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ICFA 2005 Convention Speakers
 John Bolton, CCE, is general manager for Heritage Family Cemeteries Inc., in Johnson City, Tennessee. In addition to being responsible for cemetery operations, he is directly responsible for preneed sales programs and family service operations for all of the Heritage Cemetery properties, located in three states. John has conducted seminars and training for the state of Tennessee and North Carolina, Service Corporation International, Equity Corporation International and the ICFA. He is a past president of the Cemetery Association of Tennessee and serves on the board of directors for the Virginia Cemetery Association. He holds a master's degree in education.
 Tyler Cassity is president of Forever Cemeteries and the Forever Network, which includes seven cemeteries in Southern California and Missouri, as well as video production companies Forever LifeStories, Forever On Campus, Forever Veterans Stories and Forever Studios.
 Sandra Colleton is sales manager, advance planning and family services, for Evergreen-Washelli Cemeteries and Funeral Homes in Seattle, Washington. Her responsibilities include leading the sales team in the field, as well as a variety of management and training duties. She trains counselors on product knowledge, company policies and procedures and sales concepts. She also assists in the areas of recruiting, marketing and advertising. Sandi has been a guest speaker for the Washington Interment Association. She is a member of the Ballard Chamber of Commerce, the Shoreline Chamber of Commerce and the Executive Women's Golf Association. She holds a bachelor's degree from the University of Washington.
 Kelly Dwyer is vice president and public relations director of Michigan Memorial Park in Huron Township, Michigan, and is a partner in Michigan Specialty Funeral Carriages Inc. She is a fourth-generation cemeterian and a licensed funeral director. Kelly graduated from the University of Louisville with a bachelor's degree in business and from Wayne State University with a bachelor's degree in mortuary science. She is married to Dan Dwyer, a fourth-generation funeral director and president of Michigan Memorial Funeral Home. Kelly is attending the ICFA University and is a former recipient of the ICFAU Women's Forum scholarship.
 Robert A. Garvey, CPA, CrFA, is a principal in the public accounting firm of McLean, Koehler, Sparks & Hammond and leads the firm's financial investigations practice. Mr. Garvey provides forensic accounting, fraud investigation and fraud deterrence services to clients nationwide. He has developed and taught courses on fraud investigation and forensic accounting, and he has developed a multiphase fraud deterrence program for use by accountants in detecting and evaluating fraud exposure. Bob is a Certified Public Accountant, a Certified Fraud Examiner and a Certified Forensic Accountant and is a member of the executive board of the American College of Forensic Examiners, the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners, the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and the Maryland Association of Certified Public Accountants.
 Doug Gober is executive director of York Merchandising Systems, working out of Kenner, Louisiana, and has been a pioneer in developing the York Merchandising Systems, offered in more than 1,500 funeral homes throughout the United States, Canada and Mexico. Previously, he was executive vice president of one of York's subsidiaries, The Doody Group, where worked in the United Kingdom and France, successfully directing European operations for the company. He has been instrumental in planning and implementing a number of innovative merchandising concepts and products created by the The Doody Group and The York Group. Doug began his funeral service career 25 years ago with Batesville Casket Company, where he served as an award-winning sales representative and as a consultant on various national marketing and merchandising programs. He holds a degree in accounting from the University of Alabama and is a certified public accountant specializing in industrial audits and corporate taxes.
 Glenn H. Gould is CEO of MKJ Marketing, an advertising and marketing firm serving approximately 1,000 funeral homes, cemeteries and supplier companies in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom and Australia. Glenn is recognized for his market research services, having conducted more than 500 positioning and prospective trade area studies for his clients. Glenn served on the board of directors of the Pittsburgh Institute of Mortuary Science and instructed the small business class for St. Petersburg Mortuary College. His work experience includes executive positions with Bausch & Lomb, General Mills and Batesville Casket Company.
 Michael Gravelle is vice president of The McQuaig Institute in Toronto, Canada, an international organization committed to helping companies assess, select and develop productive staff. He has extensive experience in the funeral service profession and has worked with a number of independent funeral homes as well as larger organizations such as Stewart Enterprises and Service Corporation International. Michael is seminar director for Interviewing and Selecting Exceptional People, which he delivers at a number of public seminars and to hundreds of hiring managers annually. He has delivered numerous keynote presentations on hiring, retaining and developing the best people and has written articles for such publications as Hiring & Firing, The HR Reporter and International Cemetery & Funeral Management magazine.
