Shelby Lindblad is a Product Designer at Facebook working on issues related to memorialization. Prior to joining Facebook, she worked at Method, a global design firm with clients such as Google, HP, and the San Francisco Ballet. Her work has been recognized by Fast Company and the A’ Design Awards. Shelby graduated with a BFA in Communication Design from Washington University in St. Louis.
Kim Malfacini is Associate Manager of Product Policy at Facebook, the team responsible for developing Facebook’s Community Standards governing what is and is not allowed on the site. Kim focuses on stakeholder engagement, ensuring Facebook’s policies are informed by experts across the globe. Prior to joining Facebook, Kim served as Director of Public Policy for Sunrun Inc., the largest residential solar energy provider in the US, where she advocated for the rights of residential energy producers with state legislators and regulators. She spent two years in Benin with the United States Peace Corps, leading projects in environmental health and young women’s empowerment. Kim graduated Phi Beta Kappa from the University of California Los Angeles with a Bachelor of Arts in Global Studies.
James Norris is founder the Digital Legacy Association, The Digital Legacy Conference and DeadSocial. James’ goal is to help raise awareness and provide support around digital end of life planning. James and his work been featured in a range of publications and TV shows ranging from BBC Click to Jon Richardson’s Ultimate Worrier. His work has also featured on the Queen Latififa Show, Joan Bakewells, We Need to Talk about Death the Wall Street Journal and many more. James is also a guest lecturer at University College London (UCL) and sits on various healthcare, social care and legal steering groups.
Dr. Carla Sofka is a Professor of Social Work at Siena College in Loudonville, NY. A former medical and hospice social worker, she has been teaching death education courses since 1993. Carla coined the term “thanatechnology” in 1996 to describe the role that online resources were playing in death education and grief counseling and co-edited the book Dying, Death, and Grief in an Online Universe (Springer, 2012). She has presented her research internationally and has published book chapters and journal articles about her research on the role of digital and social media in coping with life threatening illness, impending death, and grief as well the topic of digital immortality. Her current research focuses on digital survivor advocacy as a strategy for coping with tragedy. Carla served as president of the Association for Death Education and Counseling from 2011-2012.
Jennifer Muldowney, Tedx survivor, author of book ‘Say Farewell Your Way’, event planner and spokesperson worldwide on death, funerals and end of life planning. She has been called a ‘refreshingly honest voice of the funeral industry’ and become the go to ‘Irish celebrity’ of the funeral world. She reckons a snapshot into her life would break the Internet unlike Kim K!! Her blogs (yes theres two!), Facebook and Twitter accounts help her to help others as she forms the bridge between the often scary idea of funerals and the misconceptions and questions of Joe Public. She is a presenter on the ‘Farewell’ vlog where she provides information about funerals, memorials (both pet and human), life/bucket-list planning and encourages pro-active and creative funeral planning. She is a journalist working with Funeral Times Magazine in Ireland and regularly writes/speaks to top international media on the subject of life and death. Her voice has been published worldwide, including a Tedx talk about grief and the critically acclaimed ‘Before I Die’ book by fellow Ted Speaker Candy Chang. She speaks regularly to both large and small groups internationally on funeral planning. She is also the founder of Farewell Celtic Ashes memorial jewellery.
Lee Poskanzer is the CEO of Directive Communication Systems (DCS). He has been successfully leading product innovation change at Fortune 500 companies including American Express, Safeway, PolyGram and Staples that have evolved to becoming industry standards and practices. Recently, Lee has taken this experience into the legal space. With the recognition of the growing need for managing digital assets and online accounts directives, DCS was founded to assist estate professionals and their clients to properly prepare their digital estate. DCS has appeared on several panels – including the International Bar Association, the International Association of Privacy Professionals, and the American College of Trust and Estates Counsel.
Stephen Hans is a licensed funeral director and owns and operates Hans Funeral Home in Albany, New York. He is a member of the New York State Funeral Directors Association (NYSFDA), and volunteers on several committees with the association. He also has served as an adjunct instructor in Mortuary Science.
Antonio Estevan Huerta is a singer/songwriter, marathon runner and world traveler. Native of Houston, Texas, Antonio began his international backpacking travels in 1993. Following the release of his music debut, the ‘Mused Here’ EP, in 2001, he began internationally touring to promote his music. By the release of his first full length LP, Your Shrine, in 2007, he began combining his love of music, touring and running, by training for full marathons in whichever country he would be performing in. Antonio has visited 54 countries, territories, provinces on 6 continents and 46 U.S. States. 31 Marathon finishes around the world in countries such as Japan, Turkey, Switzerland, Canada & Germany, Antonio has also musically performed in Iceland, South Korea, Costa Rica, The Netherlands, and Serbia. Antonio’s music is available on iTunes. Tragically Antonio’s father, with the same namesake, passed away from an aggressive form of liver cancer during the summer of 2018. This experience changed his life irrevocably and it was through his love of music that he found solace and brings this experience to the Dignity Legacy Conference this year. Overview “Living, breathing, songwriting piece of luggage catapulted around the globe delivering his songs to the people”.
Antonio Estevan Huerta is a singer/songwriter and avid marathon runner from Texas who brings us a beautifully REAL penned letter to David Bowie from Palliative Care Doctor Mark Taubert. David Bowie died from Liver Cancer in January 2016. Antonio’s father, also named Antonio, died from the same tragic disease in the summer of 2018. The letter provides those ‘not in the know’ or inexperienced with palliative care and hospice treatment a real insight into this dark and tragic world. It will resonate with anyone who is currently or has previously experienced loss to cancer.