Our Instructors

With 30 years of experience as an educator, Donna spent her career teaching in inner-city classrooms, as well as developing and implementing high-standards of curricula. Donna took a sabbatical in 2014 to earn her Masters in Leadership and Administration. That same year, Marriage Equality passed in her state of Pennsylvania. Within days of the lifting of the same-sex marriage ban, Donna officiated her first wedding, marrying two men in their 70’s. This prompted her to go through the Humanist Society to become endorsed as a Humanist Celebrant.

That decision proved to be a life-changing event, leading Donna to retire from education to pursue her Humanist Celebrant business full-time. Donna has since officiated hundreds of ceremonies and built a full-time Celebrant business, Lehigh Valley Celebrants. Under her leadership, the business has grown to include six other working, Humanist Celebrants. Through mentorship-style learning, Donna and her team have become highly sought-after Celebrants in the region and are hired to reside over numerous life celebrations each year.

Celebrant Academy allows Donna to share her dedication to continuous learning with the skills that have made her a marketable Celebrant, such as her background in theater, public speaking, storytelling, marketing and writing. Her goal is to help other Celebrants craft meaningful, couple-centered ceremonies and to guide them in creating an atmosphere where everyone feels like they are part of the celebration.

Earnest and innovative, Donna keeps her finger on the pulse of wedding industry trends and collaborates with important creatives and thought leaders. She currently is Vice President of the Board of the Humanist Society and takes an active role with providing training opportunities for Humanist Celebrants nationwide.

Since 2005, she has officiated hundreds of unique ceremonies, and her diverse background in religious philosophy, music, and social justice directly informs her work.

From 1990 to 2006, Lois worked as an educator and advocate in the battered women/anti-rape movement; teaching and working for social change. In her earlier years, she was a hard-working musician and singer-songwriter; performing on stages from New York City to Europe. Her formal education was in religious philosophy at Temple University in Philadelphia. 

Lois is a graduate of the Celebrant Foundation and Institute and an endorsed Humanist Celebrant of the Humanist Society, as well as a member of other clergy and wedding associations. Her leadership in the field has lead to an active and highly popular wedding blog which she has written for the Pocono Record since 2006.

She is included in the publication, Life-Cycle Ceremonies: A Handbook for Your Whole Life, and is featured in the Marlo Thomas book, It Ain’t Over...Till It’s Over. In 2018, Lois was a contributor on the wedding podcast, Put a Ring on It.

 Lois lives in the Pocono area of Pennsylvania with her husband and adoring springer spaniels! On her beautiful wooded property, she has created Harmony Gardens – a highly sought-after elopement and micro-wedding venue.

Hi, I'm Lauren Hill, the owner of Simply Weddings NYC in Brooklyn, New York. I'm a licensed Celebrant/Officiant and I can cater to couples across the globe.

Wedding ceremonies are filled with more than we can imagine; they are the core of the entire event. I firmly believe that every couple deserves a genuinely unforgettable experience on their wedding day. So whether you are looking for an intimate affair with just or an elaborate extravaganza, I am ready to support you and your partner on this special day.

Your wedding ceremony should honor and celebrate your love, beliefs, and backgrounds - let me share yours!

Services Offered:

Lauren Hill serves as a celebrant and officiant all over the country. To help understand your wedding vision and get to know you, she offers convenient video conferencing services. In addition to marriage officiating, she provides premarital and marriage coaching, custom wedding scripts, vows, rehearsal coordination, vendor referrals, and other services. She conducts the following ceremonies:

• Interfaith Ceremonies
• Secular Ceremonies
• Religious Ceremonies
• Commitment Ceremonies
• Rehearsal Services
• Vow Renewals
• Family/Friend Officiant Coaching Services

Keri Klein is a Celebrant Academy instructor and the founder of Flower City Ceremonies, based in Rochester, New York. She has been officiating weddings for over a decade and has created nearly 500 ceremonies for couples who wanted something personal, joyful, and meaningful.

Keri’s path into celebrancy began the way it often does. Two friends asked her to officiate their wedding because they didn’t want a boring ceremony. She replied, “Well, I’m not boring.” That moment launched what would become Flower City Ceremonies, and she has been helping couples celebrate their stories ever since.

In addition to her work as an officiant, Keri brings nearly 30 years of experience as a high school English teacher and coach of an improvisational comedy team. Her background in education and storytelling makes her a natural guide in the classroom, where she helps celebrants understand the structure, communication, and presence required to lead meaningful ceremonies.

Keri has also supported the Celebrant Academy community by assisting with new applicants and helping welcome incoming students. As an instructor, she leads the Academy’s Marketing Your Celebrant Business course, guiding students through the curriculum and helping them develop confidence in how they present their work to the world.

Keri lives in Rochester with her family and continues to officiate weddings while supporting the next generation of celebrants through her work with the Academy.