Summit Agenda
7:30 – 8:30 AM
Welcome Breakfast, Networking & Vendor Parlor
8:30 – 8:45 AM
Opening Remarks
8:45 – 9:15 AM
Morning Keynote
- Trey Morgan, President & CEO — The Morgan Companies
- Michael Schimmel, CEO — Sympathy Brands
9:20 – 10:00 AM
Burial: Cemetery Tech & The Evolution of Cemetery Sales
- Ashlinn Goodman, Director of Cemetery Sales — SNL
- George Owens, Owner — Fortitude / Guidant
- Jennifer Blakely, Founder/Owner — Life's QR
- Mark Kittnar, Chief Operating & Information Officer — Sympathy Brands
10:10 – 10:20 AM
Johnson Consulting Spotlight
Jake Johnson, Owner
10:20 – 11:00 AM
Finance Fireside Chat
Financial Operations & Succession: Building a Funeral Home That Survives You
11:00 – 11:10 AM
Dead Ringers
Brent Thomas, Director of Sales
11:10 – 11:30 AM
Profession Within an Industry
Prelude to the cremation conversation: where profession and industry are being commoditized to reduce services.
- Anthony Kaniuk — NFDA
- Michael Schimmel, CEO — Sympathy Brands
12:20 – 1:20 PM
Impacts of Cremation: Optimizing Options & Experiences for Dignified Service
- Carlton Maye, Jr., MBA, CFSP, CCO, General Partner — Serenity Funeral Home and Cremation (Dublin, GA); 2024–26 At-Large Representative, National Funeral Directors Association Board of Directors
- Mandy Stafford, Preneed and National Partnership Manager — Return Home
- Jenni Bryant — Smith Funeral & Cremation Service (Maryville, TN) and Cremation by Grandview (Maryville, TN)
- Philip Flores, Jr., Founder — Cremation by Water
1:20 – 1:30 PM
Funeral Women Lead
Patty Neuswanger
1:30 – 2:20 PM
Preneed Focused: Technology, Marketing, Digitalization & The Future of Service Delivery
- Leigh Klemencic, NGL AVP — Marketing Communications
- Beau Jarrell, Owner — Fintra
- Lacey Serrago, Marketing Agency Director — Tribute Technology
- Lindsay Granson COO — Heritage Family
2:20 – 3:10 PM
Merchandising for Success: Guiding Consumer Expectations with Pricing Transparency
- Justin Crowe, Founder/CEO — Founder/CEO, Parting Stone
- James Fletcher, Vice President, Marketing and Sales — Matthews Memorialization
- Adelle Archer, Co-CEO & Co-Founder — Eterneva
3:10 – 3:20 PM
Closing Thoughts
3:20 – 3:30 PM
Event Survey
3:30 – 4:30 PM
🥂 Cocktail Reception & Networking Mixer
Join fellow funeral, cemetery, cremation, and end-of-life professionals for networking, conversation, and relationship building as we conclude the 2026 Future of Deathcare Summit.