Brookfield, Wis. – A proposal to amend the National Funeral Directors Association (NFDA) Bylaws to keep the current 2019-20 Board of Directors in place for the 2020-21 leadership year has passed, with 91.18% of members voting in favor of it.
The 2020-21 Board
The members of the 2020-21 board will be:
- R. Bryant Hightower Jr., president
- Randy P. Anderson, president-elect
- John O. “Jack” Mitchell IV, treasurer
- Douglas “Dutch” Nie II, secretary
- Charles “Chuck” T. Bowman, immediate past president
- John W. Wenig, at-large representative
- Christopher P. Robinson, at-large representative
- Linda Allan, at-large representative
- Daniel J. Ford, at-large representative
Chris E. Christian and Beatrice “Bea” Lewanduski, who were elected by the NFDA Policy Board in August to serve two-year terms as at-large representatives, will serve as non-voting members of the 2020-21 Board of Directors. They will begin their two-year terms as voting members of the Board of Directors at the conclusion of the 2021 NFDA International Convention & Expo.
About the Proposal
The extraordinary circumstances the funeral profession faced this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted lives and changed priorities at every association and business. In 2020, NFDA devoted significant time and resources to assisting members who are dealing with disruption, loss and death resulting from the novel Coronavirus, along with the everyday business needs of our members.
Beginning in March, the pandemic caused NFDA and most state associations to cancel all in-person meetings, workshops and seminars, including the Advocacy Summit, the Leadership Conference and the International Convention & Expo. Unfortunately, the pandemic also prevented Board members from meeting and connecting with members during state conventions throughout the country.
Given these unusual circumstances, the Board of Directors put forth a proposal to members to amend the association’s Bylaws to provide them with an additional year to serve in their existing board positions.
This proposal was not without precedent; several state associations have opted to extend the terms of their officers because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Among them are: California, Georgia, Missouri, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah and Wyoming. Other associations outside of funeral service have extended terms of officers and directors for an additional year.
NFDA is the world’s leading and largest funeral service association, serving more than 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 www.nfda.org.
