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Is staffing an issue for your funeral home? How are we as a profession addressing the needs and demands of our employees and ensuring that the workforce challenges of the funeral home are taken care of? Dr. Jzyk Ennis joins host, Gabe Schauf, to talk about his article, "My Manifesto", published in the October 2022 issue of NFDA's The Director.
About Our Guest: Jzyk S. Ennis, Ph.D. (pronounced Jay-zick) is employed as a full-time instructor in the Funeral Service Education Program at Jefferson State Community College in Birmingham, Alabama. Dr. Ennis is a licensed funeral director and embalmer in the states of Alabama and Georgia, a Certified Funeral Service Practitioner (CFSP) and a Certified Crematory Operator (CCO). He began teaching as an adjunct instructor in 2000 and was hired as a full-time instructor in 2005 and remains in that position today. Previous to his hire as a full-time faculty member at Jefferson State Community College, Dr. Ennis managed one of Alabama’s largest funeral homes and has over thirty years of licensed experience in the funeral profession. He currently works part-time, when requested by friends and family, at Jefferson Memorial Funeral Home and Gardens in Trussville, Alabama.
Dr. Ennis has written two books related to embalming, Embalming Standards of Care and Embalming and Renal Failure: A Silent Danger for Embalmers. He chaired the American Board of Funeral Service Education (ABFSE) embalming textbook editorial committee for the sixth edition of Embalming: History, Theory, and Practice authored by Sharon Gee-Mascarello. He is a nationally recognized speaker, has written numerous articles for national and state publications, and is a subject matter expert in legal cases related to embalming and funeral service. He is a past president of ABFSE, a past president of the Alabama Funeral Directors Association, and a former At-large Representative on the Executive Board of the National Funeral Directors Association. Dr. Ennis graduated Magna Cum Laude and as the 1992 Outstanding Student in Funeral Service Education from Jefferson State Community College. He also earned degrees from Auburn University with a B.S. in Business Administration, the University of Alabama at Birmingham with a M.P.A. in Public Administration, and Auburn University with a Ph.D. in Adult Education. Dr. Ennis is a deacon and member of the First Baptist Church of Trussville, Alabama, and a lifetime member of the Auburn University Alumni Association. He has been married to his wife, Sherrie, for over thirty years and has two adult children and two grandchildren.