Brookfield, Wis. – After hosting its third successful Meet the Mentors program in August 2012, the National Funeral Directors Association (NFDA) is giving young funeral professionals another opportunity in 2013 to learn from three of the profession’s top experts and network with like-minded peers. NFDA’s fourth Meet the Mentors event will take place March 18-19, 2013, at the Emory Conference Center Hotel, which is located on the campus of Emory University, in Atlanta, Ga. Meet the Mentors is held in cooperation with the Funeral Service Foundation.

During Meet the Mentors, 50 licensed funeral directors and embalmers under the age of 40 will have an opportunity to meet, learn from and talk with three of the country’s leading funeral directors.

• Lisa Baue is a third-generation funeral director and president/CEO of Baue Funeral Homes, which operates four funeral homes in the St. Charles, Mo., area.

• Michael Schoedinger, CFSP, CPC, is the president of Schoedinger Funeral & Cremation Service in Columbus, Ohio, which operates 15 locations and has been owned by his family for six generations.

• Richard Tetrick, CFSP, is the president and CEO of Heritage Family Funeral Services. The company began as Tetrick Funeral Home, which was owned by Tetrick’s father. Today, Heritage Family Funeral Services includes 21 funeral homes in four states, six cemeteries in two states and several other funeral-related businesses.

During the program, each mentor will give a presentation during which they share lessons they have learned while building successful and fulfilling careers in funeral service. Following a panel discussion with all three mentors, participants will have an opportunity to personally engage with each mentor in small group discussions.

There is no cost to participate in the Meet the Mentors program itself; the 50 individuals selected to attend only need pay for their transportation to the program. The cost of the registration fee, access to the three mentors, one night of lodging, a reception and dinner the night before the program, and continental breakfast and lunch the day of the program – a $599 value – has been generously covered through a grant from the Funeral Service Foundation.

The names of the 50 participants will be randomly drawn from among all who enter via the NFDA website, www.nfda.org/mentors. Entries will be accepted through midnight January 11, 2013. Entrants must be NFDA members in good standing, licensed funeral directors and/or embalmers, and under 40 years of age.

The names of the 50 participants will be drawn the week of January 14, 2013, from among all entries received. Each day, Monday through Friday, a member of the NFDA staff will draw 10 names. The drawings will be available for viewing on NFDA’s website, social media sites and YouTube channel at 2 p.m. CST each day.

Complete details about the NFDA Meet the Mentors program, including eligibility requirements, can be found on the NFDA website, www.nfda.org/mentors. Members can also call NFDA at 800-228-6332 with questions.

NFDA is the world’s leading and largest funeral service association, serving 19,700 individual members who represent more than 10,000 funeral homes in the United States and 39 countries around the world. NFDA is the trusted leader, beacon for ethics and the strongest advocate for the profession. NFDA is the association of choice because it offers funeral professionals comprehensive educational resources, tools to manage successful businesses, guidance to become pillars in their communities and the expertise to foster future generations of funeral professionals. NFDA is headquartered in Brookfield, Wis., and has an office in Washington, D.C. For more information, visit www.nfda.org