René Negrete joined Carriage as Vice President of Operations in February 2026, bringing over fifteen years of leadership experience in funeral and cemetery operations, sales, and marketing. His background spans a decade at Service Corporation International, where he led preneed sales across North America and five years as
Senior Vice President of Sales and Marketing for a leading cemetery and funeral company in the southern California market. That experience gives Carriage a leader who understands both the operational and revenue sides of the business, and how the two work together to serve families and sustain growth over time. He holds a B.A. in Communication from the University of Southern California and an M.S. in Management and Leadership from Pepperdine University.