Category Archives: Professional Advice

  Mediator and conflict resolution specialist Kimberly Best has a heart trained in peace and peacemaking, including resolving conflict at the end of life. Those two things have been at the center of a lifetime of service, spanning a career … Continue reading →

Michelle Acciavatti’s father would always say of her that she “is an expert at fitting square pegs into round holes.” As a licensed funeral director, death worker, educator and activist in Vermont, Acciavatti has done just that, dedicating much of … Continue reading →

“When you were 10 years old, did you dream that you’d grow up to study death and dying?” Dr. Ken Doka‘s son loves to tease him with this question. The obvious answer, says Doka, is no; in fact, even as … Continue reading →

John Lilley never expected to work in organ donation. After leaving active duty as a U.S. Air Force paramedic-firefighter in 2001, he’d hoped to find a similar role as a civilian. But then he interviewed for a position as a … Continue reading →

Jim Van Buskirk, a librarian, writer, editor, curator, and speaker, has dedicated his life to documenting and protecting the people’s history. Born in Los Angeles, California, Van Buskirk moved to San Francisco in 1972 where he has spent the last … Continue reading →

Dr. Kami Fletcher is a death scholar and professor of U.S. and African American history at Albright College. Her work focuses on African American deathways and deathwork, examining African American norms and ideas surrounding death as well as ways that … Continue reading →