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For Immediate Release: February 18, 2026

Brookfield, Wis., The National Funeral Directors Association (NFDA) is proud to announce the 22 funeral professionals selected to participate in the 2026 Meet the Mentors program. This signature leadership experience, made possible through the generous support of the Funeral Service Foundation, will take place April 14-17 in Washington, D.C., in conjunction with NFDA’s Advocacy Summit.

Meet the Mentors brings together early-career funeral service professionals for an immersive experience focused on leadership development, mentorship and advocacy. Since its inception in 2011, the program has provided transformative opportunities for rising leaders in funeral service.

“Meet the Mentors continues to be one of NFDA’s most impactful leadership development programs,” said Sara Moss, MS, FT, LFD, NFDA associate director of Education. “This year’s class represents an impressive cross-section of the profession. We are excited to welcome them to Washington, D.C., where they will gain invaluable career insights from accomplished mentors and experience firsthand the importance of advocacy.”

The following funeral directors have been selected for this year’s program:

• Calvin Amato, Jacob Schoen & Son, New Orleans, Louisiana
• Amanda Boyer, Watkins Brothers Funeral Homes, Howell, Michigan
• Logan Bryant, Smith Funeral & Cremation Service, Maryville, Tennessee
• Emma Bullock, Whitham-Kanapaux Funeral Home, Rockaway, New Jersey
• Alicia Burns, Hurst Funeral Home, Greenville, Michigan
• Renee Childs, A.A. Rayner & Sons, Chicago, Illinois
• Kylee Crane, Pollock-Randall Funeral Home, Port Huron, Michigan
• Andrea Delap, Higgins Funeral Home, Fayetteville, Tennessee
• Desirae Delgado, Harrell Funeral Home, Austin, Texas
• Taylor Domsch, Roeder Mortuaries Inc., Omaha, Nebraska
• Aaron Franks, Watkins Brothers Funeral Homes, Howell, Michigan
• Royney Hazzard, Marcus D. Brown Funeral Home, Anderson, South Carolina
• Liana Holt, Holt & Holt Funeral Home, Boerne, Texas
• Emily Johns, Smith Family Funeral Home – Glenwood Chapel, Glenwood, Arkansas
• Matt Martin, Piasecki Funeral Home, Kenosha, Wisconsin
• Chrissy Matthews, Smith Family Funeral Homes – Benton Chapel, Benton, Arkansas
• Meg Nichols, Conway, Cahill-Brodeur Funeral Home, Peabody, Massachusetts
• Kandice Saulsberry, Dale-Riggs Funeral Home Inc., Toledo, Ohio
• Sydney Stephens, Feuerborn Family Funeral Service, Garnett, Kansas
• Carolyn Tuff, Heritage Funeral Homes, Oak Creek, Wisconsin
• Phillip Vallelunga, Faulmann & Walsh Golden Rule Funeral Home, Fraser, Michigan
• Kelly Marie Walker, Anderson’s Tribute Center, Hood River, Oregon

An Unparalleled Mentorship and Advocacy Experience

The 2026 Meet the Mentors class will be guided by three distinguished leaders in funeral service who bring decades of experience, innovation and professional leadership to the program. This year’s mentors include:

• 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

Through candid conversations and real-world discussions, these accomplished professionals will offer practical insights on leadership, navigating business challenges, engaging their communities and building meaningful, sustainable careers in funeral service.

Beyond the mentor sessions, the four-day program is designed to immerse participants in leadership development and professional connection. Mentees will collaborate with peers from across the country, expand their national networks and participate in experiences that encourage confidence, purpose and long-term engagement in the profession.

A hallmark of the program is participation in NFDA’s Advocacy Summit. Mentees will join colleagues on Capitol Hill to meet with members of Congress and discuss federal issues impacting funeral service. By sharing their experiences and perspectives, participants will drive change by helping lawmakers understand how their decisions affect funeral professionals and the grieving families they serve.

Thanks to the exclusive support of the Funeral Service Foundation, selected participants receive registration for the Meet the Mentors program and Advocacy Summit, three nights of lodging and a $500 travel reimbursement stipend, ensuring this transformational opportunity remains accessible to the profession’s next generation of leaders.

For more information about Meet the Mentors, visit NFDA.org/Mentors.

NFDA is the world's leading and largest funeral service association representing 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.

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