Anna Bernfeld

Senior Vice President, Member Relations
National Funeral Directors Association (NFDA)

Anna oversees recruitment and retention efforts of NFDA members in the United States and around the world. Additionally, she directs the development of relationships with endorsed providers and other efforts intended to build positive relationships with association members. She was hired as NFDA’s call center manager in 1997 and was promoted to vice president of membership in 2002.

General Session: National Update

• 0.50 CE Hour, General

Betsy Brumley

Chief Executive Officer
3rd Generation Music Publisher and Licensing Expert
Memory Valley Music

Learning Lab: Music & Memories: Elevating the Family's Journey Through the Power of Music

• 1 CE Hour, Laws & Rules

Brandon Catchen

Owner
SCU Services

Brandon Catchen has been in the funeral industry for 15 years with his family's funeral home, Catchen and Son Funeral located in Northern Kentucky. Through numerous and various opportunities in working in this field, Brandon saw the importance of his work and how he could be of service to families in times of need.

As knowledge of his expertise grew, grieving families often approached Brandon with assistance to clean up a decomposition, homicides, and/or suicides. Thus, SCU Services was created to be that answer in 2019. 

"As a death professional I am looked at for answers. SCU has been that answer to families in their time of sudden need. I love to step into a home, provide accurate answers and service. My hope for SCU is that a family would never have to clean up after a loss of a loved one."

Brandon and his business partner, Eric Northrup, have led and completed 300 cleans up operations combined.

Learning Lab: Restoring Dignity: The Invaluable Role of Death and Trauma Cleanup Services

• 1 CE Hour, Ethics

Tabitha R. Cline-Mills, MBA

Regional Sales Manager
Great Western Insurance, A Wellabe Company

Tabitha R. Cline-Mills has been a regional manager with Great Western Insurance, a Wellabe Company for four years.  Prior to that, she spent over a decade in the death-care business environment as a licensed funeral director/embalmer and Life & Health agent, wherein she sold preneed insurance concurrently for a full-service approach.  Most of her career has been in the corporate sector, wherein she gained experience in project/change management, marketing and public speaking.  

She holds a Bachelor of Mortuary Science from the Cincinnati College of Mortuary Science (2000) and a Master of Business Administration from West Texas A&M University (2019). 

Tabitha is pleased to be able to combine her business knowledge and practical experience to further business relationships with insurance and funeral professionals in her region to create a strategic portfolio of insurance products, aftercare/marketing programs and creative, personalized business solutions for preneed success with an at-need perspective.  

Preconvention Insurance Seminar: Ethics and Estate Planning: A Guide for Preplanning and Insurance Professionals

• 5 CE Insurance License Hours Only
• Insurance Hours Only/Does NOT go toward Funeral Director or Embalmer Hours
• CE Hours Approved with the Ohio Department of Insurance

Donald B. Ferfolia, Jr., J.D., CFSP

Licensed Funeral Director
Vice President
Ferfolia Funeral Home

Don is a fourth-generation funeral director involved with his family’s funeral firm in the Southeast Cleveland area.  In addition to being a funeral director he is an attorney who is a principal with the law firm of Donald B. Ferfolia, Jr., LTD, located in Brecksville, Ohio.  The combination of law, funeral service, and family business experiences have provided Don with a unique skill set that enables him to assist clients in solving many different types of problems.  He enjoys helping firms deal with the daily challenges of running a closely held business including regulatory compliance, proactively managing accounts receivable issues and succession planning. 

Learning Lab: I Want to Help, but I Don’t Know How…Providing a Dignified Funeral for Veterans and Those Without Families

• 1 CE Hour, Laws & Rules

Sharon L. Gee-Mascarello, CFSP, MBIE

Retired Mortuary School Professor
Funeral Director and Embalmer
Funeral Home Liaison, Gift of Life Michigan

is primary author/editor of the latest edition of the renowned text, Embalming: History, Theory, and Practice, Sixth Edition (McGraw-Hill Education, 2022). She enters her 38^th year as a licensed funeral director and embalmer in the State of Michigan.

Gee-Mascarello retired in the position of clinical faculty in the Mortuary Science Program at Wayne State University, Detroit after 24 years as the Instructor of Embalming. At the onset of distance education, she created two instructional videos, “Introduction to Embalming” and “Introduction to Embalming Instruments”. Wayne State University named her Educator of the Year. The 100 Black Women of Funeral Service honored Gee-Mascarello as Mortuary Educator of the Year.

Sharon is a member of the Academy of Professional Funeral Service Practice, British Institute of Embalmers, International Grief Institute, Michigan Funeral Directors Association, National Funeral Directors Association, and Ohio Embalmers Association. She is a frequent presenter on topics that reinforce the relevance of caring for, honoring, and viewing our dead.

