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ICFA 2002 Convention Speakers
Daniel E. Buchanan is Director of Training and Development for Batesville Casket Company. Prior to that he was president of Gupton-Jones College of Funeral Service in Atlanta for over 25 years. His educational background includes a BA in Psychology, a diploma in Mortuary Science from Gutpon-Jones College and a Master's in Management and Supervision from Central Michigan University. He is a licensed Funeral Director and Embalmer in North Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia. Mr. Buchanan is a lecturer and presenter for numerous funeral service organizations and clinics in the fields of embalming, communication skills, restorative art, and general education topics, with emphasis on creating a unique and meaningful funeral experi-ence for the consumer thus enhancing the value of the funeral. He is author of "Case Analysis" for NFDA Director and contributing author for two textbooks on embalming. Credits also include past chairman of the American Board of Funeral Service Education; Former Chairman of the Committee on Accreditation of the American Board of Funeral Service Education; Grand Master Artist Pi Sigma Eta, a national fraternity for students of mortuary science; member of the National Funeral Directors Association Education Committee and a member of the NFDA Spokes-person Team; Former member and chairman of the NFDA Preparatory Education Committee and Past President of the National Association of Colleges of Mortuary Science, Inc.
Donna G. Campbell is Corporate Counsel with The Loewen Group Inc., specializing in regulatory matters. As Director of Regulatory Services, she and the staff in the Regulatory Services Department offer technical assistance and support service to the approximately 1,000 Loewen funeral home, cemetery, crematory and advance planning location managers on such matters as FTC Funeral Industry Practices Rule, OSHA, ADA, Family and Medical Leave Act, Employment Laws and Regulations and other general business legal issues. Mrs. Campbell earned her juris doctorate from the Indiana University School of Law and her undergraduate degree from Ball State University. She is admitted to the practice of law in Indiana and is also a Certified Public Accountant. She is a frequent lecturer at national and regional meetings in the funeral and cemetery industries.
Ben G. Coleman is Area Sales Director for the SCI Bay Area Cluster. Previously he was Senior Vice President of Sales at TheFuneralCompany.com. and, prior to that, he was Senior Vice President of Sales and Marketing for Stewart Enterprises in New Orleans, Louisiana. He has served as a board member of the International Cemetery and Funeral Association. His work experience includes operations, management and sales, effective analysis of today's business market and leadership on a wide range of industry matters.
Alan D. Creedy is president of Vanguard America Company. Vanguard owns and operates Trust 100, a sales and marketing company specializing in the sale of prepaid funerals for independent funeral homes. It is the largest independent marketer in Eastern Northern America and operates in seven states and one Canadian province. In order to further its mission and goals, the company has developed significant expertise in consumer attitudes, preneed sales and funeral marketing. Trust 100 strives for the perpetuation of the Family Owned Funeral Home because it believes that consumers are best served by those who live and work in the same community as those they serve. Mr. Creedy was President of Wynne Funeral Homes from 1985-1991 and President of Order of the Golden Rule Service Corporation from 1980-1985. He is a Certified Public Accountant and during the last two years has published numerous articles for The American Funeral Director, The Independent and The Director.
B. David Daly, CCFE, is the President and Chief Operating Officer of Evergreen-Washelli Memorial Park and Funeral Home in Seattle, Washington, and the Abbey View Memorial Park in Brier, Washington. He is a Past President of both the ICFA and the Washington Interment Association, as well as past chairman of the Washington State Cemetery Board. He also serves as a member of the Washington State Funeral Directors Association Board of Directors.
Arlie T. Davenport Jr. is marketing vice president of Greenwood-Mount Olivet in Fort Worth, Texas. He is a past president of the Texas Cemeteries Association and the International Cemetery and Funeral Association (ICFA). Mr. Davenport is currently on the Executive Committee of the ICFA and has contributed to both associations as speaker and program chair on numerous occasions.
Darin B. Drabing is Senior Vice President - Operations of the five Forest Lawn Memorial Parks and Mortuaries located throughout Southern California. With over 20 years experience in the funeral industry, he is responsible for overseeing and directing the activities of more than 500 employees in all areas of mortuary, cemetery and crematory, and flower shop operations. A third-generation funeral professional, Drabing is licensed as an embalmer and funeral director as well as in cemetery and insurance sales. A graduate of the University of La Verne, Drabing currently is pursuing an Executive M.B.A. at Claremont Graduate University. Active in the local community, Drabing has served on a number of boards and committees, including the Boy Scouts of America, Orange County Council; Boys and Girls Club of Cypress; Cypress Chamber of Commerce; and the Cypress College Foundation.
