NFDA Announces 2015 Meet the Mentors Program Attendees

Funeral Industry News Funeral Industry Press Releases February 2, 2015
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NFDA Announces 2015 Meet the Mentors Program Attendees

Brookfield, Wis. – The National Funeral Directors Association (NFDA) announced the names of the 50 funeral professionals who will have an opportunity to learn from four leading funeral directors and network with like-minded peers during the Association’s Meet the Mentors Program March 16-18 at the Emory Conference Center Hotel, located on the campus of Emory University, in Atlanta, Ga. Meet the Mentors is being held in cooperation with the Funeral Service Foundation.

 

NFDA-member licensed funeral directors and embalmers under the age of 40 had an opportunity to enter a drawing for a chance to participate in this exclusive program. The names of the 50 participants were announced the week of January 26 through video drawings posted on the NFDA website and social media sites.

 

About the NFDA Meet the Mentors Program

The NFDA Meet the Mentors program will be bigger and better than ever in 2015. The young funeral professionals will now have access to four mentors and participate in a day-and-a-half of programming. Additionally, there will be more opportunities for the mentors and mentees to network and socialize with each other.

 

The mentors for the 2015 NFDA Meet the Mentors program are: Randy Anderson, owner of Radney Funeral Home in Alexander City, Ala.; John McQueen, owner and president of Anderson-McQueen Funeral Home in Saint Petersburg, Fla.; Jan Smith, the vice president of funeral operations for Flanner and Buchanan Funeral Centers in Indianapolis, Ind.; and Ken Varner, the president and CEO of Cypress Lawn Funeral Home in Coloma, Calif.

There is no cost to participate in the Meet the Mentors program itself; the 50 individuals selected to attend only pay for their transportation to the program. The cost of the registration fee, exclusive access to four mentors, two nights of lodging and select meals has been generously covered through a grant from the Funeral Service Foundation.

 

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.

 

The 2015 Meet the Mentors attendees are:

  • John Ansley, Starling-Evans Funeral Home, Harlem, Ga.
  • Robert Beck II, Beck Funeral Home, Philadelphia, Miss.
  • Laura Boecker, Kinzley Funeral Home, Salem, S.D.
  • Tamara Bullock, Bentas Funeral Home, New York, N.Y.
  • Patrick M. Campbell, The McDougald Funeral Home, Anderson, S.C.
  • Geoffrey Carlson, Funk Funeral Home, Bristol, Conn.
  • Ben Clements, Flora Funeral Service, Rocky Mount, Va.
  • Darren Day, Pasley-Fletcher Funeral Home, Thomaston, Ga.
  • Randall K. DeBord, Kearney A. Snyder Funeral Home, Lancaster, Penn.
  • Kinsey Ertel Huff, Ertel Funeral Home, Cortez, Colo.
  • Robert Lee Finch III, Finch & Finch Funeral and Cremation Service, Altavista, Ga.
  • Scott Glover, Lawrence Funeral Home, Chicago, Ill.
  • Michael V. Grandi, Waitt Funeral Home & Cremation Service, Morganville, N.J.
  • Alan J. Hall, Butler Funeral Home, Bolivar, Mo.

  • Seanna Hamm, Affordable Mortuary Service, Memphis, Tenn.
  • Shane Hammons, Woodhead Funeral Homes, Memorials & Cremation Service, Falmouth, Ky.
  • Tiffany Hanson, Malloy & Son Funeral Home, Galveston, Texas
  • Angela Hayes, Smith Family Mortuaries, Derby, Kan.
  • Heather Heath, Brown Funeral Home & Cremation Services, Niles, Mich.
  • Krista Paradowski, Brunswick Memorial Home, East Brunswick, N.J.
  • Kara Heier, Ryan Mortuary, Salina, Kan.
  • Richard Huff, Ertel Funeral Home, Cortez, Colo.
  • Christy M. Jonkhoff, Reynolds-Jonkhoff Funeral Home and Cremation Services, Traverse City, Mich.
  • Tom Kiley, Kirby & Family Funeral and Cremation Services, Mountain Home, Ark.
  • Jeremy Lund, Heritage Funeral Home and Crematory, Spokane, Wash.
  • Koby L. May, Heritage Funeral Home and Crematory, Spokane, Wash.
  • Lisa Meyer, Meyer Funeral Homes, Newton, Ill.
  • Michaela Moravec, Chermok Funeral Home, David City, Neb.
  • El-Veta Westcott Oakman, Westcott Funeral Home, Philadelphia, Penn/
  • Jessica Olson, Bradley Funeral Home, Antigo, Wis.
  • Jenna Picou, David Funeral Home, Lafayette, La.
  • Bradley R. Price, Carter-Trent Funeral Home, Kingsport, Tenn.
  • Jed Rhodes, Oaks-Hines Funeral Home, Canton, Ill.
  • Timothy Roberts, Howe-Peterson Funeral Home, Taylor, Mich.
  • Emily C. Roths, Gunderson Funeral Home, Madison, Wis.
  • William W. Scott, Scott Funeral Home, Jeffersonville, Ind.
  • Terresa Shea, Conley Funeral Home, Brockton, Mass.
  • Michael D. Shorter Jr., Anderson-McQueen Family Tribute Centers, St. Petersburg, Fla.
  • Kathryn Steinetz, A.H. Peters Funeral Home, Warren, Mich.
  • Sarah A. Stopyra, Mount Ida College of Funeral Service, Newton, Mass.
  • Christopher Strohmeyer, Smith Family Mortuaries, Derby, Kan.
  • Melody Stuart, Tanzyus-Logan Funeral Service, Decatur, Ill.
  • Adam Walker, Walker Funeral Home, Spanish Fork, Utah
  • JeriLyn Walsh, Higgins-Reardon Funeral Homes, Youngstown, Ohio
  • Brad Watson, Rotvedt Funeral Services & Crematory, Tilton, Ill.
  • Crystal Weaver, Heritage Funeral Home and Crematory, Spokane, Wash/
  • Dan Welch, Broadway Mortuary, Wichita, Kan.
  • Justin Wild, Feeney Funeral Home, Ridgewood, N.J.
  • Adam B. Williamson, Thomas McAfee Funeral Home, Greenville, S.C.
  • Jennica Worland, Legacy Funeral Homes, Fairbanks, Alaska

 

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.