Board Members
President, Ashley Johnson is an alumnus of the University of Florida, a licensed direct disposer, and a trained end-of-life doula. Ashley has earned a NEDA proficiency badge, belongs to the Cremation Association of North America (CANA), the International Cemetery, Cremation and Funeral Association (ICCFA) and Florida Palliative Care Coalition. Her death care career was inspired by growing up in a low socio-economic neighborhood that lacked advocacy on how to deal with end-of-life practices. With more than a decade in the end-of-life care industry ranging from forensic anthropology to whole-body donation, she launched Loyal Hands an end-of-life doula consulting agency to provide education, services, resources, and companionship to agencies, the elderly, and even the healthy as everyone has an end-of-life journey. Having served NEDA board since 2020 as secretary, she brings a wealth of experience and strong leadership experience to the NEDA presidency. Ashley volunteers at several local hospices and non-profits and serves as the “Get Your Rear in Gear” 5k run/walk event director for the Colon Cancer Coalition. Ashley lives in Orlando, Florida. Feel free to email her at President@nedalliance.org
Vice President, Michelle Thornhill is a graduate of Eastern University, and Founder of Legacy & Hope, LLC, a boutique company that helps individuals & organizations with grief, loss, bereavement, and end of life care. She is a licensed Advanced Certified Grief Specialist and an End-of-Life Doula, as well as a highly sought-after speaker and consultant who is called to assist communities in crisis. Michelle’s vast industry experience in funeral service and end-of-life started in 1985. She is a former Managing Director of historic cemeteries, overseeing budgets upwards of $3 million dollars and 1800 burials annually. Michelle is the Philadelphia Chapter President for the International Association of Women, a global networking organization of experts, entrepreneurs, and employees who are seeking to enhance their careers and expand their businesses. Michelle formerly co-chaired NEDA’S Justice, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Committee, and is a current Advisory Board Member for Girls Leading Africa. Her professional memberships include NEDA, the National Home Funeral Alliance (NHFA), and the Hospice Foundation of America (HFA). Michelle lives in the Philadelphia, PA area. Feel free to email her at
VicePresident@nedalliance.org 
Secretary, Alvin Harmon received his education at Liberty University in Lynchburg, VA where he holds a degree in Biblical Studies. Following, He was educated by The College of Pastoral Supervision and Psychotherapy interning with the University of Maryland and Anne Arundel Medical Center of Maryland as a part of the palliative care teams through which he received his Clinical Pastoral Education. Simultaneously, he studied at the Kennedy Institute of Ethics at Georgetown University, with a focus on Bioethics. Alvin received his End-of-Life Doula training with The Dying Year. Alvin is The Bereavement Care Services and Pre-Hospice Program Manager at Coastal Hospice of Maryland. He has more than 10 years in the End-of-Life field within these roles. His committee involvements include the Hospice and Palliative Care Network of Maryland, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Council as well as a facilitator of the We Honor Veterans Program through the NHPCO. Alvin visits an average of 110 terminal US Veterans every year to render what he has dubbed the final salute. Alvin lives in Salisbury, Maryland. Feel free to email him at secretary@nedalliance.org
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Director, Joan Bretthauer is the Founder of ACE End-of-Life Doula Services and currently works as an end-of-life doula. Joan earned her Bachelor of Science and Master of Science degrees from Lindenwood University. She holds Certification as an End-of-Life Doula-NEDA Proficient, Advance Care Planning Respecting Choices Facilitator and MIDEO Advance Care Planning Educator. Joan’s innovative involvement in area end-of-life associations has enriched her local and regional communities. During her many years as a board member and President Emeritus of Gateway End-of-Life Coalition, she created programs, workshops, and educational training for health care providers and the community. Joan is currently the organization’s Executive Director of Community Advance Care Planning Facilitation in St. Louis. She is the founder of The Midwest End-of-Life Doula Collective and a member of End-of-Life University, International Doulagivers and Aging Life Care Association. Joan is an avid researcher and sought-after speaker on the topics of advance care planning and end-of-life doulas. As someone in the community committed to make a difference, Joan advocates for Hospice and Palliative Care legislation in Washington D.C and Missouri and volunteers her time as a hospice and vigil volunteer. Joan lives in Creve Coeur, Missouri. Feel free to email her at Membershipengagement@nedalliance.org
Director, Cole Smith holds a master’s degree in gerontology from the Leonard Davis School of Gerontology at the University of Southern California. He also holds a bachelor’s degree in respiratory therapy from the University of North Carolina-Charlotte. Cole serves as the Corporate Director of Dementia Services for Brightview Senior Living which has 46 senior living communities in 8 states along the east coast. He has completed his End-of-Life Doula training through Inspired Endings and is a Certified Alzheimer’s Disease and Dementia Care Trainer and Certified Dementia Practitioner through the National Council of Certified Dementia Practitioners. Cole is faculty for the American Heart Association and teaches Basic Life Support for the AHA. Cole is an empathetic leader in the field of dementia with a passion for improving quality of life for those with life-limiting diagnoses. He is a Support Group Facilitator and Community Outreach Educator for the Alzheimer’s Association, as well as an advocate for those living with Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias. He is a nationally recognized speaker on topics of person-centered care, dementia, and other topics related to improving quality of life for all. He serves on the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee for the Greater Maryland chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association. When not at work, Cole can be found spending time with his husband, Ryan, and their two dogs (Roscoe and Linus). Cole lives in Baltimore, Maryland. Feel free to email him at DEIJ@nedalliance.org
