A Century of Experience to Help You

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, Known Wishes was created to broaden and deepen end-of-life education. 

I have spent the past 30+ years as an activist for better end-of-life care and expanded choice. I was the Executive Director at End of Life Washington (EOLWA) 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. 

For over 25 years, I have supported individuals facing unexpected events and serious illness as an Occupational Therapist in Acute Care, ICU, Skilled Nursing, and Home Health. Along the way, I’ve developed a deep passion for Advance Care Planning (ACP) and patient advocacy around end-of-life options – where people feel empowered and heard.  

From 2017-2025 I served as the first ACP Program Coordinator at PeaceHealth, where I built a system-wide interdisciplinary advance care planning education and awareness program. Currently, I am the Program Coordinator for the WA POLST Program and continue to consult for ACP organizations across Washington. 

I am co-founder of Stay Home Improvements, a business dedicated to home modifications, resources and community collaboration that supports people wishing to age-in- place and die with grace.  

I’ve spent my career championing values‑driven medical decision making — the belief that medicine is not only about extending life, but about aligning care with what matters most to each individual. That philosophy guided my work as a Hematologist and Medical Oncologist in Seattle from 1991 to 2018, where I walked alongside patients facing aggressive diagnoses and life‑altering choices. 

In 2018, I shifted my focus to Inpatient Hospice and Palliative Medicine at Evergreen Health in Kirkland. From 2018 to 2025, I had the privilege of helping patients and families navigate complex treatment and end‑of‑life decisions with clarity, compassion, and deep respect for their personal values. That work strengthened my conviction that the most meaningful care honors the whole person — their hopes, fears, relationships, and definition of a life well lived. 

I’m a proud graduate of the University of Washington School of Medicine, Class of 1985, and since 2019 I’ve served on the UW School of Medicine Admissions Committee. 

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.   

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. 

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.

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. 

As a hospice volunteer for over 12 years, I have seen first hand how vital it is to be prepared for the unexpected and to help alleviate the burden of leaving families to guess what their loved one might have wanted.

It is my goal to guide people through meaningful conversations about their values, goals, and preferences for future care, ensuring their voices are heard and respected if/when the time comes that advance care decisions are needed. 

I have been an Advance Care Planning Facilitator for over 20 years.   I am passionate about helping individuals and families navigate complex healthcare decisions with clarity and confidence. 

www.caringcompassacp.com

With a background spanning life and disability insurance, funeral services, skilled nursing, assisted living, and memory care, I’ve walked alongside families during some of life’s hardest moments. That experience is what led me to help people get their wishes documented before a crisis arrives. I’ve seen firsthand what happens when plans aren’t in place, and I never want a family to face that alone.  

My goal is to make the planning process feel simple, respectful, and empowering. This work is more than a service. It’s a commitment to my community, with compassion, clarity, and deep respect.

www.clearchoiceacp.com