Event Schedule at a Glance
2025 Downloadable Attendee Brochure Coming Soon!
Start your convention experience by attending one of these two educational programs: Insurance Seminars or ICCFA Crematory Operator Certification Program.
Monday, April 28 |
Event/Program |
Presenter(s) |
CE |
7:00 AM - 12:00 PM |
AM Insurance Seminar: Maintaining Relevance and Ethical Standards in Today’s Insurance Industry |
Funeral Directors Life |
5 CE, EthicsInsurance license ONLYApproved with Ohio Department of Insurance (ODI) |
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM |
OFDA Master's Training Seminar |
Multiple Presenters |
6 CE |
12:30 - 5:30 PM |
PM Insurance Seminar: Insurance Industry Products & Producers |
Thomas Holland, CPC |
5 CEInsurance license ONLYApproved with Ohio Department of Insurance (ODI) |
Tuesday, April 28 |
Event/Program |
Presenter(s) |
CE |
7:00 AM - 6:30 PM |
Registration |
|
|
8:00 - 9:00 AM |
Learning Lab: Difficult Conversations |
Dr. Jennifer Lares, CFSP |
1 - Laws & Rules |
8:00 - 9:00 AM |
Learning Lab: Life Beyond the Obituary: Storytelling That Builds Trust |
Diane Hurd |
1 - Preneed Ethics Principles |
8:00 - 10:00 AM |
Learning Lab: Ethics in Cremation: A Colorado Case Study |
Faith Haug, MBA |
1 Ethics |
9:15 - 10:15 AM |
Learning Lab: The Relevance of Restorative Art |
Dominick J. Astorino |
1 General |
9:15 - 10:15 AM |
Learning Lab: The Best Marketing Tactic Everyone Knows and No One Uses |
Michael Anderson |
1 General |
9:15 - 10:15 AM |
Learning Lab: Bridging the Gap: What Funeral Directors Believe vs. What Cremation Families Do |
Barbara Kemmis, CAE |
1 General |
9:15 - 10:15 AM |
Learning Lab: Succession Is Not Just a TV Show—It’s Preserving Your Legacy |
Chris Cruger |
1 General |
10:45 - 11:30 AM |
Opening Ceremony, Annual Meeting, Board Installation and Past President Recognition |
|
|
11:45 AM - 12:30 PM |
Lunch |
|
|
12:30 - 1:15 PM |
Awards and Recognition Ceremony |
|
|
1:15 - 1:30 PM |
Refresh & Recharge |
|
|
1:30 - 2:30 PM |
Keynote: Lead Your Evolution |
Judson Laipply, M.Ed, CSP |
1 General |
2:30 - 2:45 PM |
Refresh & Recharge |
|
|
2:45- 3:45 PM |
Keynote: YANOK TITLE PENDING |
Rob Yanok |
1 General |
4:00 - 6:30 PM |
Exhibit Hours |
1 GeneralExhibit viewing: 1 CE hour permitted for the duration of the convention |
|
4:00 - 6:30 PM |
Exhibitor Reception |
||
4:00 - 6:30 PM |
Portrait Studio |
|
|
7:00 - 9:30 PM |
Young Funeral Directors Social Event - offsite at PBR Cowboy Bar + Smokehouse |
Wednesday,April 30 |
Event/Program |
Presenter(s) |
CE |
7:00 AM- 5:30 PM |
Registration |
||
7:00 - 8:00 AM |
Breakfast |
||
8:00 - 9:00 AM |
Learning Lab: Leaders are Learners |
Tyler J. O’Brien, Ed.D., CFSP, CCSP & Kenn Peterson |
1 Ethics |
8:00 - 9:00 AM |
Learning Lab: Legacy's Last Breath |
Amanda Joy Loveland & Riley Facer |
1 Ethics |
8:00 - 9:00 AM |
Learning Lab: Ferfolia/Ingram: Title TBD |
Donald B. Ferfolia, Jr., JD, CFSP &David A. Ingram, Esq. |
1 Preneed Ethics Principles |
9:15 - 10:15 AM |
Learning Lab: Assessment and Restoration Treatments of Gunshot Wounds |
Dominick J. Astorino |
1 General |
9:15 - 10:15 AM |
Learning Lab: Being Creative with Families |
Lanae Strovers |
1 General |
9:15 - 10:15 AM |
Learning Lab: Open Doors for Little Hearts; Making Your Funeral Home Welcoming of Children |
Mark Markell, Ph.D., CT |
1 General |
10:30 - 11:15 AM |
Service of Remembrance |
|
|
11:00 - 11:45AM |
Mortuary Student Lunch |
||
11:15 - 11:30 PM |
Refresh & Recharge |
||
11:30 AM - 12:15 PM |
Grab & Go Lunch on the Exhibit Floor |
||
11:45 AM - 1:15 PM |
OFDA Job Fair |
||
12:15 - 1:45 PM |
National Update and Keynote: The Collaboration Imperative: Strengthening the Profession from Within |
Avi S. Olitzky |
1.5 GeneralAttendees must participate in both sessions to earn credit. |
1:15 - 2:45 PM |
Mortuary Student Forum |
YFD Committee Members |
|
1:45 - 2:00 PM |
Refresh & Recharge |
||
2:00 - 3:00 PM |
Keynote: Exhaustion, Burnout & Stress – Oh My! Self-Care Strategies for the Funeral Professional |
Nick Williamson |
1 General |
3:00 - 5:30 PM |
Exhibit Hours |
1 GeneralExhibit viewing: 1 CE hour for the duration of the convention |
|
3:00 - 5:30 PM |
Portrait Studio |
||
5:30 - 7:00 PM |
President's Reception: Shamrocks & Shenanigans |
||
7:00 - 9:00 PM |
Cincinnati College of Mortuary Science (CCMS) Alumni & Friends Reception |
Courtesy of and hosted by CCMS |
Thursday, May 1 |
Event/Program |
Presenter(s) |
CE |
7:00 - 12:45 AM |
Registration |
|
|
8:00 - 9:00 AM |
Learning Lab: Ingram: TBD |
David A. Ingram, Esq. |
1 Laws & Rules |
8:00 - 9:00 AM |
Learning Lab: Seeing Is Healing: The Neuroscience of Grief, the Data on Viewing, and the Role of Embalming |
Dr. Damon de la Cruz |
1 Ethics |
8:00 - 9:00 AM |
Learning Lab: Unclaimed Cremated Remains |
|
|
9:00 - 11:00 AM |
Brunch |
|
|
9:15 - 10:15 AM |
Learning Lab: Creating Space for the Silent Grievers |
Shana Sadoski, MSW, LSW, MPH |
1 General |
9:15 - 10:15 AM |
Learning Lab: Building Trust Before They Walk Through the Door |
Bill A. Johnston |
1 General |
9:15 - 10:15 AM |
Learning Lab: Beyond Words – What Funeral Directors Say Without Saying a Thing |
Kelly Manion |
1 General |
10:15 - 11:45 AM |
Exhibit Hours |
1 GeneralExhibit viewing: 1 CE hour for the duration of the convention |
|
10:15 - 11:45 AM |
Portrait Studio |
|
|
11:45 - 1:45 PM |
Keynote: Right Fit, Right Start: Lawful, Ethical Interviewing & Onboarding |
Leili McMurrough, JD |
1 Ethics1 Laws & Rules |
1:45 - 2:00 PM |
Closing Remarks |