 Nancy Hansen is the vice president of finance and chief financial officer for the Evergreen-Washelli Memorial Park and Funeral Home in Seattle, Washington. She has been employed with Evergreen-Washelli for 20+ years. Prior to that she was employed with Greenacres Memorial Park in Ferndale, Washington. She is a former auditor for the Washington State Cemetery Board, and is currently a director and the secretary/treasurer of the Washington State Cemetery & Funeral Association. Nancy graduated with a
degree in business from the University of Washington.
 Ernie Heffner, CFuE is a second-generation funeral director and is president of Heffner Funeral Homes and Crematory Inc. Based in York, Pennsylvania, his company includes 12 funeral homes in Pennsylvania and one in New York. Ernie has owned and operated other related businesses, including a monument company, which was sold in 1987, as well as two memorial park cemeteries, which were sold in 1989. He is a former member of the ICFA board of directors and a former ICFA vice president. He graduated from the Pittsburgh Institute of Mortuary Science.
 Christine Toson-Hentges is general manager and vice president of Pinelawn Memorial Park in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. She was elected to the ICFA Board of Directors in 2002. A fourth-generation cemeterian, Hentges serves on the Board of Directors of the Badger State Cemetery Association and represents the Cemetery Consumer Service Council in the state of Wisconsin.
 Nancy Lohman is part owner and operator of eight Florida cemeteries and funeral homes, including Lohman Ormond Funeral Home, Baggett & Summers Funeral Home, Lohman Palm Coast Funeral Home, Lohman Port Orange Funeral Home, Daytona Memorial Park & Funeral Home and Edgewater-New Smyrna. She is a licensed funeral director and serves as the second vice president for the Southern Cemetery & Funeral Association. She served two years as president of the Ormond Beach Chamber of Commerce and as first vice president of the Ormond Beach Historical Trust Inc. Nancy is a member of the Halifax Civic League, Executive Women's Council, Kiwanis Club of Ormond Beach, "St. Pals" senior outreach and First United Methodist Church of Ormond Beach. She graduated from Ohio State University in 1982 with a bachelor of science degree.
 Gwen Mooney is director of advanced planning for the Jon Deitloff Funeral Centre in Cincinnati, Ohio. Prior to joining the company in July 1999, she worked from December 1996 to June 1999 as a preneed sales manager at a funeral home in Dayton, Ohio. From May 1994 to November 1996, she worked in the sales department at Spring Grove Cemetery in Cincinnati. Gwen graduated from the Cincinnati College of Mortuary Science in March 1992 with a bachelor's degree in mortuary science. She became a licensed funeral director in November 1993 and became a licensed embalmer in May 1994. She also is a licensed insurance agent in the state of Ohio.
 Daniel D. Morris is a partner in the San Jose accounting firm of Morris + D'Angelo, and is a founder of the VeraSage Institute, a think tank dedicated to promulgating and teaching Value Pricing to professionals and businesses around the world. His business consulting has included members of the Fortune 50 along with several members of the S&P 500 and top NASDAQ-listed companies. Dan's expertise integrates business strategy with total customer commitment, leading to enhanced profitability through improved customer experiences. An instructor with the California CPA Education Foundation since 1998, he has authored five courses for them, including: "Mining Your Assets: Implementing the Concierge Service Model"; "You Are What You Charge For: Success in Today's Emerging Experience Economy" (with Ronald J. Baker); and "Developing Today and Tomorrow's Firm and Community Leaders." Dan is active with the California Society of CPAs, the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and the Professional Pricing Society. He graduated from the University of Oregon.
 C. Thomas Pfeifer is grounds manager at Spring Grove Cemetery and Arboretum. He joined the organization in 1975 and was promoted to his current position in 1986. Pfeifer is responsible for equipment purchases and the hiring of grounds employees, encompassing a large part of Spring Grove's operational budget. He is also responsible for the company's crematory and memorial mausoleum, as well as 450 acres of turf maintenance. Tom is a past president of the Greater Cincinnati Superintendents & Officials and a board member of the Ohio Association of Cemetery Superintendents & Officials. He is a member of the Cremation Association of North America and a long-time supporter of the ICFA. With numerous articles on grounds maintenance, he, along with Tom Smith, is a frequent contributor to International Cemetery & Funeral Management magazine.
