Moderator, Holly Pruett, MS

Holly has a master's degree in Applied Behavioral Science, is an ordained interfaith minister, a professionally trained Life-Cycle Celebrant, a Community Death Educator, and a death doula. She holds two Proficiency Badges from the National End-of-Life Doula Alliance. She is certified in Thanatology (the scientific study of death and dying, including the psychological and social aspects of loss and bereavement) from the Association for Death Education and Counseling. She co-created the non-commercial public information website Oregon Funeral Resources and Education. Holly is a well-known facilitator, conversation leader, and consultant who founded the PDX Death Café and the DeathTalk Project, bringing people together to talk about death and dying in safe and constructive ways.

Panelist, Rev. Jo Laurence, MA, BCC

Rev. Jo is a lead clinical chaplain with Providence Hospice and has worked in the field of hospice/palliative care since 2012. She is an alumna of the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley, California, where she graduated from the Institute of Buddhist Studies. While attending seminary, she focused on the application of Buddhist teachings and end of life care while serving hospice patients and their families in Oakland, California. Rev. Jo is an ordained minister with the Sufi Movement International and Board Certified with the Association of Professional Chaplains.

Panelist, Nancy Linnon, MA, MFA

Nancy Linnon is a hospice volunteer and is studying to be an end-of-life doula, someone who accompanies a person on their journey with death. She began her studies in Ireland and has also completed doula training with the International End of Life Doulas Association (INELDA). Nancy started her professional career as a journalist for U.S. News & World Report and has taught writing for thirty years in high schools, universities, and community venues. She has a master’s degree in teaching from Brown University and an MFA in creative nonfiction from Antioch University. Many people have remarked that the work of becoming an end-of-life doula is a departure from teaching writing, but she sees it as a natural continuation. Death is a part of life waiting to be known—as are the multitude of stories within us.

Panelist, Jennifer Traeger, MSW, LCSW

Jennifer Traeger holds a master’s degree in social work and is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker in Oregon. For over 30 years she has worked in the field of end-of-life care, serving families, adults, teens, and children. She has had the privilege of working in both inpatient and home-based hospice, serving adult and pediatric patients and their families. Jennifer is particularly interested in the practice of ethical discernment in health care and has been fortunate to train with and volunteer for ethics committees in several health systems. Her work as a bereavement counselor and a manager of bereavement programs were some of her most fulfilling roles and she was the Director of Camp Erin, a summer camp for bereaved children and teens. All these experiences have affirmed her belief in the healing power of community and our ability to find our own unique path toward healing. Currently she is fortunate to serve as the Director of Providence Hospice in Portland, Oregon and SW Washington, as well as the Columbia Gorge area.