Experience & Training

Experience

As a professional Life-Cycle Celebrant, created and led hundreds of unique, personalized ceremonies celebrating life’s joys and sorrows
Advocated for social justice and community wellbeing through 35+ years as an organizer, executive director, and consultant with local, state, and national non-profits, most recently Freedom to Marry and Western States Center
As a Community Death Educator, designed and presented scores of community education workshops and professional trainings; served as an expert source for the media
Co-created the free, non-commercial resources Oregon Funeral Resources & Education and Washington Funeral Resources & Education
Led PDX Death Café (2013-2018) through dozens of conversation events at restaurants, libraries, hospice programs, senior communities, community centers, college reunions, and a music festival
Founded the Death Talk Project to support useful, honest conversation through monthly movie nights, ritual, and other events (2015-2018) after leading the 500-person, 10-hour day of programming Death: OK, Let’s Talk About It (2015)
Facilitated conversations around the state with Oregon Humanities Talking About Dying program (2015-2018)

End-of-Life Doula Proficiency Badge & After Death Care Educator Proficiency Badge, National End-of-Life Doula Alliance; Professional Presence End-of-Life Doula training with The Peaceful Presence Project
Certified in Thanatology: Death, Dying & Bereavement by the Association for Death Education & Counseling
Certified in Funerals and Ceremonies for Children and Families by the Celebrant Foundation & Institute and as a Home Funeral Guide by Final Passages
10+ years of study with Stephen Jenkinson, MTS, MSW at the Orphan Wisdom School
Master’s degree in Applied Behavioral Science from the Leadership Institute of Seattle; BA in history from Reed College
Interfaith minister credentialed through the Universal Life Church