Carlos R. Quezada

Vice Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer

Carlos R. Quezada was named Chief Executive Officer in June 2023. Mr. Quezada joined the Company in 2020 as Vice President of Cemetery Sales and Marketing. He was promoted to Senior Vice President of Sales and Marketing in 2021. On June 1, 2021, he was appointed Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer. Immediately before being named the Company’s CEO, Mr. Quezada served as its President and Chief Operating Officer. Before joining our Company, Carlos R. Quezada was a Managing Director at Service Corporation International ("SCI") from 2009 to 2020. At SCI, he played influential roles in both sales and operations, reinforcing his expertise in these areas. Mr. Quezada's professional journey spans more than two decades in the hospitality industry, holding diverse leadership positions, including Chief Executive Officer, President, and Chief Operating Officer for privately held multiunit entities in the sector. A fervent passion for enhancing customer experiences and delivering service excellence has driven his innovative company transformations throughout his career.

Steven D. Metzger

President

Steven D. Metzger serves as our President and leads our Corporate Development, Legal, HR and Risk Management teams.  Mr. Metzger joined the Company in May 2018 and was promoted to Senior Vice President and General Counsel in February 2019. In 2021, in addition to his roles as General Counsel and Secretary, Mr. Metzger was promoted to Executive Vice President and Chief Administrative Officer. Prior to joining Carriage, Mr. Metzger served as Senior Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary for a publicly traded company in the restaurant industry from 2016 to 2018. Prior to that, Mr. Metzger spent seven years with Service Corporation International (“SCI”) where he served in various leadership roles including Managing Counsel for the Legal Department and Chief Compliance Officer for SCI’s registered investment advisor. Mr. Metzger began his career as a litigator at a Houston law firm and received both his BA in Government and his Juris Doctorate from the University of Texas at Austin.

Kian Granmayeh

Executive Vice President, Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer

Kian joined Carriage in March of 2023 in the role of Executive Vice President, Chief Financial Officer, and Treasurer. Prior to joining Carriage, Kian served as Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer for Tellurian, Inc., a publicly traded company in the liquefied natural gas sector. He also served in various investor relations and finance related roles at Apache Corporation, as well as having served as a Vice President at Lazard Freres & Co. Kian graduated from Columbia University with a B.A. in Neuroscience & Behavior and earned his M.B.A. from Rice University

Robbie Pape

Senior Vice President
and Regional Partner

Robbie has 30 years of industry experience, including positions in funeral/cemetery operations, finance, sales, systems, process improvement, and audit. Robbie spent her childhood moving every two years as the daughter of an Air Force Colonel. She is a Certified Public Accountant with a degree in Marketing and Information Systems from Baylor University in Waco, Texas. She serves as President-Elect for the International Cemetery, Cremation and Funeral Association (“ICCFA”) as well as being a member of the Finance Committee. Robbie is also active in the Cremation Association of North America and served as a board member until the fall of 2021.

Shawn R. Phillips

Senior Vice President
and Regional Partner

Shawn R. Phillips joined Carriage in September 2007 and was promoted to Senior Vice President in February 2017. He had served as our Regional Partner – West from 2007 to 2011 and currently serves as the Regional Partner – Central. Prior to joining Carriage, Mr. Phillips served from 1983 to 2007 in various leadership and operational roles with other publicly traded funeral and cemetery service companies. From 1979 to 1983, Mr. Phillips worked for an independent funeral operator. Mr. Phillips is a licensed Funeral Director and Embalmer and a graduate of the Mortuary Science Program at Cypress College.

Peggy Schappaugh

Senior Vice President Of Operations And Acquisitions Analysis

Peggy Schappaugh joined Carriage in August 2003 as an Operations Analyst and was promoted to Vice President of Operations and Acquisition Analysis in 2020. Mrs. Schappaugh has also served in other operationally focused roles within Carriage. Prior to joining Carriage, Mrs. Schappaugh served as an accountant at a publicly traded oil and gas company. Mrs. Schappaugh is a CPA and possesses a BBA in Accounting from Texas A&M University in College Station.

