PFDA Annual Convention & Expo

KEYNOTE SPEAKER - Unbreakable Leadership: Resilience and Renewal for Funeral Professionals

By: John Ulsh, Author

This class helps funeral professionals build resilience, manage stress, and reconnect with purpose in a demanding career. Through a personal recovery story, the session draws a parallel between rebuilding one’s own life and the responsibility of supporting families through their hardest moments while sustaining oneself.

John D. Ulsh is a resilience coach, keynote speaker, and author of The Upside of Down: A Survivor’s Guide to Turning Setbacks Into Success. At 36, John survived a catastrophic car accident that left him with life-threatening injuries and required more than 45 surgeries. Given less than a 3% chance of survival, he rebuilt his life through faith, discipline, and a relentless focus on mindset.

Today, John shares his story and strategies for transformation through keynote presentations and national podcast appearances including Rise Above, Becoming Undone, Beyond the Crucible, and Decoding Success. His journey has also been featured on Good Morning America, People Magazine, and Men’s Fitness.

Through his work, John helps individuals and organizations discover the upside of adversity, showing that true growth happens not in avoiding challenges, but in learning to rise through them.

The Power of Meta Platforms Elevating Funeral Home Visibility

By: Bill A Johnston, President, Post and Boost, Inc.

Funeral homes that embrace Meta platforms as part of their core marketing strategy will be better positioned to build trust, grow market share, and stay connected with today's consumer. This session will show you how.

Bill A. Johnston is President of Post and Boost Inc., a leading social media advertising agency for funeral homes. He is also an Amazon Best Selling Author, most notably for "The Consumer's Journey to Purchasing Funeral Services", a Facebook expert, and a Meta Business Partner. He is a 1977 graduate of The Newhouse School at Syracuse University with a degree in television and radio and managed radio stations for 25+ years. Bill founded iconnectv.com in 2000, creating national commercials and interactive platforms for major cable companies. Since 2016, he has developed a proprietary software platform for custom Facebook advertising, becoming a trusted voice in the funeral industry. He has also developed a new Preplanning Leads service that leverages the latest Meta tools. Bill is also a renowned speaker, most recently at NFDA in New Orleans 2024 and is certified by the Academy of Professional Funeral Service Practice.

Review of the FTC Funeral Rule – IN PERSON WEBINAR

By: Melissa Dickey, Attorney, Federal Trade Commission

A representative of the Federal Trade Commission will provide an overview of the requirements of the Funeral Rule. This course will address who must comply with the Funeral Rule, outline the information that needs to be included in General Price Lists, Casket Price Lists, and Outer Burial Container Price Lists, describe when funeral providers are required to provide price information to consumers, and summarize the misrepresentations that are prohibited by the Funeral Rule. The speakers will be live on a webinar during this session.

Melissa Dickey is an attorney in the Division of Marketing Practices of the Federal Trade Commission’s Bureau of Consumer Protection where she works on a variety of enforcement and policy matters, including serving as a co-coordinator of the FTC’s Funeral Rule program. Prior to joining the FTC in 2015, Ms. Dickey worked at the U.S. Department of Justice and in private practice. She received her undergraduate degree from the University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana and her Juris Doctor from Northwestern University.

Restoring the Familiar: The Biology & Art of Effective Mortuary Cosmetics

By: Amanda King, CFSP, MBIT, & MSP Funeral Director & Embalmer, Bailey Family Funeral Homes

This 2-hour technical course explores the biological foundations behind effective mortuary cosmetic application and how understanding skin structure, pigmentation, and vascular anatomy leads to more natural, restorative results. Participants will examine variations in skin tone, complexion, translucency, and age-related changes, while learning how melanin content and superficial facial arteries influence cosmetic outcomes. Practical techniques for color theory, mixing, and application will be demonstrated, including solutions for common challenges such as bruising, discoloration, partial facial reconstruction, and cosmetic application on the unembalmed body.

Amanda Marie Eilis King, CFSP, MBIT, & MSP, is an Embalmer and Funeral Director holding licensure in multiple states, as well as honorary membership to the Belgium Institute of Thanatopraxie. She completed her embalming apprenticeship under Vernie R. Fountain, as well as extensive training in postmortem reconstructive work. In addition to her AAS in Mortuary Science from ACC in Colorado, Amanda holds a B.S. from Skidmore College for Studio Art and Biology, and a Post-Baccalaureate degree from the Maryland Institute College of Art. She is also an educator who specializes in and teaches reconstructive work and cosmetic application. Currently she is a Funeral Director and Embalmer for Bailey Family Funeral Homes in CT, and also does freelance work as AMEK Graphics, as well as being an embalming specialist with Frigid Fluid Company.

Every Life is Worth Remembering - What Celebrants Can Do for You

By: Glenda Stansbury, MA, CFSP, LFD VP Marketing and Development Director, In-Sight Books

The discussion focuses on the need for a personalized ceremony, options that are available to families and how everyone on a funeral home or cemetery staff can make the service a memorable and meaningful event. This course will provide statistics about the changing demographics, provide sample ceremonies and services that can be provided for those families who wish to have a specialized funeral service, and give practical actions for funeral professionals in serving their families in new and unique methods.

Before joining In-Sight Books, Glenda Stansbury worked for 12 years for the Oklahoma Education Association as a trainer/facilitator. She was responsible for developing and delivering teacher training all over the state of Oklahoma and was cited by the National Education Association as one of the top trainers in her field. She has worked as VP of Marketing and Development for In­Sight Books since 1995, publishing over 35 resources in the areas of grief and elder care written by Doug Manning. She has been Dean of the In-Sight Institute since 1999, co­trining over 6000 Funeral Celebrants across North America with Doug Manning and received the 2022 ICCFA Lasting Impact Award for the work of Celebrants. She is a full-time instructor in the mortuary program at University of Central Oklahoma, part time instructor at Worsham Mortuary College, Chicago, a licensed funeral director/ embalmer, and practicing Funeral Celebrant.

Introduction to AFMAO: Operations & Practices

By: Robert A. Wilk, Dept. of Defense Air Force Mortuary Affairs Operations

This program will review how funeral homes and directors handle high profile funerals where the Pa State Police are needed and required to be involved. We will discuss ceremony regulations, the Ceremonial Unit’s role in working with funeral homes, proper flag etiquette, casket and urn protocols and procedures, and ceremonial nomenclature.

Robert A. Wilk is a second-generation, licensed funeral director in both the states of Michigan and Delaware. He, since early September 2023, has been contributing his expertise and know-how to the Department of Defense and the Air Force working in Air Force Mortuary Affairs Operations as a Mortuary Affairs Specialist. Mr. Wilk has held many funeral service positions to include full time responsibilities at small and large volume independent and corporately structured funeral homes. A former award-winning faculty member at the nationally recognized Wayne State University School of Mortuary Science, Robert enjoys specialized training and instruction in funeral service and leadership related topics. He holds bachelor's degrees in business administration and Mortuary Science. He completed his Master of General Administration with a concentration in Organizational Leadership in 2011.