Association to offer new certification program for funeral directors who provide cremation services
The National Funeral Directors Association (NFDA) announced today that it is expanding the cremation-related tools and resources it currently offers and that it has hired Mike Nicodemus, noted cremation expert from Hollomon-Brown Funeral Home & Crematory in Virginia Beach, Va., to lead this effort. Nicodemus will be joining the NFDA staff July 8, 2013.
NFDA has, for many years, offered its members a comprehensive variety of resources to help them expand their knowledge about cremation, including webinars, teleconferences and other education offerings; sample legal forms and documents; the annual CANA & NFDA Cremation Symposium; information on the NFDA website and in Association publications; and more.
“Our members appreciate all that NFDA offers in the area of cremation. However, as the cremation rate continues to grow and the needs of families that choose cremation evolve, it is important that we anticipate our members’ future needs,” said NFDA President Bob Rosson. “I am personally looking forward to learning all that I can from Mike about how I can better meet the needs of families in my community that choose cremation now and in the future.”
Nicodemus’ first order of business will be to assess NFDA’s current cremation-related products and services and determine opportunities for expansion and growth. The centerpiece of NFDA’s expanded offerings will be a new certification program for crematory operators. Unlike existing certification programs, NFDA’s program will be geared specifically toward funeral directors who provide cremation services. NFDA’s program will meet or exceed the criteria in all states requiring certification for crematory operators.
Among his other duties, Nicodemus will help develop cremation-related continuing education programs, staff a free hotline to answer members’ questions about cremation and offer cremation consulting services to NFDA members.
“As an association, we have an obligation to offer our members the programs and services they need to succeed in their businesses and communities,” said Christine Pepper, NFDA CEO. “We are thrilled to have a passionate cremation expert like Mike join the NFDA team and help our members exceed the expectation of the families they serve. I look forward to sharing more information about our growing list of cremation resources in the months to come.”
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.
