Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (she/her)
isabel@homefuneralalliance.org Isabel is a human-centered designer in the deathcare space. She is also an INELDA-trained death doula, a home funeral guide, and a member of the Funeral Consumers Alliance of Pennsylvania. She helps doulas and death-positive businesses create a more inclusive and accessible experience for their clients through human-centered design workshops and also creates online courses and offers freelance graphic design work for death-positive businesses and organizations. Her primary goal is to make death a more equitable experience for all, and one day hopes to open a real-life "death cafe" and death education space in Philadelphia! You can find her on Instagram at @thedeathdesigner. |
Layfayette, Indiana (they/them)
izzy@homefuneralalliance.org Izzy is a recent Mortuary Science graduate in the midst of their state required funeral internship. Izzy’s interest in deathcare came after experiencing a death in the family in their youth, and seeing the shortcomings of the funeral industry firsthand. This event would lead Izzy to enter mortuary school with a passion for affordable and accessible alternative deathcare and leave it assured of the need for culturally literate deathcare practitioners. On top of their Indiana Funeral Intern license, Izzy is a trained Celebrant & End-of-Life Doula, as well as being a certified Crematory Operator in both flame and water cremation. Izzy hopes to use their time in the Midwest to ensure that more people know about their end-of-life and after-death options, and is currently working to volunteer their doula services with a local hospice. |
Everett, Washington (she/her)
anna@homefuneralalliance.org Anna is a funeral celebrant and licensed funeral director who graduated from Wesleyan University as an Art Studio major with a minor in Environmental Science. But it was in her many years in hospitality that Anna found great satisfaction in creating, facilitating and holding space for quality human connection. As event coordinator for a restored, gigantic barn in Vermont (lots of weddings), she felt a strong urge to change her focus to funerals. Anna received her certification as a Funeral Celebrant and started Ritual Arrangements in 2020. When the pandemic put a stop to gatherings, she decided to pursue the intern track offered by the State of WA to become a licensed funeral director, where she found her life's calling in tending to the body with reverence and care, holding space for grief in its many faces, and creating ceremonies and crafting rituals that help process the passing. |
Asheville, North Carolina (they/she)
sara@homefuneralalliance.org For nearly a decade, Sara has focused their professional career in supporting the LGBTQIA+ movement through local and state advocacy and non-profit administrative support. Currently, she manages all day-to-day and long-term finance and HR operational needs for the National Center for Lesbian Rights. Sara became inspired to learn more about death work and deathcare when she found how few resources LGBTQIA+ people had access to when planning end-of-life care and burial wishes. In 2023, Sara completed the Going with Grace Death Doula and End of Life Planner Training. Sara currently volunteers in her local community as a Death Doula providing hands-on support to those in hospice care. They earned her bachelor’s degree in Sociology with a concentration in social welfare from the University of North Florida. |
Portland, Oregon (she/they)
winx@homefuneralallance.org Growing up in a family involved with end-of-life care, Winx Vestrit (she/they) has always had a strong calling to community deathcare and service. In 2020, they trained as an end-of-life doula, specializing in LGBTQIA2S+ deathcare, pet deathcare, eco-friendly body disposition options, home funerals, and end-of-life planning. Paired with their work in social media, web programming, and customer success, Winx works to educate and support their community in exploring ways to inhabit the mysterious, beautiful, difficult, and transformative spaces around death. |
Chicago, Illinois (she/her)
patrice@homefuneralalliance.org Hey! I’m Patrice. I go by the name Lady P. 3rd Eye! I was born and raised in New Jersey. I currently reside on the west of Chicago in the Lawndale Community. I also wear many hats… I am a mother of our beautiful children. I’m a Spiritualist, Hypnotist, End-of-Life Doula, Integrative Healing Arts Practitioner, and Mortuary Science Student! I love art, comedy, nature, traveling, music, dancing, singing, and food! |
Las Vegas, Nevada (she/her)
alexis@homefuneralalliance.org Alexis McCurdy is a trailblazer in the sustainable deathcare sector, operating Green Farewells Crematory in Las Vegas, NV. Her facility stands out as the first Black-owned business globally to specialize in Aquamation (Alkaline Hydrolysis), for funeral service, marking a significant step towards environmentally friendly funeral services for all. Alexis brings a wealth of experience from her digital product management roles at major corporations, blending advanced technology with sustainable practices in her work. This ensures her services are not just dignified but also beneficial for the community and the environment. Outside of her professional life, Alexis is a dedicated wife and mother, relishing time spent outdoors with her family, whether hiking, camping, or navigating off-road trails in their Jeep. |
Houston, Texas (she/her)
claudia@homefuneralalliance.org Claudia is a curious and creative artist, dynamic and didactic educator, hospice volunteer, and a full-spectrum doula. Born in Bogota, Colombia, before moving to the United States in 2009, Claudia has had the unique opportunity to witness two cultures, providing her with profound insights into how death, the great equalizer, is dealt with in a myriad of different ways. Seeing how mortality and our human desire to honor it connect us all has led Claudia to work with the end-of-life period as a vehicle of solidarity. She aims to use her knowledge to serve communities and individuals by educating and helping them make informed choices throughout these processes, all while addressing her fears about her own mortality. |
San Diego, California (she/her)
penny@homefuneralalliance.org Penny was drawn to the natural death care industry as she began to contemplate her own mortality. As she gained a deeper understanding of the standard funeral processes we often default to in Western society, she was alarmed at the lack of natural options that were available. Penny soon found herself on the road to becoming a UVM certified end-of-life doula and a new-found passion for creating conversation about dying on our own terms. Along with volunteering for TIP (Trauma Intervention Programs) and hosting Death Cafe gatherings, she's the founder of The Death Network, an online death-positive community that inspires honest, creative conversation around grief, dying and death. Join the conversation on Instagram @thedeathnetwork. |
San Francisco, CA (she/hers)
melanie@homefuneralalliance.org Mel is currently our part-time admin and our only paid staff member! She helps support our work behind the scenes by managing our social media, helping organize and promote our special events, producing our newsletter, and providing general administrative support. In her life beyond NHFA, Mel is a humanist chaplain and MSW with a special interest in companion animal deathcare. She has spent much of her career working in small nonprofits, and her professional experience includes marketing and development for community-based organizations. She also specializes in trauma-informed supportive services for sexual and gender minority youth, survivors of sexual violence, and people experiencing homelessness. |
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