President
Ashley Johnson
Ashley is a dedicated professional with a passion for ensuring compassionate and informed end-of-life care for all. With a diverse background and an unwavering commitment to her community, Ashley is at the forefront of the death care industry. As an alumna of the University of Florida with a certificate in Nonprofit Management from the University of Central Florida and a licensed direct disposer and celebrant, Ashley possesses a deep understanding of the intricacies involved in end-of-life practices and has proven her commitment to effective nonprofit leadership. Her journey began in a low socio-economic neighborhood, where she witnessed the need for advocacy and support in navigating these sensitive moments. After a decade of experience spanning from forensic anthropology to whole-body donation, Ashley founded Loyal Hands, an end-of-life doula consulting agency that is dedicated to providing education, services, resources, and companionship to agencies, the elderly, and even those in good health, recognizing that everyone has an end-of-life journey to navigate. Ashley’s commitment to the industry extends beyond her consultancy. She actively engages with various organizations, including the Cremation Association of North America (CANA); the International Cemetery, Cremation and Funeral Association (ICCFA); and the Florida Palliative Care Coalition. Ashley has also served as the NEDA board secretary since 2020, bringing invaluable experience and strong leadership to her role as president.
In addition to her professional endeavors, Ashley is deeply involved in her local community. She volunteers at several hospices and nonprofit organizations, and she serves as the event director for the Get Your Rear in Gear 5k run/walk for the Colon Cancer Coalition, demonstrating her commitment to public health and awareness. Ashley’s dedication extends beyond her work within the industry. She has been a part of a PsychArmor Working Group, contributing to the creation of a series dedicated to caring for veterans through end-of-life. As a member of the Compassion & Choices African American Leadership Council and a TEDx speaker, Ashley amplifies her voice to advocate for improved end-of-life care, diversity, and inclusivity in the field. Ashley lives in Orlando, FL.
Vice President
Michelle Thornhill
Michelle is the founder and CEO of Legacy & Hope, LLC, a boutique company dedicated to supporting individuals and organizations through grief, loss, and end-of-life care. Michelle started in the funeral service industry in 1985 and is an advanced certified grief specialist and end-of-life doula, recognized for her compassionate approach. Michelle teaches the PACE End-of-Life Doula Certification program at the University of Vermont in collaboration with the Osher Center for Integrative Health; she also instructs two grief support educational programs for adults: Pet Loss and Helping Children with Loss. Since 2020, Michelle has been a board member of NEDA and chairperson of its Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Justice Committee, with a commitment to advocating for equitable end-of-life practices. She serves on the Advisory Board for Girls Leading Africa and the Advisory Council for Greater Hope Medical Center, and collaborates with the University of Alabama on the Embodiment, Communication, and Health Living Justice Project, and is a long-time volunteer with VITAS Hospice.
In addition to her doula work, she is a sought-after speaker and consultant, assisting communities in crisis and advocating for the dignity of human remains that have been unjustly treated. Michelle also consults for Historic Eden Cemetery, the oldest continuously operating African American cemetery in the North, and has held leadership roles as managing director for cemeteries with multimillion dollar budgets, laying to rest 1800 people annually, and president of the Philadelphia chapter 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. Outside of work, Michelle enjoys crafting jewelry, reading, learning American Sign Language, and exploring Latin dance. A graduate of Eastern University, she inspires others to navigate grief in healthy ways, to live fulfilling lives, and to prepare for life’s inevitable transitions. Michelle lives in the Philadelphia, PA, area.
Secretary
McKenna Reinhard
McKenna is an alumnus of Grand Canyon University, where she earned a Master of Science in Mental Health and Wellness with an emphasis in Grief and Bereavement. She is also a trained end-of-life doula through Going with Grace and the University of Vermont and has earned a NEDA proficiency badge. She started her career working in healthcare, which inspired her to move into grief and end-of-life work as she realized the lack of support for these areas within the healthcare system. She founded Time Enough, LLC., to provide unintimidating and personable end-of-life services and education. In her doula work, she has focused on grief support for non-death losses, advance care planning for people under fifty, and end-of-life support for companion animals and their people. McKenna is also a member of the Arizona End of Life Care Partnership (AzEOLCP), the largest funded end-of-life community-based partnership of its kind in the US. As a member of the AzEOLCP, McKenna was co-chair of the Community-Based Education Action Team, which focused on creating educational events and materials around end-of-life topics with a focus on diversity, equity, and inclusion. McKenna lives in the Tucson, AZ, area.
Director
Alexis Hughes
Alexis Hughes is the Executive Director of the National Home Funeral Alliance and an experienced end-of-life doula, trained by Going with Grace & DoulaGivers. She holds an Executive MBA in Strategic Leadership and serves as an adjunct professor at Cleveland State Community College, where she teaches an End-of-Life Doula training program through the Workforce Development division.
Alexis has extensive experience in end-of-life care, including hospice work where she developed vigil and wellbeing programs for volunteer caregivers. She is the founder of Without Fear, an organization dedicated to providing education and guidance on death, grief, and major life transitions.
Her special interests include historical deathcare traditions, old-world practices, and the resurgence of Pagan ceremony in modern end-of-life work. Alexis is also a trained sin eater and actively works to reintroduce this ritual into contemporary deathcare. She resides in Chattanooga, TN.
