National Widowers’ Organization announces appointment of Kei Okada to the Board of Directors
By National Widowers’ Organization on March 27, 2023
The National Widowers’ Organization, a nonprofit formed in 2009 to help men deal with grief, announces the appointment of Kei Okada, MDiv, BCC, to the Board of Directors.
Dr. Sherry Schachter, Vice-chair of the National Widowers’ Organization says about the addition,
“I am so pleased that Kei joined our Board. He brings new and insightful experiences to us as we move into a new direction to help all bereaved men by expanding our services to men who are grieving the death of their parent, sibling, child, or other significant loss. and their families face many challenges resulting from the profoundly life changing impact of the death of a loved one. Kei’s experience and capabilities will help us address these needs.”
Kei Okada was born in New York and raised in Kanazawa, Japan. An initial plan to study for a year in U.S. extended to three art schools followed by four years of working with post-modern dancers in dance theatres in New York City. His love of language led him to study biblical languages at Union Theological Seminary, where the field education course led him to find a meaningful vocation in chaplaincy through a clinical training of CPE (Clinical Pastoral Education). After working at NY Presbyterian Cornell Medical Center’s “Program for Children with AIDS” and Housing Works Adult Day Health Care programs for the homeless living with HIV, he worked for 15.5 years at Visiting Nurse Service of New York and Palliative Care. In the end of 2021, he retired from his position as Program manager, End-of-Life Spiritual Care, and currently he is writing his first book on how to facilitate meaningful dialogues with those who are living their final stage of life. Kei is a Board-Certified Chaplain under Association of Professional Chaplains (APC), and an Associate of Columbia University Seminar on Death. As a Christian mystic and an artist, Kei has been offering and writing in the U.S. and Japan on end-of-life consciousness and communication, integrating Art, Spiritual care, and Medicine.
About the new position on The National Widowers’ Organization Board of Directors, Mr. Okada commented,
“Thank you so much for your generous appointment. I am honored to join your sacred and much needed community of meaningful support, learning, and research. I look forward to learning from you and working with you.”
The National Widowers’ Organization, a 501c3 non-profit corporation dedicated to and promoting support for grieving men and their families through public awareness, education, re search, and advocacy. Visit the National Widowers’ Organization, website at nationalwidowers.org or our Men’s Grief Net work website at mensgriefnetwork.org. Contact us by email at [email protected] for more information.