2025 NFDA Meet the Mentors Program: Exclusive Opportunity for Funeral Professionals to Connect, Learn and Advocate in Washington, D.C.

Brookfield, Wis. – The National Funeral Directors Association (NFDA) is proud to announce that its highly-praised Meet the Mentors program will take place from April 8-10, 2025, in Washington, D.C. This transformative event, held in conjunction with NFDA’s annual Advocacy Summit, offers a unique opportunity for emerging funeral service professionals to engage with leaders and experience the power of advocacy firsthand. 

Since its launch in 2011, and thanks to the generous support of the Funeral Service Foundation, Meet the Mentors has provided invaluable insights and connections for hundreds of funeral professionals. This year’s program promises to be particularly impactful, combining intimate mentorship sessions with real-world advocacy training on Capitol Hill. 

“We are thrilled to host Meet the Mentors in Washington, D.C., again this year,” said Sara Moss, MS, CT, LFD, NFDA Associate Director of Education. “This setting not only offers participants the chance to learn from top funeral service leaders but also equips them with the skills and experience to advocate for our profession at the highest levels of government.” 

An Exceptional Mentorship Experience 

The 2025 program will bring together 25 participants – funeral professionals aged 40 and under, or those licensed within the past five years – to learn from three distinguished mentors who have made significant contributions to the funeral service profession:

• Dr. Camelia Clarke: Co-owner of Paradise Memorial Funeral and Cremation Services and Leon L. Williamson Funeral Chapel in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Clarke brings over two decades of experience. A past president of the Wisconsin Funeral Directors Association, she is also an active member of the NFDA Spokesperson Team and deeply involved in her local community.
• Lori Sheeler: As General Manager of St. Pierre Funeral Services in Indianapolis, Indiana, Sheeler has served in key leadership roles, including Vice Chairman of the Indiana Funeral Education Foundation and District 7 Director for the Indiana Funeral Directors Association. Her dedication to mentorship and service extends beyond the funeral profession, reflecting her passion for community support and education.
• Tim Schramm: Owner and CEO of Howe-Peterson Funeral Homes in Michigan, Schramm’s expertise spans funeral service management and mass fatality response. He currently leads the Michigan Mortuary Response Team (MI-MORT) and serves on the Funeral Service Foundation’s Board of Trustees. His commitment to excellence and innovation in funeral service makes him a valuable resource for emerging professionals.

Throughout the program, participants will engage in dynamic roundtable discussions, gaining career insights and personal advice from these leaders in the funeral service profession. Beyond mentorship, attendees will build lasting connections with their peers, creating a support network that will benefit their careers for years to come. 

A Seat at the Table: Advocacy in Action 

One of the most distinctive aspects of the 2025 program is its focus on advocacy. Participants will join seasoned professionals at the NFDA Advocacy Summit, spending a day on Capitol Hill meeting with Members of Congress. This hands-on experience offers a rare opportunity to discuss how federal policies impact funeral service professionals’ ability to serve families and operate their businesses. 

“Advocacy is a crucial skill for any funeral service professional,” said Moss. “By participating in these meetings with members of Congress, mentees will not only learn about the legislative process but also see the real-world impact of their voices in shaping policies that affect our profession.” 

Previous Meet the Mentors participants offer consistently high praise for the program. A 2024 mentee said, “My favorite part of this program was being able to sit down with the mentors and talk with them … I feel that the information they gave to us will be very valuable and I will be able to incorporate it into my everyday work life to make myself a better funeral director.” 

Another noted, “NFDA’s Meet the Mentors Program was an incredible experience! I gained valuable knowledge and insight that I will be able to use throughout my career. I would highly recommend the program to all newly licensed professionals.” 

How to Apply 

Applications for the 2025 Meet the Mentors program are now open. Interested NFDA members must be licensed NFDA-member funeral directors or embalmers, aged 40 or under, or within their first five years in the profession. The application deadline is 11:59 p.m. CST on January 17, 2025. 

Selected participants will be announced in February. Thanks to the Funeral Service Foundation’s support, the program covers registration fees, lodging, and select meals; attendees are only responsible for their transportation to Washington, D.C. 