Sharon is proud to be a registered organ donor. She encourages Funeral Professionals and Organ Procurement Organizations to work together when families support donation. She is quick to highlight the critical role embalmers and funeral directors play in honoring donor heroes. Gift of Life Michigan recognized Sharon’s stewardship in the classroom, in the field, and in the revised chapter on donation in the new textbook. She was awarded the first-ever Champion Funeral Professional of the Year Award. In 2023, Sharon joined the team at Gift of Life as their Funeral Home Liaison.

Embalming Track: Reverent Care, the Influence of Mindset and Best Practices

• 1 CE Hours, Ethics

Tyler Huber

Firefighter/Paramedic
Fire and EMS Instructor, MPA
Ohio LAST Team

Tyler's firefighting journey began in 2005 when he started as a volunteer, transitioning to full-time service in 2010. Since 2013, he has served as a fire and EMS instructor, boasting a rich educational background both as an instructor and a student. In 2023, he completed his master's in public administration. Tyler's involvement in numerous fire department funerals over the years led him to join the fire department honor guard in 2016, eventually assuming a commanding role. He has worked closely with funeral directors and is a member of Ohio's Local Assistance State Team (LAST), responding to firefighter line of duty deaths (LODD) in the state. Additionally, in 2014, he married the daughter of a funeral director, Gene Gompf, and his sons, whose experiences inspired aspects of this presentation.

Learning Lab: Firefighter Funerals for Funeral Directors

• 1 CE Hour, General

David A. Ingram, Esq.

OFDA General Counsel
The Ingram Firm

David is a Columbus-based attorney practicing in a range of areas such as emerging businesses and non-profit and tax-exempt organizations. He draws on his experience as the previous executive director for the Ohio Board of Embalmers and Funeral Directors to serve OFDA and its membership. He enjoys the opportunity to assist funeral service entrepreneurs and family-owned businesses in navigating compliance, licensing, risk, and the unique challenges that they face each day.

Learning Lab: The Back Room: Creating the Preneed Recovery Fund

• 1 CE Hour, Preneed Ethics

Amanda Marie Eilis King, CFSP, MBIT

Licensed Funeral Director & Embalmer
B.C. Bailey Funeral Home
Frigid Fluid Company

Amanda Marie Eilis King, CFSP, MBIT, is an Embalmer and Funeral Director holding licensure in multiple states. She completed her embalming apprenticeship under Vernie R. Fountain, as well as extensive training in postmortem reconstructive work. In addition to her AAS in Mortuary Science from ACC in Colorado, Amanda holds a B.S. from Skidmore College for Studio Art and Biology, and a Post- Baccalaureate degree from the Maryland Institute College of Art. Her approach to Funeral Service is from an artistic standpoint. She is also an educator who specializes in and teaches reconstructive work and cosmetic application. Her contributions in the field outside of the funeral home include articles, illustrations, and photography for trade journals. She also does freelance work as AMEK Graphics and is an embalming specialist with Frigid Fluid Company.

Embalming Track: The Biology Behind Better Cosmetics

• 1 CE Hours, General

N. Lee Longino

President-Elect
The International Cemetery, Cremation & Funeral Association (ICCFA)

Longino serves as Senior Managing Director for the Major East Business Unit for SCI’s Major Markets which consists of 275 funeral homes and cemetery locations in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Maryland, Mississippi, Virginia, and Washington, D.C. As a second-generation funeral director and embalmer with 35-years of service in the deathcare profession, his teams serves approximately 40,000 families each year while overseeing approximately 2,000 associates. Longino holds a degree in business management from LeTourneau University, an MBA in accounting from The University of Texas at Dallas and is a graduate of the Dallas Institute of Funeral Service. 

Longino has been an active member of the ICCFA for many years, including serving on the Board of Directors as the Vice President on the Internal Affairs and External Affairs, and as co-chair of the 2016 ICCFA Annual Convention & Exposition. He is also active in the FCCFA, serving as a Past-President, continuing to serve on the legislative committee, and was instrumental in the committee to merge the FFDA and FCFCA to create a unified association. Longino has passionately participated in fundraising projects for breast cancer research and for supporting candidacies across the state of Florida.

General Session: National Update

• 0.50 CE Hour, General

Eric Northrup

Owner
SCU Services

Eric Northup comes from the nonprofit world in which he started multiple ministries for students with disabilities. Eric's previous position was a Campus Pastor at a local church in which he started and led for 4 years with an average attendance of 450. 

Eric did not grow up in the funeral industry, nor had he been around death much. This has enabled him to observe the business with a fresh set of eyes, and views his role at SCU as the Visionary, helping grow and scale the company with a focus on brand and culture.