Director, Karen Reppen holds a grief support specialist certificate from the University of Wisconsin, Madison (UW). She did her EOLD training with the University of Vermont, attended the Upaya Zen Center’s Being with Dying program, as well as attending the Orphan Wisdom School for the past ten years. The founder of Persephone’s Garden, Karen offers personal death awareness training, end-of-life care education, and direct support for those preparing for or experiencing aging, illness, death, and grief. A strong proponent for community death care, she guides home funerals and natural burials through Walking Each Other Home, and she facilitates death cafes and workshops through The Great Circle Collaborative. Karen has more than 20 years of experience as a hospice communications professional and direct care volunteer. Formerly a facilitator for the UW Multicultural Awareness Program, she remains active in several local antiracism and social justice initiatives. A founder and current board member for Solace Friends, Inc., Karen calls Madison, WI, home. Feel free to email her at Communications@nedalliance.org
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Staff
Business Manager &
Membership Coordinator Kim Adams is responsible for managing our membership platform and directories. Kim served two years on the NEDA board after many years of experience in the death/dying field, having begun in the early 1990's as a case manager, and housing and legislative advocate for people with HIV/AIDS. She served on the National Home Funeral Alliance (NHFA) Board of Directors as Secretary and Events Coordinator, is a certified, professional End of Life Coach, Home Funeral Guide, and hospice volunteer. Kim is currently on the Board of the Omega Home Network, a non-profit national membership organization that promotes the development and expansion of community homes for dying people,.and she is the former President of the Board of Directors for The Lily House, a community end of life home in Wellfleet, Massachusetts. |
Website Design and Content
Lee Webster is a NEDA Founder and Treasurer who has served in a leadership role and in developing websites for many other death care nonprofits, including the National Home Funeral Alliance (President), Green Burial Council (President) New Hampshire Funeral Resources, Education & Advocacy (Director), Funeral.org Partnership, Conservation Burial Alliance, Minnesota Death Collaborative, as well as many others outside the nonprofit sector. She is a published author, national speaker, and leading advocate for funeral reform, combining her career experience with hospice, conservation, and higher education development to changing end of life and after death practices to truly meet the needs of individuals, families, and communities. |
Advisors
Legal Counsel
Poul Lemasters, Esq has a professional career that covers both funeral service (over 25 years) and law. He attended Cincinnati College of Mortuary Science, graduating in 1996. While working in deathcare, he went on to attend Northern Kentucky University, Chase College of Law, graduating in 2003. Poul now operates and is principal of Lemasters Consulting, located in Cincinnati, Ohio, a consulting business entirely for the deathcare profession, which includes funeral homes, funeral directors/embalmers, cemeteries, cemeterains, cremationists, crematory owners, as well as the suppliers to all of them. He assists in areas of legal, compliance, regulatory, and operational issues. Poul also serves in various roles with national groups such as: General Counsel for ICCFA (International Cemetery, Crematory and Funeral Association; Legal Counsel for NCBVA (National Concrete Burial Vault Association); Legal Advisor to CCC (Catholic Cemetery Conference). See Poul's website for more information. |
Past Board Members
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Founding Directors
Merilynne Rush 2018-20 (President) Deanna Cochran 2018 (Vice President) Suzanne O'Brien 2018-19 (Vice President) Trudy Brown 2018 (Secretary) Lee Webster 2018-19 (Treasurer) Patty Burgess 2018 Tarron Estes 2018 Directors Kim Adams 2018-20 Alua Arthur 2019-20 Elizabeth Aungier 2018 Diane Button 2020 Robert Drake 2020 Karylinn Echols 2020 Jessica Harrington 2022 Karen Hendrickson 2021 Nada Frazier 2019 Joelle Johns 2019 Elizabeth Johnson 2020-22 Joseph Knight 2019-20 Lisa Patterson 2019-20 Amy Roth Sandrolini 2020-21 Diane Santostefano 2020-22 Angela Shook 2018-22 Tonya Fortune Smith 2021-22 Victoria Quinn-Stephens 2019-20 Terry Skovronek 2018 Leann Thrapp 2019 Charlene Vandiver 2019 Tracey Walker 2019-21 |
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NATIONAL END-OF-LIFE DOULA ALLIANCE (NEDA)
PO BOX 456 HOLDERNESS NH 03245 NEDA is a nonprofit 501c6 membership organization dedicated to supporting end-of-life doulas and the families they serve. Content on this website is for informational purposes only and is not offered as legal advice. |
Ferns are traditional symbols of humility and sincerity, both chief qualities of end-of-life doulas NEDA©2021, Powered by Weebly, Designed by Lee Webster, Content by Lee Webster and Merilynne Rush |
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