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.
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
Kathy Benich
Kathy 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.
Director
Morgan Fava
Morgan is a Death Doula and Soul Midwife based in Portland, Oregon. She serves individuals and families through the tender thresholds of dying, grief, and remembrance, weaving ritual and presence into end-of-life care.
Morgan partners with hospices, families, and communities to offer bedside support, vigil planning, and sacred practices that honor both the individual and their lineage. Her work is rooted in the belief that death is not something to be managed away, but a sacred passage to be witnessed, ritualized, and held with reverence.
In addition to one-on-one support, Morgan facilitates workshops, grief circles, and caregiver groups that restore ancestral wisdom and create community around experiences often carried in isolation. Her teaching and facilitation invite people to meet grief, fear, and transition with both honesty and tenderness — to remember that these thresholds can be places of healing, connection, and even beauty.
With a background in ceremonial arts, spiritual caregiving, and hospice collaboration, Morgan brings depth, warmth, and steadiness to those she supports. Her vision is to help normalize conversations about death, to restore ritual to modern end-of-life care, and to ensure that no one has to walk these paths alone
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
Megan Morano
Megan is a death doula and community educator. She is the founder of Until Death Doulas, a private practice through which she supports patients and families, builds Care Circles, and plans rituals and celebrations of life.
Megan’s interest in end-of-life work began early. She grew up in a community that experienced considerable sudden and traumatic loss, where deaths in old age were ritualized and honored while sudden deaths were avoided. That contrast taught her the importance of planning ahead. Her career has since included teaching art, estate management, and director-level roles in operations and events. She spent years as a tour manager and in merchandising, coordinating international travel and logistics.
As one of a technology company’s earliest employees, she advanced to senior leadership, building its internal technology infrastructure and operational foundations and directing its event program. Experiencing her own illness and the Care Circle that gathered around her drew her back to death work.
Today she leads development of the Death Doula Program at the Alive Institute and teaches alongside other doulas and death workers. She is a Volunteer Coordinator at Alive Hospice and facilitates monthly community calls for Alive’s volunteer doulas in hospice. She founded and facilitates The Last Chapter Book Club, and speaks on panels and at community events promoting the importance of death education.
Megan brings more than 20 years of operations, event, and project management experience and a talent for making big, messy structural work feel human. She wants to support doulas, whether established or just starting out, and to keep the field accessible, with doulas supporting one another. Outside of work, she makes art and is training her dog to visit with patients. Megan lives in Nashville, TN.
Director
Danica O’Leary
Danica is a thanatologist and end of life doula based in Berkeley, California, with years of experience accompanying people and families through dying, death, and grief. She holds a Master’s in Thanatology from Marian University, PAT certification from the California Institute of Integral Studies, and certification through PRATI, with training focused on end of life and existential distress.
Danica brings more than 20 years of experience in sales and marketing to her role with NEDA, along with service on several nonprofit boards. She has volunteered with NEDA since 2024 and also sits on the leadership council of the End of Life Doula Association of the Bay Area. She has a growing interest in thanatechnology and the ways technology is changing how we die, grieve, and remember.
At the heart of her work is a belief that families can meet death with preparation rather than avoidance… and that doulas have a vital role in making that possible. She is honored to help shape what comes next for NEDA.
Director
Kirby Page
Kirby is a Death Doula, DEI Professional and Writer based in Chicago, IL. She is the founder of Whole Life Death Doula, a practice focusing on providing individuals and loved ones with hands-on support after loss – from event implementation to estate logistics and building a framework to prepare for the end of life for individuals and families at any stage. With a career spanning non-profit fundraising, DEI implementation, and conflict transformation, she intends to serve as a steward and partner of NEDA’s ongoing mission to influence positive changes in how people experience end of life.
In her free time, she can be found writing short fiction or personal essays, trying a new recipe, or taking a long walk and marveling at the streets of Chicago, from foliage to architecture.
Director
Bethany Smith
Bethany is an end-of-life doula and founder of Thresholds End-of-Life Services in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, where she supports individuals nearing the end of life, their caregivers, and families navigating serious illness. Her practice extends to companion-animal end-of-life care, honoring the full range of relationships that shape a household. She trained primarily through the University of Vermont.
Bethany serves as Doula Support Coordinator with Landis at Home, developing end-of-life doula services that integrate with existing care to strengthen continuity for clients and families. She is also a co-founder of the Lancaster End-of-Life Care Collective, a coalition of local professionals working to expand resources, normalize conversation, and build community support around death and dying. Through workshops and public education, she helps people prepare for the end of life and engage more openly with grief.
Before her doula work, Bethany spent more than 30 years in nonprofit leadership, including service as an executive director working closely with boards — experience she brings directly to her role as a NEDA director. She also spent six years as a gallery manager and continues to handle gallery relations for the Freiman Stoltzfus Gallery, work that sharpened her skills in communication and community engagement.
Bethany joins NEDA’s board with a blend of nonprofit governance experience, program development background, and hands-on doula practice. She is guided by the belief that honest conversation, practical planning, and compassionate presence can make the end of life less frightening and less isolating — for the dying, their families, and the professionals who walk alongside them.
Business Manager
Kim Adams
Kim is the point of contact for NEDA fielding emails and questions from members as well as non members. She is responsible for managing all aspects of 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 former hospice volunteer. Kim is the immediate past 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).