When Rachel Fortenberry was in law school, she had a plan: She was going to work in the prosecutor’s office of a county in Ohio. She had accepted a job, had plans for the summer and had a path paved for her career ahead.

And then, she made a phone call.

“I called my dad to wish him happy birthday, and he said he was in the hospital,” she says. “They told me my dad had a mass on his liver and that the doctor said ‘cancer.’ He had to have a tumor removed, and I gave up that job and came home.”

Her father recovered, but her life changed. Now, she helps people navigate their own life-changing news: a terminal diagnosis, a devastating prognosis, a tragedy unfolds. And for so many of her clients, she’s the person they look to for guidance in navigating next steps as a person reaches life’s end.

As an attorney specializing in end-of-life care, Fortenberry is a millennial attorney paving the way for better, kinder end-of-life care for baby boomers and beyond. At Fortifield Elder Law, she helps her clients, but she’s also helping organizations and care providers increase and innovate their services, with more and better end-of-life care available for an aging population.

“Seniors are a forgotten population,” she says. “But they are an increasing population. What we’re trying to do is put Springfield and Southwest Missouri on the cutting edge of navigating these hard topics.”

Fortenberry serves on the executive board for Hospice Foundation of the Ozarks, a nonprofit that has distributed millions in grants for end-of-life services. With her help, the nonprofit is working to launch a premier End-of-Life Care Summit in 2025, with attendees from the four-state region coming together to design, develop and discuss best practices for end-of-life care.

“Knowledge truly is power, and education is the cornerstone of empowerment,” says Fortenberry. Working with HFO to create and distribute reliable information is crucial to helping others understand the necessary steps to take when faced with end-of-life situations.

“Rachel’s dual role as an HFO Executive Board Member, co-chair of the HFO Advisory Committee and an elder law attorney underscores her holistic approach to serving the community,” says Anjanette LaBellarte, executive director of Hospice Foundation of the Ozarks. “By combining her legal expertise with her commitment to compassionate care, Rachel makes a significant and lasting impact on the lives of those she serves.”