This is your final opportunity to apply for NFDA’s 2026 Meet the Mentors program. Applications close tonight, January 12 at 11:59 p.m. CT, and late entries will not be accepted.

Meet the Mentors is one of National Funeral Directors Association’s most impactful leadership programs, designed to prepare early-career funeral professionals for long-term success in the profession. The 2026 program will take place April 14–17, 2026, in Washington, D.C., in conjunction with the NFDA Advocacy Summit.

Selected participants will learn directly from respected funeral service leaders, engage in candid conversations about career development and leadership, and gain firsthand experience advocating for the profession on Capitol Hill. Our 2026 mentors are: 

• Amie LM Swenson, Owner, Funeral Director-Mortician at Farnsworth Mortuary and Crematory, Jerome, Idaho
• Tracy McAdams, Managing Partner and Funeral Director, Dwayne R. Spence Funeral Homes, Canal Winchester, Ohio
• Anna F. Zvirman-Nesbit, Owner, Licensed Funeral Director, CFSP, Soxman Funeral Homes, Ltd., Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Click here to meet our mentors.

Thanks to the generous support of the Funeral Service Foundation, participation is fully funded. The program award includes: registration for Meet the Mentors and the Advocacy Summit; three nights of lodging; and a $500 travel reimbursement stipend. 

Meet the Mentors is open to NFDA-member licensed funeral directors and embalmers who are 40 years old or younger, or within their first five years of licensure. Only 25 participants will be selected for the 2026 program.

If you’ve been considering applying, don’t wait. This is your last chance to be part of the 2026 class. Apply by 11:59 p.m. CT tonight, January 12. Visit NFDA.org/Mentors to submit your entry.

Selected participants will be announced in February 2026.