Keynote speakers
A page within INTERNATIONAL DEATH, GRIEF, AND BEREAVEMENT CONFERENCE
This year’s conference — centered on “Loneliness in Grief: Exploring the Silent Struggle & Path to Connection” — brings together a distinguished lineup of experts, scholars, and practitioners whose work spans global, cultural, ethical, and generational dimensions of loss and mourning.
Our keynote speakers have been carefully selected for their leadership in understanding how collective experiences—whether rooted in history, culture, migration, or trauma — shape the lived reality of grief, bereavement, and healing. They invite you to engage not only intellectually but personally, leaving you with new insights, meaningful connections, and a deeper appreciation of how bereavement is experienced across communities and generations.
As you explore each speaker’s profile below, you’ll find conversations that challenge assumptions, foster empathy, and offer fresh pathways for practice. We are honored to feature these voices and look forward to you joining us as we listen, reflect, and evolve together.
Pre-Conference Keynote Speakers
Sunday, May 31, 2026
Jill Johnson-Young
Jill Johnson-Young
Information is forthcoming
Debra Joy Hart
Debra Joy Hart
Information is forthcoming
Conference Keynote Speakers
Monday, June 1, 2026
Jakob van Wielink, M.A.
Jakob van Wielink
Jakob van Wielink is a pioneer in the application of secure base thinking to coaching, therapy, and counseling. He is a partner in The School for Transition in the Netherlands. He is also a faculty mentor at the Portland Institute for Loss and Transition and a member of the International Work Group on Death, Dying and Bereavement. In 2022, Jakob was the Ira Nerken International Keynote Speaker at the annual conference of the Association for Death Education and Counseling (ADEC). Jakob works internationally as an executive coach for leaders and their teams and is an educator and trainer of professional coaches. He has contributed to many books about coaching, therapy, and transition. Jakob co-authored The Craft of the Secure Base Coach. Enabling Transition, The Language of Transition in Leadership. Your Calling as a Leader in a World of Change and Loss, Grief, and Attachment in Life Transitions. A Clinician’s Guide to Secure Base Counseling all three of which were published by Routledge.
Neil Thompson
Neil Thompson
Neil Thompson is an award-winning independent writer, educator and adviser and visiting professor at the Open University and Wrexham University.
With over 50 books to his name, Neil Thompson is a highly respected award-winning author, international conference speaker and trusted adviser. He has held full or honorary professorships at five UK universities and is currently a visiting professor at the Open University and Wrexham University in the UK. He began his career in social work but has extended his interests over the years to incorporate a major focus on human relations, wellbeing and leadership.
Tuesday, June 2, 2026
Laurel Hilliker, Ph.D., FT
Laurel Hilliker, Ph.D., FT
Laura Hilliker holds a Ph.D. in Sociology with a concentration in health and well-being with a specialized focus in bereavement studies. She holds a Fellow in Thanatology from the Association of Death Education and Counseling. With over two decades of experience as a college educator, she has taught and developed curriculum in the areas of medical sociology, grief and loss, and public health which includes the social dimensions of health. Her scholarly work and teaching has consistently explored the nuanced intersections of emotional experience, social context, and individual adaptation in the face of loss. This deep academic and professional grounding uniquely qualifies her to speak on the topic of The Solitude Within: Reframing Loneliness as a Crucial Element in Healthy Bereavement. Her expertise enables her to critically examine loneliness not merely as a symptom of grief, but as a potentially transformative space within the bereavement process. Drawing on both sociological theory and empirical research, she offers a reframing of solitude that challenges prevailing narratives and supports continuing education attendees in expanding their understanding of grief, resilience, and emotional well-being.
Harold Ivan Smith
Harold Ivan Smith
Information is forthcoming.
Wednesday, June 3, 2026
Robert Neimeyer
Robert Neimeyer
Information is forthcoming.
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