Leadership Starts Here: NFDA Announces 2025-26 Class of Emerging Leaders > National Funeral Directors Association (NFDA)
  • For Families
  • Suppliers
  • The Foundation
  • Store
  • News
    • In the News
    • COVID 19
    • Media Center
  • Connect With Us
    • Podcast
    • Blog
    • Contact us
  • Become a Member
Search Cart Login
National Funeral Directors Association (NFDA)
Cart
Search
Login
  • Become a Member
  • Conferences
    • Advocacy Summit
    • Consumer Trends Conference
    • Embalming & Restorative Art Seminar
    • Futures Forum
    • International Convention & Expo
    • Call for Presentations
    • Service of Remembrance
    • Leadership Conference
    • Meet the Mentors
    • Professional Women's Conference
    • Inspiration Award
  • Membership
    • Become a Member
    • Membership Value Meter
    • Member Perks
    • SupportLinc Member Assistance Program
    • Discount Advantage Program
    • Endorsed Providers
    • Recognition Programs
    • Member Directory
    • Code of Professional Conduct
    • Committees & Groups
  • Resources
    • Legal & Compliance
    • Business & Technical
    • Operations & Management
    • Take 5 Series
    • Music and Webcasting Licenses
    • Remembering A Life
    • Media Relations
    • Marketing Materials
    • Publications
    • Research
    • Serving Veterans
    • Alternative Disposition
    • Find a Funeral Home
    • Find A Supplier
  • Education
    • Education Overview
    • National Emerging Leaders Program
    • Search CE By State
    • Calendar of Events
    • Webinars
    • On-Demand Learning
    • Certification & Training Programs
    • International Professional Achievement Certificate
    • Licensing Boards & Requirements
  • Careers
    • Become a Funeral Professional
    • Journey to Serve
    • Find/Post a Job
    • Licensing Boards & Requirements
    • Schools/Education
    • Scholarships
    • Work at NFDA
  • Advocacy
    • Overview
    • Current Issues
    • Get Involved
    • Donate to the PAC
    • Advocacy Summit
  • News
    • In The News
    • COVID-19
    • Media Center
    • Blog
  • Conferences
    • Advocacy Summit
    • Consumer Trends Conference
    • Embalming & Restorative Art Seminar
    • Futures Forum
    • International Convention & Expo
    • Call for Presentations
    • Service of Remembrance
    • Leadership Conference
    • Meet the Mentors
    • Professional Women's Conference
    • Inspiration Award
  • Membership
    • Become a Member
    • Membership Value Meter
    • Member Perks
    • SupportLinc Member Assistance Program
    • Discount Advantage Program
    • Endorsed Providers
    • Recognition Programs
    • Member Directory
    • Code of Professional Conduct
    • Committees & Groups
  • Resources
    • Legal & Compliance
    • Business & Technical
    • Operations & Management
    • Take 5 Series
    • Music and Webcasting Licenses
    • Remembering A Life
    • Media Relations
    • Marketing Materials
    • Publications
    • Research
    • Serving Veterans
    • Alternative Disposition
    • Find a Funeral Home
    • Find A Supplier
  • Education
    • Education Overview
    • National Emerging Leaders Program
    • Search CE By State
    • Calendar of Events
    • Webinars
    • On-Demand Learning
    • Certification & Training Programs
    • International Professional Achievement Certificate
    • Licensing Boards & Requirements
  • Careers
    • Become a Funeral Professional
    • Journey to Serve
    • Find/Post a Job
    • Licensing Boards & Requirements
    • Schools/Education
    • Scholarships
    • Work at NFDA
  • Advocacy
    • Overview
    • Current Issues
    • Get Involved
    • Donate to the PAC
    • Advocacy Summit
  • For Families
  • Suppliers
  • The Foundation
  • Store
  • Podcast
  • Blog
  • Contact us

NFDA News Releases

Media Center
Home News Media Center NFDA News Releases

NFDA News Releases

Leadership Starts Here: NFDA Announces 2025-26 Class of Emerging Leaders

May 08, 2025

Download this news release as a PDF. 

For Immediate Release: May 8, 2025

Brookfield, Wis. – The National Funeral Directors Association (NFDA) is thrilled to introduce the 17 funeral service professionals selected to participate in the 2025-26 National Emerging Leaders Program. This year-long leadership development experience empowers participants to grow as visionary, values-driven leaders in their funeral homes, communities and the profession at large.

Since its inception, the National Emerging Leaders Program has nurtured nearly 60 promising professionals, providing them with the skills, knowledge and confidence to lead with purpose. Through a combination of in-person and virtual learning, mentorship and invaluable networking, participants are equipped to inspire meaningful change in funeral service.

The 2025-26 program will begin with a retreat at NFDA headquarters in Brookfield, Wisconsin, in June, and will conclude at the 2026 NFDA Leadership Conference. Participants will also engage in a series of approximately seven virtual learning sessions throughout the year, led by top funeral service leaders and experts from outside the profession.

