Death Becomes Her: Insights on Young Professionals from Jolena Grande
The Changing Demographics of Funeral Service at CANA’s 106th Cremation Innovation Convention
WHEELING, IL— For many deathcare business owners, hiring and retaining top talent is an urgent concern. Fortunately, funeral service remains an exciting opportunity for youth and career changers—but you may find that your next great hire may challenge your traditional expectations. Join your colleagues in Chicago this September 11-13, 2024, and discover ways to recruit and retain today’s applicants as Jolena Grande takes the stage at the Cremation Association of North America (CANA) 106th Annual Cremation Innovation Convention to explore the changing demographics of funeral service practitioners.
The history of deathcare is filled with people dedicated to caring for the dead and serving the grieving. Examining who those people were and how they practiced takes us through cultural changes, regulatory amendments, and demographic shifts, providing insight into where we are today. In Death Becomes Her: The Changing Demographics of Funeral Service Practitioners, Jolena Grande, a faculty member at Cypress College, will illuminate the differences between the historical attributes of funeral service practitioners and today’s employees and offer advice on how to connect with the modern funeral professional.
“Back in 1989, when I first started in the Mortuary Science Program at Cypress College, 90 to 95% of the class was filled with gentlemen. In fact, you would consider them the traditional gentlemen: they were young, they were white, they were well-to-do. I was one of four women in my class. That has markedly changed,” explains Jolena, who will provide statistics to make her case. “For many of our women in funeral service, that’s the first thing that they have to overcome: the public’s perspective of what we should look like versus what we actually look like. The second thing they have to overcome is the propensity for people to think that we don’t belong.”
Jolena Grande, CFSP, has more than 30 years of professional practice as a California-licensed funeral director, embalmer, cemetery manager, and crematory manager. She began her funeral service career working for a large mortuary/cemetery combination operation in Southern California and joined the faculty in the Mortuary Science Department at Cypress College in 1995. In her session, she brings her experience from the profession and the classroom to look at the statistical analyses of funeral service education on new and graduating students and techniques to attract and retain top performers to the CANA Convention.
Other Convention sessions include:
- Choosing to be a better leader for your team, your business, and yourself in Being a Leader of Influence with Robbie Pape, Senior Vice President & Regional Partner, Carriage Services.
- By popular demand, Sara Murphy, PhD, FT, Death Educator & Suicidologist with the University of Rhode Island, returns with Recognizing and Responding to Suicide Risk Within the Deathcare Profession.
- Lee Hovermale Strategic Advisor to the CEO of KiZAN Technologies, with over 30 years of expertise in the technology sector, covers Cybersecurity Awareness: Recognizing a Threat, and Protecting Your Data for you and your families.
- The Cremation Historian Jason Engler, regional sales manager for the Wilbert Group looks to history’s strategies for modern permanent placement in The Eternal Value of Cremation Memorials/Avoiding Mistakes of the Past: Cremated Remains Belong in Cemeteries.
- Information is Power: Updates from Industry Experts feature insights on three forces on your business. CANA President Robert Hunsaker discussing how CANA’s 2024 Annual Cremation Statistics Report impacts your business. He’s joined by Assistant Vice President of Government & Industry Relations of Service Corporation International, Caressa Hughes who will provide an update on the regulatory and legal landscape of the profession. Plus, Vice President of Cemetery Operations of Legacy Funeral Group, Steve Bassett, offering lessons learned from Cemetery Consumer Service Council (CCSC).
- Sharing the stage, Dean of the InSight Institute Glenda Stansbury and Homesteaders Director of Consumer Marketing Kelly Manion talk about modern ways to address families’ grief in a combined presentation on The Power of Service & The Power of Human Connection.
Dr. Sara Murphy also leads a special pre-Convention workshop with Aaron Pelchat, a licensed clinical social worker and psychotherapist. Together, they’ll say the quiet part out loud on The Silent Problem: Talking about Mental Health and Funeral Service. Their workshop will help us understand realities of common mental health issues – think compassion fatigue and burnout – unpack the challenges to self-care and discover therapeutic tools for improving mental health. Registration is available separately from the Convention or as an add-on!
See how death becomes her and learn to connect with future funeral leaders with Jolena Grande. Join your colleagues in the Windy City and be ready to be blown away! Share ideas, learn from experts, and see the newest products and services from industry suppliers at CANA’s 106th Annual Convention this September 11-13, 2024, at the Fairmont Chicago Millennium Park: cremationassociation.org/CANA24
About CANA
Founded in 1913, the Cremation Association of North America (CANA) is an international organization of over 3,700 members, composed of funeral homes, cemeteries, crematories, industry suppliers, and consultants. CANA members believe that cremation is preparation for memorialization.
