Sharmon Figenshaw, RN, MN, ARNP
For over 35 years I have worked with people facing serious illness, offering guidance and support to them and their loved ones. I am a licensed Nurse Practitioner with a focus on hospice and palliative care. In that role, I also provide education and training on the topics of palliative care, use of POLST and improving health care communication about serious illness. I serve on the steering committee for the Washington State Serious Illness Care Coalition and have co-chaired the statewide POLST task force since the inception of the POLST program in Washington (2001). Inspired to deepen and broaden education around advance care planning, I now consult with healthcare organizations and clinical teams, with training designed to help clinicians provide care that is fully informed by the person’s values and goals. I believe that goal-centered advance planning communication between health teams, families and trusted advocates can liberate everyone involved.
Robb Miller
I have spent the past 30+ years as an activist for better end-of-life care and expanded choice. I began my career working as an athletic director and kinesiologist, but after witnessing my father and long-time partner experience bad deaths in the mid 90s, I embarked on a new career in end-of-life advocacy. I was the Executive Director of the organization now known as End of Life Washington (EOLWA) which I led for 15 years. From 2000 - 2015, I served as a Steering Committee Member on the Washington End of Life Coalition sponsored by the Washington State Medical Association. I was also a leader and key spokesperson for the passage of the Washington Death with Dignity Act in 2009. I have been honored to author and co-author several first-of-their-kind advance planning documents, including EOLWA’s Hospital Visitation Authorization for LGBTQ people who were not afforded hospital visitation until gay marriage was legalized in 2012, the Living With Dementia Mental Health Directive and My Instructions for Oral Feeding and Drinking. Currently, I serve as Executive Director Emeritus of End of Life Washington and on its Public Policy and Legal Committee. I also serve as an advisory committee member for Arizona End of Life Options, End of Life Choices California and the New Zealand Ministry of Health.
Connie Brumm, MD
Early in my career I spent much of my energy around issues of reproductive choice. Now in my later years as a retired family physician, I am still committed to the idea of choice as patients, family, and friends are approaching end of life issues. This brought me to volunteer work helping families and individuals navigate the healthcare system as they make end of life choices and seek dignified options for their own care. Throughout my career I have emphasized that knowledge and information are the path to having options and being able to make meaningful choices when faced with difficult life and death decisions.
Jeff Baker
Fate has given me the opportunity to guide many close to me through their end-of-life journey. I sat beside both my wife and my parents to help design and create a vision for their death that reflected and respected their values. It was a support role not too dissimilar from my 40+ years in corporate design and brand management. Through these experiences I've become an end-of-life volunteer and consultant, helping others curate and find beauty in life's final chapter. Whether that's by building the most helpful support team, that can honor one's wishes, or having important but difficult conversations about quality of life as you face death. My goal is to inspire a dialogue that gives others the chance to decide what quality of life means to them.
Kay Longhi
I have spent 25 years in and around the end-of-life-movement. I held a long career in health care management, seeing many sides of the healthcare system. I have also served on the board of End of Life Washington for 22 years and am still a volunteer with the organization. In my personal life, I have been a caretaker and end-of-life guide for several family members who have passed. Drawing from both my professional and practical experience, I now coach others on the value of pre-planning before a healthcare crisis. I believe strongly that helping individuals understand how to die on their terms, provides enormous comfort during what can be a difficult time.
Wendy Norman
I have been researching and engaging with end-of-life issues for over 15 years. My interest was sparked by my mother's diagnosis of early-onset Alzheimer's in 2006. This is when I learned how important it is to have a plan before becoming ill, especially when cognitive decline is involved. Wanting to help others understand the value of pre-planning, I became an end-of-life planning consultant in 2017. In 2019, I left a 25-year career in marketing and program management to invest my time and energy toward end-of-life planning, education and awareness. In 2020 I helped create and lead the team of volunteers to launch an education and awareness program called End of Life Ready hosted by End of Life Washington. Building on that experience, Worry-Free Wednesdays was created to broaden and deepen end-of-life education