ICCFA Educational Foundation Awards 108 Scholarships to the 2023 ICCFA University
STERLING, VA (June 26, 2023) – Thanks to generous donors who understand the importance of making educational opportunities available to professionals across the deathcare profession, the International Cemetery, Cremation and Funeral Association’s (ICCFA) Educational Foundation is proud to announce that 108 people have been awarded a scholarship to attend the 2023 ICCFA University at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia, this July 21-26. Scholarship recipients represent ICCFA members from 26 states and Brazil, Canada, and Uruguay, who will have the opportunity to learn from innovators in the profession, as well as experts from outside of deathcare.
The following ICCFA members will be attending the 2023 ICCFA University on scholarship thanks to the generous contributions of our supporting donors:
• Liza Altenburg / Park Lawn Corporation / Royal Oak, MI
• Laurena Anderson / New Tacoma Cemeteries, Funeral Home & Crematory / University Place, WA
• Hannah Ashley / Smith Family Funeral Homes / North Little Rock, AR
• Jerome Auer / St. John Cemetery/Cincinnati Catholic Cemetery Society / Cincinnati, OH
• Robert Barnett / Elmwood Cemetery / Memphis, TN
• Grace Birdwell / Greenlawn Funeral Home / Springfield, MO
• John Blevins / Williams Funeral Home / Columbia, TN
• Mark Bodicky / Global Atlantic Financial Group / Batesville, IN
• James Bracy / Calvary Cemetery / Tulsa, OK
• Cassandra Bracy / Collins Funeral Home / Camden, SC
• Anthony Bracy / Bracy Funeral Service Group, LLC dba Collins Funeral Home / Camden, SC
• Alecia Braddock / The Arlington Memorial Gardens Funeral Home / Cincinnati, OH
• David Brooks / St. Joseph’s Cemetery / Cheraw, SC
• Mandy Butler / Smith Little Rock Funeral Home / Little Rock, AR
• Carlos Alberto Camargo / Universal Empreendimentos Ltda – Cemitério Vertical de Curitiba / Curitiba, Brazil
• Denise Childress / Curlew Hills Memory Gardens / Palm Harbor, FL
• Lauren Christakos / Arlington Memorial Gardens and Funeral Home / Cincinnati, OH
• Karen Christon / Chapel of the Chimes Funeral Home / Westland, MI
• Gordon Chuck / Sam Issacs and Son Funeral Home / Jamaica
• Robert Cloar / Gate of Heaven Cemetery / Cincinnati, OH
• Dorinda Cobb / Akins-Cobb Funerals & Cremations / Blue Ridge, GA
• Benjamin Cohn / Lone Tree Cemetery Association / Hayward, CA
• Nick Colhoff / City of Post Falls / Post Falls, ID
• Jason Dalenberg / Mt. Elliott Cemetery Association / Clinton Twp. MI
• Clifton Dempsey / Leaf Cremation / Kennesaw, GA
• Erin Dermody / PX Dermody Funeral Home / Ontario, Canada
• Jason Diemer / Greenlawn Funeral Home Inc / Springfield, MO
• Brent Dotson / Dotson Funeral Home Maryville, TN
• Chad Eggebrecht / City of Lethbridge Cemeteries / Alberta, Canada
• Shasta Ellis / Discount STL Cremation / St. Louis, MO
• Newton Cabral Fernandes / Universal Empreendimentos Ltda – Cemitério Vertical de Curitiba / Curitiba, Brazil
• Bennett Forbes / Park Lawn Corporation / Albuquerque, NM
• Daren Forbes / Park Lawn Corporation / Houston, TX
• Gilberto Franceschetti / Funerária Krause/ Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil
• Tron Glaser / Hills of Rest Cemetery / Sioux Falls, SD
• Daniel Gonzalez / Mt. Elliott Cemetery Association / Detroit, MI
• Michael Greene / Chapel of the Chimes / Westland, MI
• Makeba Gregg / Cumby Family Funeral Service / High Point, NC
• Ben Harris / United in Grief, Inc., DBA Everly / Decatur, GA
• Hunter Hildreth / Spring Hill Memorial / Spring Hill, TN
• Dr. Shantelle Holts / Tidewater Community College / Spring, TX
• Monique Horton / R.N. Horton Company Mortician / Washington, DC
• Larry Howard / Park Lawn Corporation / Houston, TX
• Cindy Hulsey / Bulloch Memorial Gardens / Statesboro, GA
• Megan Hume / Lakewood Cemetery / Minneapolis, MN
• Derrick Husmann / Johnson Consulting Group / Scottsdale, AZ
• Gail Jameson / The McDougald Funeral Home / Pendleton, SC
• John Johnson / Catholic Cemetery Association of Tulsa dba Calvary Cemetery / Tulsa, OK
• Kristina Jones / Calvary Cemetery / Tulsa, OK
• Heather Jones / Arlington Memorial Gardens / Cincinnati, OH
• Marcus Julian / Mt. Elliott Cemetery Association / Detroit, MI
• Kelsey June / Mount Sinai Memorial Parks & Mortuaries / Los Angeles, CA
• Cheryl Kelly / Gate of Heaven Cemetery / Cincinnati, OH
• Joelle Kerfoot / Heady-Radcliffe Funeral Home & Cremation Services / LaGrange, KY
• Tanner Kerr / Hansen Mortuary and Cemetery / Phoenix, AZ
• Ronda Kilpatrick / Forest Lawn Funeral Home / Saraland, AL
• Timothy Kolasa / Gethsemane Cemetery / Laureldale, PA
• Kelly Leahy / Lakewood Cemetery / Minneapolis, MN