Director
Kimberly Mitchell-Love
Kimberly, a native of Michigan, brings over twenty-two years of senior executive healthcare experience, with fifteen years focused on leading hospice and palliative care services. She holds a bachelor’s degree from Wayne State University and a Master of Public Administration from Eastern Michigan University. Throughout her career, Kimberly has worked with prominent nonprofit and for-profit organizations across the East Coast, Midwest, and Southeast regions of the country. Kimberly recently completed the Dying Year end-of-life doula training and holds certifications in Diversity & Inclusion from Cornell University and Advanced Certified Health Executive from the National Board for Home Care and Hospice Certification (NBHHC). She is deeply committed to ensuring that end-of-life care is compassionate and patient-centered, honoring the dignity of each patient and their families. Her dedication to creating environments that provide both clinical excellence and emotional support is at the heart of her work. Kimberly lives in West Bloomfield, MI.
Director
Scott Morgan
Scott graduated from Florida State University and spent fifteen years in the tech industry. Wanting to transition into a more fulfilling field, he then earned an MPA from New York University in Nonprofit Management, Policy, and Health. His work in graduate school was focused on HIV in low-income settings, and his previous work as a manager in the tech world led to an easy transition into the nonprofit sector. For the past seven years, Scott has worked with a large community-based clinic in Haiti focusing on HIV, TB, and cardiovascular disease. He brings twenty years of nonprofit experience and is in the latest chapter of his life starting work as an end-of-life doula. The AIDS crisis in the 1980s left an indelible mark on Scott, which strongly influenced him to pursue work as a doula. His belief that no one should die alone and that death can be a beautiful transition is the driving force behind his doula work. Scott received his doula training from the Peaceful Presence Project and is a volunteer at Jamaica Medical Center in the palliative care unit. Scott lives in New York, NY.
Director
Rev. Joelle
Rev. Joelle Johns is a death midwife and spiritual caregiver who has walked alongside individuals and families at the end of life since 2009. Trained through both the University of Vermont’s End-of-Life Doula program and INELDA, Joelle has ‘officially’ served as a death midwife since 2018, bringing deep presence, practical wisdom, and compassionate support to those navigating dying, death, and grief.
With a Master of Divinity and board certifications as a Clinical Chaplain and Spiritual Counselor, Joelle’s practice is rooted in both spiritual care and pragmatic support. Her years of hospice chaplaincy are informed by earlier work as a psychiatric and geriatric social worker, geriatric care manager, elder guardian, and administrator within skilled nursing and community-based elder services. This comprehensive background allows her to bridge clinical, spiritual, and social dimensions of end-of-life care.
Joelle also holds certifications in Pastoral Thanatology and Grief Counseling and is committed to educating the wider community about death, dying, and the art of accompaniment. She regularly teaches death education workshops and is currently developing a unique curriculum for death doulas, which includes apprenticeship components and thoughtful attention to the complex, and sometimes difficult, realities of dying that are often left unspoken.
As an ordained minister and pastor, Joelle also draws on her clergy training to companion those who have experienced harm in church settings and to support other clergy who may feel uncertain about engaging end-of-life conversations and realities. Through all of her work, Joelle remains guided by a deep belief in dignified, person-centered care, supporting not only an individual’s self-defined ‘good death’, but an honest and fully human one.
Director
Kathy Benich
Kathy Benich is the founder of Marigold Path, where she works with patients, caregivers, and communities as an End-of-Life Doula, Grief & Loss Coach, and Death Literacy Educator.
Drawing from her lived experience as a caregiver for both her late husband and her mother, she brings compassion and practical guidance to those navigating end-of-life journeys. Through her work, Kathy partners with caregivers to prepare them for what lies ahead, supports patients in creating meaningful legacy projects, and leads workshops that foster reflection, healing, and community connection.
Her path to this work followed a 30-year career in HR systems, healthcare advisory, and project management, where she honed skills in facilitation and leadership. She received her End-of-Life Doula and Pediatric End-of-Life Doula Specialist Certificates from the University of Vermont, along with training in grief coaching, legacy project facilitation, and death literacy.
Kathy’s community roles include serving as Vice Chair of PIVOT (Patient and Investigator Voices Organizing Together) at the University of Kansas Cancer Center, co-facilitating grief support groups with Solace House through Kansas City Hospice, and serving as Secretary of the Board of Gilda’s Club Kansas City. She also partners with organizations such as HopeKids and Compassion & Choices to expand access to end-of-life reflection and preparation in underserved communities.
Kathy believes that end-of-life work is as much about honoring life as it is about preparing for death. She brings to the NEDA Board a blend of personal insight, professional expertise, and a deep commitment to advancing compassionate, inclusive, and accessible end-of-life care.
Business Manager
Kim Adams
Kim 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 1990s 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 is a hospice volunteer. Kim is currently the board president of the Omega Home Network, a nonprofit national membership organization that promotes the development and expansion of community homes for dying people,.and she is the former president of the board for the Lily House, an Omega home in Wellfleet, MA.
Legal Counsel
Poul Lemasters, Esq
Poul has a professional career in both funeral service (for over twenty-five 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 the principal of Lemasters Consulting, located in Cincinnati, Ohio, a consulting business entirely for the deathcare profession, which includes funeral homes, funeral directors, embalmers, cemeteries, cemeterians, cremationists, crematory owners, and their suppliers. He assists in legal, compliance, regulatory, and operational issues. Poul also serves in various roles with national groups such as: General Counsel for International Cemetery, Crematory and Funeral Association (ICCFA); Legal Counsel for National Concrete Burial Vault Association (NCBVA); and Legal Advisor to Catholic Cemetery Conference (CCC).