Eric cares deeply about the impact SCU makes in the lives of a grieving family. Believing firmly that NO one should clean up a loved one and seeking to go above and beyond each and every time. 

Eric and his business partner, Brandon Catchen, have led and completed over 400 cleans up with their experience combined.

Learning Lab: Restoring Dignity: The Invaluable Role of Death and Trauma Cleanup Services

• 1 CE Hour, Ethics

John O'Leary

National Bestselling Author & Speaker
John O’Leary Live Inspired

In 1987, John O’Leary was a curious nine-year-old boy. Playing with fire and gasoline, John created a massive explosion in his home and was burned on 100% of his body. He was given less than a 1% chance to live.

This epic story of survival (first showcased in 2008 with his parents’ acclaimed book Overwhelming Odds) has never felt more relevant than as we live through the COVID-19 pandemic together.

Today, John is the author of the #1 National Bestselling books ON FIRE and IN AWE. The latter released in May 2020 with many saying it is the message we all need right now. John is the host of the top-rated Live Inspired Podcast and a live and virtual event speaker teaching more than 50,000 people around the world each year how to live inspired.

Consistently described as “the best speaker we’ve ever had” John’s emotional storytelling, unexpected humor and authenticity make each presentation unforgettable. 

John’s genuine, collaborative approach to partnering allowed him to understand early that clients’ biggest pain point in the wake of the fallout from the pandemic is team “burnout.” To address this, John expanded his Live Inspired Coaching program to bring his keynote from inspirational to transformational. Early successes in the program have clients saying their teams are more focused, collaborative and engaged than ever.

John considers his greatest success to be his marriage to his wife Beth, their four children and his relationships with friends and family.

Learn more at johnolearyinspires.com

Keynote: Embrace Your Thoughts, Elevate Your Life

• 1 CE Hour, General

Jenn Schlosser

Owner and Operator
Schlosser Funeral Home & Cremation Services

Jenn Schlosser along with her husband Brian, are licensed funeral directors and embalmers, and proud owners and operation of the Schlosser Funeral Home & Cremation Services in Wapakoneta.

Jenn is the current Northwest Regional Director of the Ohio Funeral Directors Association and is the co-chair of the OFDA Young Funeral Directors Committee. Jenn represents OFDA at various mortuary school job fairs and presentations and is dedicated to serving her community.

General Session: Best Practices in Recruitment & Retention

• 0.50 CE Hour, General

Mitch Smith

AVP, Partnership Development
eFuneral Solutions, LLC

Mitch Smith is Director of Partnership Development for eFuneral Solutions, LLC. Prior to joining eFuneral, Mitch spent a decade in financial services and marketing. He has a bachelor’s degree in marketing from Iowa State University and an MBA from Bellevue University.

Learning Lab: Meeting Your Families on Their Terms; Preneed in the New Era

• 1 CE Hour, Preneed Ethics

Jarrod Williams

Executive Director
State of Ohio Board of Embalmers and Funeral Directors

Jarrod Williams is the executive director of the State of Ohio Board of Embalmers and Funeral Directors. Mr. Williams was appointed to the role in October 2023 to serve as the board’s chief administrative officer. He is committed to supporting and promoting the board’s Mission Statement and to carrying out the organization’s policies, programs, and initiatives.

Prior to being selected to the lead position, Jarrod was filled in as the interim executive director of the board upon the retirement of its former director, Cheryl Grossman, in April 2023. 

Jarrod has more than eleven years of employment with the board. He began as an administrative assistant coordinating the board’s operations, providing support services to the executive director and office staff performing routine and non-routine clerical duties when needed or as assigned. Duties included research, preparation of reports and communications, and general business functions.

As his knowledge of agency policies and procedures and general government structure and process grew, Jarrod was promoted to oversee general office management. This experience brought about guardianship of the board’s assets, financials, meetings, procurement, records, and more.

Because of his adaptability and acceptance of new tasks, regulatory compliance would soon follow. Management of consumer complaints, compliance cases, hearings and all related matters came to be under his supervision. Familiarity with the board’s laws and rules was essential.

Over time, the varied duties and responsibilities entrusted to Jarrod have contributed to his skills and experience, judgment and decision making, and rounded success in his career with the board.

Licensure and regulation of the state’s funeral service profession had never crossed Jarrod’s mind before applying for and accepting that administrative assistant position. Although his job resume included administrative and managerial skills in office and production environments that could transfer, he had little idea what experiences were ahead.

General Session: Elevating Skills, Impacting Futures: The Master-Apprentice Relationship

• 1 CE Hour, Ethics