For complete details and to apply, visit NFDA.org/Mentors. For questions, contact NFDA at (800) 228-6332. 

NFDA is the world’s leading and largest funeral service association, serving 20,000 individual members who represent nearly 11,000 funeral homes in the United States and 49 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. 

Long ago the holiday of Mother’s Day was thought to be confined to all those who were birth mothers to children. Cast in a traditional role, one saw pictures of children drawing happy scenes on construction paper with crayons to express their sentiments for the occasion. Fortunately, today, we realize that the title of Mother is one that can be bestowed on anyone who takes a vested interest in loving, caring about or for a child, providing safety, comfort, lodging, and food for a child, or supporting a group of children who otherwise would have no one to call by that name.

Mothers are our very first friends in life, most of the time. They spend the most amount of time with us until we can walk, talk, and participate in activities with others. They teach us rules of behavior, share their faith with us or show us by example how to have faith, and most of all, they teach us kindness and compassion, which begins in their hearts. Our ability to give and receive love is often a function of how that was shown to us when we were young. Others come by it naturally.

What’s the best gift to offer your mom or other special lady who filled the role of providing a mother’s love? It’s only one day a year, which can often seem unfair to just have one day to celebrate them. And yet, here it is, so what do you give to show your appreciation?

The first favorite gift is unquestionably the gift of time. Taking time well in advance of the holiday to plan something special to honor your mother and the mother of your children is important. You know this day is coming so it should never look as though you waited until the last minute.

Phone calls are a must, especially if distance separates you and you can’t be there in person. Cards in the mail will take extra time, so plan on priority mail or overnight delivery if you’re cutting it close. So, time and thoughtfulness are two special ways you say “I love you” to your mom. What else?

The gift of memories, especially to an older mom, is always appreciated. Photographs that you’ve had enlarged, showing a beloved family reunion, or the two of you at a special day and time in your lives, at an event that brought you both pride and joy, those are the kinds of pictures that it’s a joy to see every day of a mother’s life.

The timeless gift of your voice—you can record a personalized greeting on your phone and send it to her via text message or e-mail, and she can play it over and over again. Telling her that you love and appreciate her is something she can see every day when she wakes up or before she goes to sleep at night. While it seems like nothing special, you’d be surprised how much it means to her. And, when you rediscover it among her things in the days where she has passed away, you might realize how much your kindness and thoughtful gift meant.

There’s no time like today to tell someone you love how much they mean to you, regardless of any national occasion. People cannot hear enough how their presence in our lives makes a difference. Taking others for granted is so easy to do, especially with our parents. We assume they will live forever, be able to join us in all our activities forever.

Because they were our very first friends, mothers are the ones that it is possible to just think that it’s just one more holiday for them. Perhaps it is. But on the vague possibility it is not, be sure and work your schedule around to include them in whatever you do. For those whose biological parents were not the ones who represent “mother” to them, just share our love with those who are.

People come into our lives and fill roles “just like” the ones we need when we need them. Life has a way of working out. Perhaps your grandmother is the one who raised you, or an aunt, or a beloved next-door neighbor was your advocate throughout your transition to adulthood. Titles are not as important as those who can express and share their love with you, especially when it is so greatly needed.

Many years go by and some of us who’ve lost their mothers early are forced to remember the loss, rather than celebrate the presence. And, on Mother’s Day it can hurt, there’s no denying. But every moment we had with our mothers becomes even more precious in our memories. As we go through life, and as women may become mothers themselves, it is a chance to put into action all the things about their dear moms that they remember best and loved the most.

This year I’m fortunate to celebrate my own wonderful mother, Lorene, and my beautiful wife, Chelsea, who is an amazing and gifted mother to our son, Rowen, who simply adores her. It is with love and thanks that I wish them, and all of you, a very special and happy Mother’s Day this year!

Are you looking for something special to do on Sunday afternoon? Here’s one idea:

The series was designed to bring the greatest music to the area in a setting where the music could be appreciated at no cost to the patron. From its beginning, the concert series operated on donations from an offering plate passed around the audience at the conclusion of the program. We are most grateful for the foresight and generosity of the community members who came before us to provide for our future enjoyment in the arts here in the Brazos Valley.