I am a nationally recognized death doula, deathcare educator, public speaker, and funeral professional, as well as a committed activist working to reshape how we understand, talk about, and move through death in this culture. My work is rooted in a simple but deeply held belief: deathcare is community care.

As a proud member of the Queer community, I bring a personal and professional commitment to ensuring that end-of-life care is inclusive, affirming, and accessible to everyone, especially those whose identities and wishes have historically been overlooked or erased. I specialize in Queer end-of-life care, companion animal deathcare, advance directives, and dementia-informed deathcare, and I hold certifications in deathwork, thanatology, and pet behavior and bereavement.

At the heart of everything I do is education. With over twenty-five years of teaching experience across medical, nursing, holistic and deathcare disciplines, I have dedicated my career to both the classroom and the bedside. My journey has taken me from acute care for the elderly to volunteering with hospice organizations, to Kenya and Tanzania, where I had the honor of studying chimpanzees alongside Dr. Jane Goodall. Since becoming a certified Death Doula in 2018, I have made it my mission to grow this field one conversation, one course, and one community at a time.

I currently serve as an Adjunct Professor and Subject Matter Expert at the University of New England Online, where I have designed and teach four continuing education courses: End-of-Life Pet Doula Course, End-of-Life Doula Course, Dementia-Informed Deathcare, and Building a Deathcare Practice.

I also serve as a Funeral Professional at Grand Rapids Cremation and Funeral Services, a non-traditional funeral home whose values align deeply with my own commitment to green burial, holistic body care, and death positivity. Here I walk alongside families in some of the most sacred and practical moments of loss by educating them about the full spectrum of after-death care options, including eco-conscious and natural burial practices that honor both the person and the earth. I believe that how we care for our dead matters, and that families deserve to make informed, values-aligned choices about what happens to their loved one's body. This work is an extension of everything I teach, that death, when approached with intention and knowledge, can be a profound and even healing experience for everyone it touches.

Beyond the classroom and the funeral home, I am an active public speaker, workshop facilitator, and death café host. I have spoken at national conferences, including Doulapalooza 2025 hosted by the National End-of-Life Doula Alliance (NEDA), and have educated audiences at universities, hospitals, senior living communities, libraries, and community organizations. I served as Vice President of the Board of Directors of NEDA and the Chair of its Education Committee. I have also had the privilege of facilitating medical clinics in Kenya and the Caribbean, and representing the United States at the WHO World AIDS Day conference.

My wife and I split our time between West Michigan and New York City. Despite being a Pisces, I paradoxically dislike water, but I’m a firm believer in daily Champagne indulgence! I also cherish the companionship of our elderly cats, Bruce Frances and Douglas Kerrigan, while dreaming of the day we can provide the perfect home for a rescue dog…or two…or ten!