Christopher Holt

Anderson Stevenson Wilke Funeral Home & Crematory
3750 N Montana Ave
Helena, MT 59602
chris@aswfuneralhome.com
817-319-2973

Campaign Statement

My name is Chris Holt. I am a Mortician in Helena, Montana with Anderson Stevenson Wilke & Retz Funeral Home. I am a fully licensed Mortician/Crematory Technician for almost 20 years.

I currently serve the Montana Funeral Directors Association as the State’s Representative to the NFDA. I began my journey with the MFDA as a District Governor in 2012-2017 before advancing through the chairs beginning as Secretary in 2017 all the way through to serve as a two-time President of the association before serving in my current role.

I am a second career mortician, entering the profession later in life. I worked part time for a corporate firm beginning in 2001 as a removal technician. As life progressed, with marriage and starting a family, I knew my first career, property management, was not going to help provide for my family. Working in this profession part time made me realize how important and vital this profession is.

With guidance and persuasion, I uprooted my young family and moved to Gresham, OR to attend Mortuary School. I worked at a corporate funeral home in Oregon while going to school until my graduation in 2007. I moved my family back to Montana to Helena and began my career as a Mortician with a corporate funeral home that then became a family-owned firm in 2010.

In the years serving as a Mortician and then on to my various roles in Montana’s association, I realize how important an association is to help, guide, and educate our members. An association builds relationships that can provide crucial insights into issues we all face. By networking with peers and merging ideas with one another for the greater good makes us all better as members and as an association. Innovative ideas, techniques, and resources are shared together mutually.

An association provides us with an opportunity to advocate for profession, providing meaningful and pertinent information and resources to help our members professionally and personally. Relevancy is key also. We need to keep being at the forefront of modern technologies and ideas that could help our members in their day-to-day businesses and personal lives also.

I am running for the NFDA At Large Position because I am enthusiastic about providing members with all the tools and resources they need to be successful. Having worked from the ground up, I realize how details matter, communication matters, teamwork matters, learning what works and what does not and sharing that with members, helps us all to become a stronger association. We are all integral in this process, no matter how small or large our contributions, it allows us to make our profession better, our association better, and ourselves.

I ask for your vote for the At Large Position to help me provide you with the necessary resources to bring your firm, your employees, and yourselves to be the best you can. Assisting you to be the leader in your community, your profession, personally, that is my goal. The task is daunting but not insurmountable.

Steven L. Johnson, CFSP, CCSP

H.E. Turner & Co., Inc.
403 East Main Street
Batavia, NY 14020
Steven@bataviafuneralhomes.com
585-343-8868

Campaign Statement

I am a licensed funeral director, business owner, and educator who has spent my career working at the intersection of daily funeral service and long-term professional stewardship. I currently serve as a principal and manager with H.E. Turner & Co., where I remain actively involved in serving families while also helping guide the strategic, financial, and operational direction of a growing multi-location firm.

My experience is rooted first and foremost in practice. I take first calls, meet with families, conduct services, and oversee staff and facilities. Alongside that work, I have led initiatives many firms are navigating today, including the acquisition and integration of additional locations, pricing and cost management, regulatory compliance, safety programs, branding and marketing strategy, and participation in national quality and bench-marking initiatives. These efforts have allowed our firm to expand responsibly while maintaining service standards and community trust.

I hold degrees in mortuary science, funeral service administration, business administration, and an MBA, and I have applied that education in practical, measurable ways. I understand the pressures facing funeral homes—from workforce challenges and rising expenses to evolving consumer expectations—because I encounter them daily as an operator.

Education has been a consistent part of my professional life. I have served as a New York State–approved continuing education provider and lecturer, delivering programs focused on funeral home operations, compliance, safety, and business practices. I have also served as adjunct faculty in funeral service education, teaching courses related to occupational health, safety, and regulatory compliance. My approach to education is practical, direct, and grounded in real funeral home environments.

Service to the profession has been equally important to me. I chair the NFDA Convention Education Task Force, serve on NFDA’s Pursuit of Excellence Work Group, and have participated in NFDA’s Emerging Leaders and Meet the Mentors programs. For several years, I have also been actively engaged in NFDA advocacy efforts that support both funeral professionals and the families they serve. Effective advocacy helps preserve access, choice, affordability, and professional standards—ensuring families receive ethical, compliant, and compassionate care when they need it most.

I am also a committed supporter of the Funeral Service Foundation and its mission to advance education, leadership development, and research. Investing in the future of funeral service—and the people who will lead it—is essential to the profession’s long-term strength.