The members of the 2025-26 National Emerging Leaders Program class are:

  • Kerri Bittner, Elm Ridge Funeral Home & Memorial Park, Muncie, Indiana
  • Elijah Bragg, Heritage Funeral and Cremation, Spokane, Washington
  • Dane Chasca, McPherson Funeral Services, Cranbrook, British Columbia, Canada
  • Renee Childs, A.A. Rayner & Sons Funeral Home, Chicago, Illinois
  • Madison Crihfield, Covington Funeral Home, Covington, Tennessee
  • Desirae Delgado, Harrell Funeral Homes, Austin, Texas
  • Ryan Drake, Watkins Brothers Funeral Homes, Owosso, Michigan
  • Monica Hall, Hill’s Mortuary, Statesboro, Georgia
  • Caitlin Johnson, Evanson Jensen Funeral Home, Mott, North Dakota
  • Nicole Lutz, Mueller Memorial, Saint Paul, Minnesota
  • Michael McGaffigan, McGaffigan Funeral Home, Pepperell, Massachusetts
  • Andrea Rief, Hoy Kilnoski Funeral Home, Council Bluffs, Iowa
  • Tina Spedden, Lee Funeral Homes, Owings, Maryland
  • Loran Spence, Carmon Community Funeral Homes, Windsor, Connecticut
  • Jarell Springfield, Calumet Park Funeral Chapel, Merrillville, Indiana
  • Katlyn Taueetia, Coleman-Taylor Funeral Services, Cecil, Pennsylvania
  • Tyler Wilson, Arch L. Heady & Son Funeral Home – Okolona Chapel, Louisville, Kentucky

“Leadership is not about a title – it’s about service, vision and impact,” said NFDA President Christopher P. Robinson, CFSP, CCO. “NFDA’s National Emerging Leaders Program is one of the most important ways we’re preparing the next generation of professionals to carry our profession forward with integrity and innovation. I congratulate this year’s class and look forward to watching their growth and leadership in the years to come.”

The program is open to all licensed funeral professionals in the United States and Canada – regardless of NFDA membership – who are in the early stages of their careers. Participants are selected through a competitive application process.

NFDA extends its sincere thanks to the Funeral Service Foundation for its generous support of the National Emerging Leaders Program.

“The leaders we cultivate today will shape the future of funeral service,” said John Heald, chair of the Funeral Service Foundation Board of Trustees. “That’s why the Funeral Service Foundation is proud to support this transformative program: it equips talented professionals with the tools, connections and confidence they need to grow, lead and make a lasting difference in the communities they serve.”

To learn more about the program, visit NFDA.org/EmergingLeaders.

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 NFDA.org. 

# # #

Media Contact: Jessica Koth, 262-814-1536, JKoth@NFDA.org

25 Latest Articles View News List | Search News
Media Center
  • What is a Funeral Director?
  • Funeral Service 101
  • Statistics
  • NFDA News Releases
  • Contacts and Spokesperson Team

Year

  1. 2025

  2. 2024

  3. 2023

  4. 2022

  5. 2021

  6. 2020

  7. 2019

  8. 2018

NFDA Mission Statement

The National Funeral Directors Association is the world’s leading, largest and most trusted association to support funeral professionals. We provide our members with critical information, innovative tools, resources and the professional community they need to serve families, run sustainable businesses and become pillars in their communities.

Connect With Us

  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
  • Facebook
  • Youtube
  • NFDA Podcast
  • NFDA Blog
Toll-free
800-228-6332
Phone
262-789-1880

Quick Links

  • About NFDA
  • The Foundation
  • In The News
  • Contact Us
  • The Director
  • NFDA Blog
  • Conferences
  • Membership
  • Resources
  • Education
  • Advocacy
  • Podcast
  • NFDA Store
  • Career Center
  • Remembering a Life
    • For Funeral Directors
    • For Families
  • Suppliers

Quick Links +

  • About NFDA
  • The Foundation
  • In The News
  • Contact Us
  • The Director
  • NFDA Blog
  • Conferences
  • Membership
  • Resources
  • Education
  • Advocacy
  • Podcast
  • NFDA Store
  • Career Center
  • Remembering a Life
    • For Funeral Directors
    • For Families
  • Suppliers
© 2025 by National Funeral Directors Association. All Rights Reserved. Terms Of Use Privacy Statement
Back to top
This site uses cookies - you have the ability to accept or decline cookies. Most web browsers automatically accept cookies, but you can usually modify your browser setting to decline cookies if you prefer. If you choose to decline cookies, you may not be able to fully experience the interactive features of the NFDA services or websites you visit.
To learn more about what cookies are and how to manage them visit AboutCookies.org
This site uses cookies to help deliver an engaging user experience.
To learn more about what cookies are and how to manage them visit AboutCookies.org
This site uses cookies - you have the ability to accept or decline cookies. Most web browsers automatically accept cookies, but you can usually modify your browser setting to decline cookies if you prefer. If you choose to decline cookies, you may not be able to fully experience the interactive features of the NFDA services or websites you visit.
To learn more about what cookies are and how to manage them visit AboutCookies.org