalmers under the age of 40 could enter for a chance to participate in this exclusive program. The names of the 50 participants were announced the week of July 25 through videos posted on the NFDA website, and Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn pages. The attendees are:

  • Megan Kathleen Barwick, Becker-Ritter Funeral Home, Brookfield, Wis.
  • Brian T. Bentley, D’Esopo Funeral Chapel, Wethersfield, Conn.
  • Matthew R. Boyle, Muzyka & Son Funeral Home, Chicago, Ill.
  • Misty M. Brestel, Metz Mortuary, York, Neb.
  • Rebecca Brozek, Becker-Ritter Funeral Home, Brookfield, Wis.
  • Craig E. Buysse, Anderson Funeral Home, Alexandria, Minn.
  • Eugene Cha, Lawrence Funeral Home, Chicago, Ill.
  • Shannon Christians, Christians Funeral Home, Lindsborg, Kan.
  • Kristina L. Daley, Higgins-Reardon Funeral Homes, Youngstown, Ohio
  • Kurt Edenbach, Memorial Funeral Home, Newport, R.I.
  • Christopher M. Farrugio, Leo P. Gallagher & Son, Stamford, Conn.
  • Donald B. Ferfolia Jr., Ferfolia Funeral Homes Inc., Sagamore Hills, Ohio
  • Brian Alan Fisher, Charles Rader Funeral Home, Henderson, Texas
  • Vincent Thomas Floyd, Cannon Cleveland Funeral Directors, McDonough, Ga.
  • Shawneal French, Michelotti-Sawyers Mortuary and Crematory, Billings, Mont.
  • T.J. Goodwin, Dokken-Nelson Funeral Service, Bozeman, Mont.
  • Brandon J. Goulding, Jenkins-Soffe Mortuary, Murray, Utah
  • Bryan Keith Hancock, Almon Funeral Home, Carrollton, Ga.
  • Brian Hanner, Linn-Hert-Geib Funeral Home & Crematory, New Philadelphia, Ohio
  • Jacob B. Hebdon, Cooper Funeral Home, Medina, N.Y.
  • Jonathan Horn, LeRoy Rader Funeral Home, Longview, Texas
  • Cody D. Jones, Callaway-Jones Funeral Home & Crematory, Bryan, Texas
  • Laura Kendrick-Godwin, Pollock-Randall Funeral Home Inc., Port Huron, Mich.
  • William Clinton Kent, Caldwell & Cowan Funeral Home, Covington, Ga
  • Nathaniel Lewis, The Behm Family Funeral Homes & Crematory, Madison, Ohio
  • Michael J. Lope, Wm. Sullivan & Son Funeral Home, Utica, Mich.
  • Michael E. Lynch, Lynch & Sons Funeral Directors, Milford, Mich.
  • Clarence Lyons, C.R. Lyons & Sons Inc., Danvers, Mass.
  • Scott M. McClure, McClure Funeral Home, Taylorville, Ill.
  • William James McDonough II, Loudon Funeral Chapel, Leesburg, Va.
  • Margretta L. McNally, McNally & Watson Funeral Home, Clinton, Mass.
  • Cory Michaelson, Michaelson Funeral Home, Owatonna, Minn.
  • Lia Modde, Hamilton’s Funeral Home, Des Moines, Iowa
  • Adner Montenegro-Lee, Clark Associates Funeral Home, Katonah, N.Y.
  • Phillip Neitzel, James Coyle & Son Inc., Toledo, Ohio
  • Dana M. Nowak, Lynch & Sons Funeral Directors – Milford & Brighton, Brighton, Mich.
  • John Perkes, Colonial Funeral Home, Pocatello, Idaho
  • Stephanie Bolton Peterson, Dahl Funeral Chapel, Bozeman, Mont.
  • Walker Posey, Posey Funeral Directors, North Augusta, S.C.
  • Jeremy D. Poshkus, Britton Funeral Home Inc, Auburn, Mass.
  • Miranda Rosatti, Seefeld Funeral Chapels, Oshkosh, Wis.
  • Alex Rydell, Hanson-Runsvold Funeral Home, Fargo, N.D.
  • Adrianna N. Schnell, Chas. Verheyden Inc., Grosse Point Park, Mich.
  • Stephen P. Shain, Shain Family Funeral Service Inc., Hugo, Okla.
  • Sarah Jeanne Siefert, Wieting Funeral Homes Inc., Brillion, Wis.
  • Adam G. Smith, Shalom Memorial Chapel, Cranston, R.I.
  • Christina Lynn Stanley, Lee-Ellena Funeral Home, Macomb, Mich.
  • Wm. Maurice Sullivan, Sullivan Bros. Mortuary Inc., Greer, S.C.
  • William (Coley) Trant, Jeffcoat-Trant Funeral Home, Opelika, Ala.
  • Stephen A. Williams, Osborne-Williams Funeral Home, Greenville, Penn.

About Meet the Mentors

Meet the Mentors is being held in cooperation with the Funeral Service Foundation (FSF) and will take place September 13 at the Harvard Faculty Club on the Harvard University campus in Cambridge, Mass.

The 50 selected attendees will gain valuable insights from some of the profession’s most innovative minds: John Carmon, CFSP, of Carmon Community Funeral Homes in Windsor, Conn.; Diana Kurz, CFSP, of Newington Memorial Funeral Home in Newington, Conn.; Thomas Lynch of Lynch & Sons Funeral Directors in Milford, Mich.; and William McQueen, CFSP, former owner of Anderson-McQueen Funeral Home in St. Petersburg, Fla.

There is no cost to attend the program; attendees only need to pay for their transportation to the event. The cost of the registration fee, one night of lodging, a reception the night before the program, and breakfast and lunch the day of the program — a $599 value — has been covered by generous donations through FSF.

Complete details about the NFDA Meet the Mentors program, including the videos announcing the winners, can be found on the NFDA website, www.nfda.org/mentors.

NFDA is the world’s leading funeral service association, serving 18,500 individual members who represent more than 9,900 funeral homes in the United States and 43 countries around the world. From its headquarters in Brookfield, Wis., and its Advocacy Division office in Washington, D.C., NFDA is the worldwide source of expertise and professional resources for all facets of funeral service. Through education, information and advocacy, NFDA is dedicated to supporting members in their mission to provide families with meaningful end-of-life services at the highest levels of excellence and integrity. For more information, visit www.nfda.org.