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For Immediate Release: July 31, 2024

Brookfield, Wis. – Today, Carlton Maye Jr. and Ladd Pulliam were elected to serve as at-large representatives on the National Funeral Directors Association (NFDA) Board of Directors. They will begin two-year terms of service immediately following the 2024 NFDA International Convention & Expo.

On July 31, during the NFDA Leadership Conference in Ponte Vedra, Florida, state association representatives elected the new at-large representatives. State association representatives are the voting representatives from each state who cast a ballot on behalf of their state for the at-large representatives on the NFDA Board of Directors.
  
Carlton Maye Jr. came to funeral service after a successful career in banking and contracting. He currently serves as the funeral director in continuous charge at Hill’s Mortuary of Statesboro, Georgia. He also proudly serves as a distance learning adjunct faculty member at Gupton-Jones College of Funeral Service. 

In addition to being an active member of NFDA, Maye is also a member of the National Funeral Directors & Morticians Association, International Cemetery, Cremation and Funeral Association, and the Academy of Graduate Embalmers of Georgia. He is also a member of the Georgia Funeral Service Practitioners Association and serves as the organization’s chairman of Sixth District and the Education and Research director. 

In his candidate statement, Maye noted, “The immediate contributions that I bring to the NFDA Board of Directors include over 20 years of experience, an astute leadership acumen, and a passion to serve others through education and professional development. My priorities consist of the following: education and dissemination of information; to evolve with the current times and maintain an open mindset to relevancy in industry trends; and a commitment to serving the living with passion and provide support to those who need our death care services.”

A funeral director and embalmer for more than 20 years, Ladd Pulliam works for Jones and Son Funeral Home, which has locations in Richton, Moselle, Hattiesburg and Beaumont, Mississippi. 

Pulliam has demonstrated a clear dedication to his chosen profession, having served on the Board of Directors for the Mississippi Funeral Directors Association, including terms as president in 2014 and 2017. He also has served NFDA as a member of the Policy Board, Workforce Development Task Force and as a state association representative. 

“I, like many of you, have always thought of this profession more as a calling than a job, and I have always made it my goal to serve every family to the very best of my ability,” said Pulliam in his candidate biography. “I have carried this same desire for service with me through my years of service on the Board of Directors of the Mississippi Funeral Directors Association and would love the opportunity to continue that service … we all want to see our association grow and continue as the standard of excellence in funeral service, and with strong leaders, we can make that happen together.”

More information about Maye and Pulliam can be found on the NFDA website, NFDA.org/Elections. 

NFDA extends its gratitude to the other at-large representative candidates who stepped forward as candidates in this competitive race: 

• Jacob "Jay" Hunn, Hunn, Black & Merritt Funeral Home & Crematory, Eufaula, Oklahoma
• Bill Vallie, Sunset Memorial Gardens & Funeral Home, Odessa, Texas

NFDA Officer Elections

During the month of June, qualified NFDA members elected the following individuals to serve as officers on the Board of Directors: 

• President-elect Daniel J. Ford, Alderson-Ford Funeral Home, Cheshire, Connecticut
• Treasurer Chris E. Christian, Christian-Sells Funeral Home, Rogersville, Tennessee 
• Secretary Bobby “Steve” Spann, Spann Funeral Home, Dickson, Tennessee

Christopher P. Robinson of Robinson Family Funeral Homes, which has three locations near Easley, South Carolina, will ascend from his current president-elect role to lead NFDA as the 2024-25 President.

Current NFDA President Douglas R. “Dutch” Nie, II, Nie Family Funeral Home & Cremation Service, Ann Arbor, Michigan, will continue his service on the Board with a one-year term as immediate past president. 

Also continuing their service on the Board of Directors are 2023-25 At-large Representatives Homer E. Elwood Jr., Gray Funeral Home, Clinton, South Carolina, and Ellen Wynn McBrayer, Jones-Wynn Funeral Home & Crematory, Villa Rica, Georgia.

Information about the officers elected to the Board of Directors can be found on the NFDA website, NFDA.org/Elections.    

More information about the officers elected to the Board of Directors can be found on the NFDA website, NFDA.org/Elections. 

NFDA is the world's leading and largest funeral service association, serving nearly 20,000 individual members who represent nearly 11,000 funeral homes in the United States and 49 countries around the world. NFDA is the trusted leader, beacon for ethics and the strongest advocate for the profession. NFDA is the association of choice because it offers funeral professionals comprehensive educational resources, tools to manage successful businesses, guidance to become pillars in their communities and the expertise to foster future generations of funeral professionals. NFDA is headquartered in Brookfield, Wis., and has an office in Washington, D.C. For more information, visit NFDA.org.

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Media Contact: Jessica Koth, 262-814-1536, jkoth@nfda.org 

Pictured above (L to R): Carlton Maye Jr. and Ladd Pulliam were elected to serve as at-large representatives on the NFDA Board of Directors. They will begin two-year terms of service immediately following the 2024 NFDA International Convention & Expo.