John Kirksey

Professor John Kirksey

John Kirksey graduated from Bowie state in 1989 with a Bachelor’s Degree in Music Education. After teaching elementary and high school music for three years he joined the U.S. Navy in 1993.  While in the Navy music program, Mr. Kirksey attended mortuary school at Delgado College in New Orleans, Louisiana. Mr. Kirksey completed the mortuary program in 1998 and returned home to the Washington DC area to pursue a mortuary career.

After working at several prestigious firms in the Washington DC area, Mr. Kirksey was asked to join the staff at the University of the District of Columbia in 2011. Since then, Professor Kirksey has taught Embalming, Restorative Art, History and Sociology of Funeral Service, Psychology of Grief and Funeral Service Management. He currently serves as the acting program director of mortuary science. On April 10, 2019, at the Annual Meeting of the American Board of Funeral Service Education (ABFSE), in Miami, Florida, the UDC-CC Mortuary Science Program was granted a three-year initial accreditation. UDC-CC is the home of the only accredited Mortuary Science Program in the District. Professor Kirksey is a champion skeet shooter and has introduced the sport to scores of students. He is also an accomplished bass player.