Paul D. Elliott

Senior Vice President
and Regional Partner

Paul D. Elliott joined Carriage in September 2012 as our Regional Partner – West and was promoted to Senior Vice President in February 2017. Prior to joining Carriage, Mr. Elliott served as a Managing Director for Service Corporation International (“SCI”). From February 1995 to August 2012, Mr. Elliott held various management roles in sales and operations within SCI. From September 1984 to December 1994, Mr. Elliott was a partner in his family’s funeral home in Kansas. Mr. Elliott is a graduate of the University of Kansas and the Dallas Institute of Funeral Service.

Shane T. Pudenz

Senior Vice President Of Sales And Marketing

Shane T. Pudenz serves as our Vice President of Sales and Marketing and joined Carriage in October of 2020. Prior to joining Carriage, Mr. Pudenz worked in several roles at Service Corporation International from 2012 to 2020 where he successfully lead multimarket sales organizations as Sales Director in addition to other roles he held prior. Mr. Pudenz has a Bachelors Degree in Mass Communications from Grandview University in Des Moines, IA.

Rob Franch

Chief Information Officer

Rob Franch serves as our Chief Information Officer and joined Carriage in April of 2022. Prior to joining Carriage, Mr. Franch served as the Chief Technology Officer for Cushman & Wakefield from 2014 to 2022, where he led the Application, Infrastructure and Collaboration delivery to over 48,000 colleagues across 60 countries. Mr. Franch has also held previous senior leadership roles for AON Corporation, Bank of America, and LaSalle Bank. Mr. Franch is a graduate of the University of Iowa.

Kathy Shanley

Chief Accounting Officer

Kathryn Shanley Nelson joined Carriage in March 2024 and serves as our Chief Accounting Officer. Prior to joining Carriage, Ms. Shanley Nelson served as the Assistant Vice-President and Assistant Controller for Service Corporation International (“SCI”) from 2014 to 2024 and Director of Operational Accounting from 2011-2014. Ms.Shanley Nelson joined SCI in 1994 and has held various roles of increasing responsibility over her thirty-year career, leading SCI’s financial reporting, general accounting, and auditing functions. Ms.Shanley-Nelson is a Certified Public Account and has a M.S. and B.S. in Business Administration from LeTourneau University.

Bridgette Oester

Managing Partner

Alan C. Kerrick

Managing Partner

James Bass

Managing Partner

Emerald Coast Funeral Home, McLaughlin Mortuary & Okaloosa Crematory FL, McLaughlin Twin Cities Funeral Home & Crematory FL After working decades with large 10 tier multiple locations in Texas and New Orleans, and now in Fort Walton Beach, Florida, James has acquired the knowledge to manage Centralized Care Services for staffing and the financial responsibilities that come with managing labor costs, revenue forecasting and executing plans that produce organic call volume growth strategies to grow & maintain highly profitable businesses locations. James offers his time to discuss with Managing Partners’ questions that they may have, with regards to ideas to help MP’s focus on leadership, improving operating & financial results as we progress thru 2019 and on into the 2023 Good to Great Journey.

Jason Cox

Managing Partner

Lane Funeral Home and Crematory, South Crest Chapel, Rossville, Georgia Jason has been with Lane Funeral Home and Crematory, South Crest Chapel since February of 2001 and Managing Partner since 2011. Jason and his staff have understood and have prioritized the importance of their community reputation. They are involved in the community through many civic Jason began his career in 1996 working for a privately owned firm in Dalton, GA. Within six months he attended Gupton-Jones College of Funeral Service in Atlanta where he was a member of Pi Sigma Eta Theta Chapter honorary fraternity graduating in 1998. Upon graduating from mortuary school, he worked for three years in the Dalton and Ringgold, Georgia areas. In February of 2001, he joined the Lane Funeral Home and Crematory-South Crest Chapel team as a Funeral Director and became the Managing Partner in 2011. He is licensed in Georgia and Tennessee. He was honored to be recommended by Mel Payne to join the Standards Council in 2020. He and his wife Maryia reside in Ringgold, GA with their son Ryan. He enjoys golfing, hunting, and fishing with his son, father, and friends. He is a member of Burning Bush Baptist Church and a board member of the Rossville Downtown Development Authority. He is a member of the Walker County Chamber of Commerce having served on the Executive Board and is a member of the Rossville Lions Club where he is Past President. Jason is also a member of the Catoosa County Chamber of Commerce and the Rossville Alumni Association.