Paul M. Elvig is the current Secretary of the ICFA and is the Vice President of Administration at Evergreen-Washelli Memorial Park and Funeral Home in Seattle, Washington. Previously, he was an administrator at the Department of Licensing where he assisted in the redesign of Washington state cemetery law. His experience includes licensing cemeteries, auditing endowment care and prearrangement trust funds, and processing, analyzing and recommending action on transfers of ownership applications.
Robert M. "Bob" Fells, Esq., has worked on behalf of the cemetery and funeral services industry since 1975 and has served as General Counsel of the International Cemetery and Funeral Association for the past 18 years. Bob also serves as the Association's External Chief Operating Officer. In addition to these duties, Bob is President and General Counsel of the ICFA Service Bureau Inc., a for-profit subsidiary of the ICFA, which administers the Credit Exchange Plan. He is also national coordinator and Assistant Secretary of the Cemetery Consumer Service Council, an industry-sponsored consumer assistance organization. He is a contributing editor to the ICFA WIRELESS bi-weekly e-mail newsletter, and his column, "The Washington Report," appears in each issue of the ICFA magazine, International Cemetery & Funeral Management. Bob is a graduate of Iona College and George Mason University School of Law. He is member of the Virginia State Bar and the U.S. Supreme Court Bar, and has been listed in Who's Who in American Law and Who's Who Among Emerging Leaders in America.
Douglas R. Gober is Executive Vice President of The Doody Group in New Orleans, Louisiana. He began his funeral service career 20 years ago as a sales representative for the Batesville Casket Company. In 1996, Doug joined The Doody Group. Working in the UK and France, he successfully directed the European operations for the company. He has been instrumental in planning and implementing a number of merchandising products created by The Doody Group and its parent company, The York Group Inc. He also has been a pioneer in developing the York Merchandising Systems.
Robert A. Gordon, Jr., CCE, is the Area Sales Director for Greenwood Memorial Park in San Diego, California. Previously he was Director of Sales at El Camino Memorial Park and Mortuaries in San Diego, Vice President and Director of Family Services as well as a Family Service Counselor at Oakdale Memorial Park in Glendora, California. He began his career in the cemetery and funeral industry as a grounds assistant at Oakdale. Additionally, he has served as Director and Secretary of ICFA and Vice President of the ICFA Membership Steering Committee. He also has served on the board of directors of the Heritage Insurance Services, and he has been a member of the Alpha Kappa Psi Professional Business Fraternity and the Interment Association of California.
Jeff Kidwiler, CCE is President of FuneralAssistant.com, Whittier, California. He was formerly Vice President of United Memorial Products Inc., Vice President of United Park Services Inc. and on the board of directors with Heritage Park in the Philippines. He is a graduate of the ICFA University and has earned the prestigious Certified Cemetery Executive designation. His company, FuneralAssistant.com, offers a Web site with information on funeral homes, cemeteries, products, laws and other information needed when planning a funeral.
Thomas Lynch is an essayist, a poet and a funeral director. He owns and operates Lynch & Sons Funeral Directors in Milford, Michigan, and is a Visiting Professor in the Master's of Fine Arts Program in Creative Writing at the University of Michigan. His most recent collection of poems, Still Life in Milford, was published in 1998. His collection of essays, The Undertaking, won the Heartland Prize, the Society of Midland Authors Award and The American Book Award and was a finalist for the National Book Award. His new collection of essays, Bodies in Motion and Rest, won The Great Lakes Book Award. His work has appeared in The New Yorker, Harper's The Paris Review, The New York Times Magazine, The Los Angeles Times, The Irish Times and The Times of London. He has appeared on the "Today Show" and the recent PBS Bill Moyers Series, "On Our Own Terms." He has read and lectured throughout Europe, North America, Australia and New Zealand.
Henry M. (Hank) Nelly, III is President of Fieldwood Financial. Fieldwood, which was formed in September 2000, is an independent cash flow based lender specializing in the funeral service industry. Loans are granted for acquisitions, construction of new facilities, refinancing of existing debt and for succession planning purposes.