 Steven V. Sklar is the former director of the Office of Cemetery Oversight for the state of Maryland and is the immediate past president of the North American Cemetery Regulators Association. He was the first recipient of that association's President's Award for advancing the consumer agenda. Steve was formerly a Maryland state legislator and also has served as a government affairs consultant to national industry associations. He holds a bachelor's degree in economics from the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania and a juris doctor degree from the University of Maryland School of Law.
 Tom Smith is executive vice president of Spring Grove Cemetery and Arboretum in Cincinnati, Ohio. He holds a bachelor of science degree in botany from the University of Cincinnati and a master's degree in forest science from Yale University. He is a past president of the National Professional Grounds Management Society and in 1999 was awarded that organization's highest honor, its Gold Medal Award.
 Joseph A. Stith is president of Joseph & Company, a professional growth and development consulting firm in South Jordan, Utah. He has conducted more than 4,000 onsite training workshops for businesses, executives and youth groups throughout the United States. With growing popularity, much of his time is now dedicated to coaching executives in the funeral service profession. Joseph's leadership experience began in the U.S. Marine Corp, where he served as a drill instructor in San Diego, California. Since the early 1980s, he has been a pioneer in the professional coaching industry and is a founding member of the International Association of Coaches. Joseph's teaching methods and unique ideas have generated millions of dollars in increased revenue by accelerating the growth and development of people. In addition to coaching, he provides advanced leadership training and corporate retreats to elevate performance and convert talent and desire into a profitable competitive edge.
 Todd Van Beck is president of Commonwealth Institute of Funeral Service in Houston, Texas. He is a consultant in the funeral service industry and a speaker in high demand who has spoken in Scotland, Ireland, England, Canada, Mexico and throughout the United States. He is an author known for his series of Funerals of the Future, as well as having published four books and 50 training manuals. Todd was formerly director of the New England Institute of Mount Ida College and was the director of education for The Loewen Group, responsible for implementing programs of professional and managerial training for funeral homes, cemeteries, preneed programs and aftercare programs. He is a licensed funeral director and embalmer and is dean of the College of Funeral Home Management at ICFA University.
 Ken Varner is president and CEO of Cypress Lawn Cemetery & Funeral Home in Colma, California, the largest and only service provider in Northern California to offer a cemetery, funeral home, reception center, cremation society, on-site crematory and flower shop combination. Ken also is president and chairman of the board of Cypress Lawn's non-profit friends organization, Cypress Lawn Heritage Foundation. Ken is treasurer and a member of the board of directors of the ICFA and is a past president and a member of the board of directors of the Interment Association of California. He is a certified public accountant with a bachelor of science degree in business administration from Oregon State University.
 Joe Weigel is director of communications for Batesville Casket Company, Batesville, Indiana. He has more than 30 years of experience in marketing communications, advertising and public relations and has created and executed communication efforts for companies including Proctor and Gamble, Chiquita Bananas, Wendy's Restaurants and Quaker State Motor Oil. Joe's career experience includes initiating annual strategic media relations plans and developing formal programs of field communications. During his 10 years with Batesville, he has increased proactive and positive media coverage on behalf of the company, as well as the cemetery and funeral service profession overall, through the institution of an ongoing media relations program. Joe serves as Batesville's corporate spokesperson for consumer, business and funeral trade media interviews.
 Nicole Wiedeman is into her 15th year of service with Forethought Financial Services. She has partnered with many funeral firms to help them build an active preneed program. Her current assignment is providing strategic and tactical guidance to national funeral firms. Along with Patrick Downey, she was the co-chair of the 2004 ICFA Sales and Marketing Conference, the highest-attended conference to date. She is also a member of the ICFA Sales & Marketing Committee, and along with Christine Hentges is co-chair of the ICFA Women's Forum. Nicole is a graduate of Ball State University with a degree in journalism and marketing. She is a professionally trained facilitator and was named Strategic Account Manager of the Year with Forethought in 2002 and 2003.
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