The Funeral Service Foundation Board of Trustees welcomed four new trustees and elected its 2023-24 Executive Committee at its annual meeting during the NFDA International Convention & Expo in Las Vegas last September. Funeral directors and allied professionals serve on the volunteer board and offer their expertise and insight to advance the foundation’s mission. The mission itself was also subtly updated during the meeting to emphasize the importance of why the foundation exists – to lift up grieving communities by investing in people and programs that strengthen funeral service.
New trustees voted onto the board include Bryant Hightower, funeral director, Hightower Family Funeral Homes, Carrollton, Georgia; Kathy Kelley, treasurer and family-member owner, ASD-Answering Service for Directors; Jimmy Lucas, funeral director and owner, Lucas Funeral Homes, Hurst, Texas; and Carmalita March-Harris, funeral director and co-owner, March Funeral Homes, Baltimore, Maryland.
The Foundation board also welcomed its new executive committee. Mark Krause, vice president of industry and government relations for Foundation Partners Group, began his one-year term as chair. Krause was elected as a trustee in 2018 and served as 2022-23 chair-elect.
The board also elected John Heald, general manager-funeral home channel, Legacy.com, as chair-elect; and reelected David Falconer, senior vice president and funeral and cemetery trust manager, Regions Bank, as treasurer.
Lisa Baue, former president and owner of Baue Funeral Homes, Cemetery and Crematory in St. Charles, Missouri, and owner of Your Funeral Coach; and Christopher Robinson, vice president and general manager of Robinson Funeral Home in Easley, South Carolina, will continue on the Executive Committee as immediate past chair and NFDA liaison, respectively.
Bob Arrington, president of Arrington Funeral Directors in Jackson, Tennessee, and Allan Cole, president and owner of MacKinnon & Bowes in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, transitioned off the board after six years of service. Each received the Emeritus Trustee distinction in recognition of their service. funeralservicefoundation.org