Tim Hauck

Managing Partner

Harvey-Engelhardt Funeral & Cremation Services, Fuller Metz Cremation & Funeral Services, Lee County Cremations, Fort Myers & Cape Coral Florida Tim began his career in Funeral Service in 1986 after graduating from Miami Dade School of Mortuary. He joined the Carriage family in 1995 and currently serves as managing Partner in Lee County Fl for three Carriage Funeral and Cremation businesses. Tim has been a resident of Lee County the past 47 years where he has served on numerous community service organization boards along with State associations. Serving a high cremation market in a very competitive market, Tim and his team continue to grow market share and revenue and have been fortunate to achieved Pinnacle status the last four years along with the Good to Great Award in 2017. Tim is engaged to Rachel and has two Daughters and enjoys the Florida outdoor Lifestyle with golf and boating.

Justin Luyben

Managing Partner

Evans Brown & Hemet Valley Mortuaries – CA Justin holds a Bachelor’s degree in Business from California State University, Fullerton, and he is a licensed funeral director, crematory manager and pre-need counselor in the state of California. He joined Carriage in November of 2007 through the acquisition of a family business and was promoted to Managing Partner in 2011. Justin oversees the operations of 4 funeral homes that average 1,000 calls annually and also manages a crematory. He excels at developing a team and leading people to a common goal.

Steven Mora

Managing Partner

Conejo Mountain Funeral Home, Memorial Park & Crematory CA. I foresee that Conejo Mountain Funeral Home, Memorial Park, & Crematory will continue to be a leader in our market community by simply applying the basic principle of treating each person that walks through our doors like family. Our successful relationships with our families are testaments to who we are as a company. As managing partner, I know that my attitude and the attitude of my staff deeply affect how we convey the essential compassion and attention-to-detail that our families deserve: i.e. The “trickle-down” effect. In other words, caring, well-informed employees translate to comforted, well-served families and, ultimately, the overall successful “Guest Experience”. One person, one family at a time. I asked a customer who recently lost a family member what made her Conejo Mountain experience meaningful and comforting. Her answer: “That’s easy: The people who work here.” Steve has been overseeing Funeral Home/ Cemetery combination operations for over 30 Years. Steve would invite any Managing partner to please contact him at anytime.

MICHAEL KELLY

Managing Partner

Resthaven Funeral Home and Cemetery Despite growing up with close friends owning funeral homes and working part time in a funeral home while attending college, Mike never considered a career in the funeral and cemetery industry but as has often been said, “You don’t pick the funeral business, it picks you”. After earning his bachelor’s degree in Business Management from the University of Central Florida, Mike completed his Mortuary Science Degree at Gupton-Jones College in Atlanta, where he met his future wife, Deana. Working for different companies, both independent and corporately owned in 8 different states spread across the country provided a wealth of knowledge and exposure to the many different funeral customs and traditions practiced. Mike joined Carriage Services in 2010 as a Managing Partner at North Brevard Funeral Home in Titusville, FL. Since then, he has served as a Director of Support for the Central and Mid Atlantic regions as well as a member of the Corporate Development Team. In 2019, Mike became Managing Partner at Resthaven Funeral Home & Memory Gardens in Oklahoma City where his 30 years industry experience have been best utilized. Mike was honored to be nominated by Carriage Services Founder and CEO, Mel Payne, to serve on the Standards Council in 2022. Mike and his wife, Deana, who is also a Funeral Director and Managing Partner for a Carriage Services business, enjoy traveling to faraway places, cruising, cheering on the Oklahoma Sooners, and spending time with their 2 dogs, Benny and Gracie.