Gary O'Sullivan, CCE, is President of the Gary O'Sullivan Company, a consulting firm pro-viding sales and marketing services to the cemetery and funeral industry. Prior to forming this company, Gary was the Senior Vice President of Marketing for Carriage Services in Houston, Texas. He is a Past President of the Southern Cemetery Association (SCA) and has been very involved in both SCA and ICFA for over 15 years. Gary entered the cemetery industry in 1971 and in 1990 received the American Cemetery Association's designation of Certified Cemetery Executive. He has served as instructor at several ICFA sales conferences and the ICFA University, and has been featured keynote speaker at numerous state, regional and national meetings. Gary has produced several audiocassette series, including "ServiceSelling" and "The Basic Approach to Preneed Selling." He is featured on several industry video-training tapes and has appeared nationally with such notables as Zig Ziglar and others.
William B. (Bill) Robinson has worked for the Fortis group of companies for the last 15 years. During that period of time he has worked in four different operating companies. In these companies he has held a variety of positions including senior management responsibilities in operations, sales and marketing. From 1994 until 2000, Mr. Robinson was the President of Fortis Long Term Care in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. During this period Fortis built its operation into a respected participant in the Long Term Care Insurance industry. The organization was sold to John Hancock in March of 2000. Mr. Robinson is currently an Executive Vice President at Fortis Family in Atlanta, Georgia. This is his second stint with Fortis Family. He worked there from 1990 until 1994. In his current role he has accountability for the sales, marketing, operations, I/T and human resource functions. He graduated from Florida State University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1972 and obtained his MBA from Georgia State University in 1985.
Thomas L. Smith is Senior Vice President of Spring Grove Cemetery and Arboretum in Cincinnati, Ohio. Joining the organization in 1972 as Assistant Horticulturist, he was elected to his present position in 1987. Tom holds a Bachelor's of Science in both Botany and Horticulture from the University of Cincinnati, and a Master's in Forest Science from Yale University. He has taught at various colleges in the greater Cincinnati area since 1973. Active in numerous professional organizations, he recently served as president of the national Professional Grounds Management Society. In 1999 Tom was awarded the Professional Grounds Management Society's highest honor, the Gold Medal Award.
Thomas Van Buskirk, CCE, has been Manager of Linn Grove Cemetery in Greeley, Colorado, since 1980. From 1970-1980, he was manager of Resthaven and Oak Hill Cemetery, Menasha, Wisconsin. Mr. Van Buskirk is a member of the Wisconsin Cemetery Association and the Colorado Association of Cemeteries' Cemeteries Skills Competition Committee.
Andrea L. Vittum, CCE, began her employment at White Haven Memorial Park in Rochester, New York, in 1985 as Sales Manager. She became President in 1993. She has served as President of the New York State Association of Cemeteries as well as board member, chair of the Fall Conference, Maintenance Seminar and Publications Committees as well as editor of their newsletter. She is currently an ICFA board member and has served on the Small Cemetery and Funeral Operations Committee, was a speaker at the 1998 Fall Management Conference and has written several articles for the ICFA's magazine. Community activities include serving on the Board of Directors for Perinton Food Shelf, Volunteers of America, Mary Cariola Children's Center and the Advertising Council of Rochester. She is an active member of the Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary System, of which White Haven was the first cemetery in teh United States to join and the first to be fully certified as an Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary.
John Welshons is the founder and President of Open Heart Seminars, an organization born in 1981 and dedicated to enhancing spiritual education and awareness in our society. Since the early 1970's, John has spent much time setting up lectures, workshops and retreats, many of which have been focused on people who are terminally ill and people in grief. He is a frequent lecturer to businesses, churches, hospitals, synagogues, colleges and universities throughout the United States. John is the author of the critically acclaimed book, "Awakening From Grief: Finding the Road Back to Joy," published by Open Heart Publications on April 1, 2000. He is working on a number of other writing projects and has a series of cassette tapes and booklets on grief which are available to the general public. John holds a B.A. in Religious Studies from the University of South Florida and an M.A. in History of Religions from Florida State University where he taught courses including "Death and Dying" and "Religion in America." He has also taught at Ramapo College in New Jersey. John is an active member of the ICFA and is a member of the American Academy of Religion and the Association of Death Education and Counseling.
Gregg Williamson, CCE, is Executive Vice President, Marketing & Sales, at Rose Hills Co. in Whittier, California. Previously, he served as Executive Vice President of Palm Mortuary, Inc. in Las Vegas, Nevada. Gregg earned his Bachelor of Science degree from Brigham Young University, and performed his graduate work at Cornell University in banking and finance. He is a licensed Funeral Director and a regular industry speaker. He has delivered talks at national conventions with the National Funeral Directors Association and the ICFA. Gregg has published articles regularly for industry magazines, including The Director (NFDA) and International Cemetery & Funeral Management (ICFA).
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