• Heather Leigh / Greenhaven Memorial Gardens / Elgin, SC
• Abigail Lemley / Springfield Memorial Gardens, Funeral Home and Cremation Center / Springfield, TN
• Emory Martin III / Smith Family Funeral Homes / North Little Rock, AR
• Maria de los Angeles Martinelli / Martinelli S.A. / Montevideo, Uruguay
• Noel Martinelli / Martinelli S.A. / Montevideo, Uruguay
• Andrei Matzenbacher / Grupo Jardim da Saudade / Curitiba, Brazil
• Katie McGinnis / Rest Haven Memorial Park / Cincinnati, OH
• Marcelo Minatel / Grupo Jardim da Saudade / Curitiba, Brazil
• Victoria Monforte / Cherokee Memorial Funeral Home / Lodi, CA
• Harrison Mowell / Mowell Funeral Home & Cremation Services / Fayetteville, GA
• Riley Nishikawa / City of Lethbridge Cemeteries / Aberta, Canada
• Troy O’Brien / Edmonds & Evans Funeral Homes / Chesterton, IN
• Claudia Pereda / Eternity Servicios Exequiales / Guatemala
• Kathryn Priestash / Dressler’s Jewish Funeral Care / Atlanta, GA
• Tee Rogers / Service Corporation International / Houston, TX
• Kate Rogers / Hughes Family Tribute Center / Dallas, TX
• Ryan Schumacher / Jenkins Funeral Chapel / Westlake, OH
• Adam Schutt / Professional Cemetery Services / Dundee, IL
• John Schwarzmann / Baltimore Humane Society / Reistertown, MD
• John Sennhenn, JR / Spring Grove Funeral Homes / Cincinnati, OH
• Rafael Silva / Parque Memorial De Goiânia / Goiânia, Brazil
• John Silvestri / Cherokee Memorial Park & Funeral Home / Lodi, CA
• Taylor Smart / Greenlawn Funeral Home Inc. / Springfield, MO
• Ashlyn Smith / Greenlawn Funeral Home / Springfield, MO
• Ann Marie St. George / Cooperative Funeral Fund, Inc. / Madison, CT
• Williams Starks / GAR – City of Miami / Miami, OK
• Nick Startup / Leaf Cremation / Kennesaw, GA
• Richard Stone / Jones-Wynn Funeral Home and Crematory / Villa Rica, GA
• Lindsey Stuffle / Crestview Funeral Home / Gallatin, TN
• Santiago Tavera / Perches Funeral Homes / El Paso, TX
• Toni Thompson / Chambers and Grubbs Funeral Homes / Independence, KY
• Whittni Trimnal / Greenhaven Memorial Gardens and Life Tribute Center / Elgin, SC
• Merissa Turner / Greenlawn Funeral Home / Springfield, MO
• Sophia Urbieta / Woodland Cemetery and Arboretum / Dayton, OH
• Heather Vandegejuchte / Roberts Funeral Homes / Ocala, FL
• Valeria Vanderpool / Williams Funeral Home / Columbia, TN
• Gretchen Varnell / Greenoaks Funeral Home and Memorial Park / Baton Rouge, LA
• Kim Vossmeyer / Alliance Funeral Home and Cremation Center / Florence, KY
• Kara Williams / D W Newcomer’s Sons Crematory / Kansas City, MO
• Sommer Williams / Woodmere Cemetery / Detroit, MI
• Jeanne Young / Gate of Heaven Cemetery / Montgomery, OH
Alongside these deathcare professionals, eight deserving students enrolled in American Board of Funeral Service Education (ABSFE) accredited funeral service and mortuary science programs will also be heading to Atlanta. When asked about this mortuary student scholarship initiative, Educational Foundation president Gino Merendino commented, “The students receiving scholarships to attend ICCFA University will be able to learn from colleagues and leaders who are already established in the field of deathcare. They’ll be able to take these connections and lessons beyond their current programs, giving them a leg up when they enter the profession after graduating with their mortuary science degrees.”
Congratulations to the following students:
• Jessie Janeshek / Des Moines Area Community College / Des Moines, IA
• Jim Shackelford / North Shore Community College / Salem, MA
• Caroline Flanagan / Cape Cod Community College / West Barnstable, MA
• Anna Junkins / Tidewater Community College VA Beach / Virginia Beach, VA
• Shonaci Travis / Jefferson State Community College / Birmingham, AL
• Dewina Thompson / Piedmont Technical College / Greenwood, SC
• Reese Helton / John A Gupton College / Nashville, TN
• Latunja Leflore-Davis / Northwest Mississippi Community College / Southaven, MS
The ICCFA Educational Foundation is a 501(c)(3) entity, established to make education accessible to future leaders in the deathcare profession and thereby raise the standards of professionalism within the industry. To learn more about the work of the Foundation and upcoming educational opportunities, please visit https://iccfa.com/educational foundation/.
Founded in 1887, the International Cemetery, Cremation and Funeral Association is the only international trade association representing all segments of the cemetery, cremation, funeral and memorialization profession. Its membership is composed of more than 9,100 rooftop locations and 18,000 professionals in the cemetery, funeral home and crematory industries, as well as supplier and related businesses worldwide.