NFDA’s priorities of advocacy, education, leadership development, and member value closely reflect the focus of my career. If elected to the Board of Directors, I would bring a grounded, operator-focused perspective informed by governance experience, financial discipline, and respect for the profession. I am committed to listening, contributing thoughtfully, and helping ensure NFDA remains a strong, relevant, and trusted voice for funeral professionals and the families we serve—today and in the future.

Steven L. Johnson Video

Maureen E. Krienen

Krienen-Griffith Funeral Home
1400 Kirkwood Hwy
Wilmington, DE 19805
mekrienen@gmail.com
302-994-9614

Campaign Statement

I am a fourth-generation funeral director and served as the first female president of the DSFDA, and I am proud to stand on the shoulders of those who came before me. Their dedication, sacrifice, and commitment to service built the foundation of this profession, and I believe it is our responsibility to use that foundation to lift up future funeral directors and strengthen our industry as a whole.

Throughout my career, I have been known as organized, compassionate, and hardworking. I have been dependable not only to the families I serve during their most difficult moments, but also to my staff. Ensuring they feel supported, valued, and prepared to provide the highest level of care. That same sense of responsibility and reliability is what I would bring to the role of At-Large Representative with the National Funeral Directors Association.

I am running because I believe NFDA must continue to be a lifeline for all funeral directors. Funeral directors and firms that handle 5000 calls a year and the small neighbor funeral home that serves 100 families. Private and family-owned funeral homes hold a dear place in my heart. I know the struggles they face as I face them as well. While growth and partnership with larger corporate firms is important and pivotal, independent funeral homes cannot be left behind. Their voices, traditions, and community connections are vital to the strength and diversity of our profession.

I am committed to fostering camaraderie, expanding educational opportunities, and encouraging thoughtful innovation within NFDA. Our profession is facing real challenges, including staffing shortages and rapidly changing needs of families and communities. Addressing these challenges requires collaboration and adaptability.

As an At-Large Representative, I will work to cultivate an inclusive and welcoming environment. I want members feel supported and called to participate. I believe in mentorship, service, and progress rooted in respect for our past. Together, we can ensure that NFDA remains strong, relevant, and prepared to support funeral directors today and for generations to come.

Shelby Ogozaly

Perman Funeral Home
923 Saxonburg Boulevard
Pittsburgh, PA 15223
Shelbyogozaly0@gmail.com
412-486-3600

Campaign Statement

Funeral service is more than my profession—it is my calling and the way I show up for people during life’s most difficult moments is extremely important to me. I am a licensed funeral director with six years of licensure and nearly a decade of experience in the profession.

My journey began on the front lines of funeral service, where I learned early on the importance of presence, compassion, and quiet leadership. Growing within this profession—from student to intern to licensed funeral director—has given me a deep appreciation for the responsibility we carry and the emotional weight funeral professionals often hold behind the scenes.

In 2018, I had the solemn honor of supporting families during funeral services following the Tree of Life Synagogue tragedy in Pittsburgh, PA. Serving my community during such profound loss was humbling and transformative. That experience shaped how I approach funeral service and reinforced my belief that funeral directors are not only professionals, but caregivers and community anchors. It also sparked my passion for grief support, trauma awareness, and ensuring funeral professionals are supported as whole people.

I have been actively involved with the Allegheny County Funeral Directors Association in Pittsburgh, PA since 2020 and was honored to serve as President in 2023. I was the youngest female elected to that role in association history. Serving in association leadership allowed me to advocate for members, foster connections, and help strengthen a professional community built on trust, education, and mutual support. I take pride in creating spaces where funeral directors feel seen, supported, and empowered.

I am a graduate of the Pittsburgh Institute of Mortuary Science and received my bachelor’s degree in Business Management from Mid-America College of Funeral Service.

In 2024, I earned my master’s degree from Marian University of Wisconsin in Thanatology and Grief Therapy. Through my graduate work, I focused on burnout and trauma within funeral service—an issue that remains widely under-recognized in our profession. My research reinforced my belief that supporting funeral directors’ mental and emotional well-being is essential to the long-term sustainability of funeral service. This education has strengthened my ability to advocate for evidence-based solutions, professional wellness, and trauma-informed support within our field.

Throughout my career, mentorship and education have been central to my values. I am deeply invested in supporting the next generation of funeral professionals while also advocating for those who have carried this profession for decades. I believe strongly that sustainable funeral service requires honest conversations about burnout, trauma, and work–life balance, alongside continued education and leadership development.

I believe I would bring a thoughtful, compassionate, and forward-thinking perspective to the National Funeral Directors Association Board of Directors. I value collaboration, listening, and service-driven leadership, and I am committed to representing members at every stage of their careers.

If elected, I would serve with integrity, empathy, and purpose—working to ensure that funeral service remains strong, supported, and sustainable for generations to come.