The Board of Directors of Carriage Services, Inc. announced that company’s founder and current CEO, Mel Payne, will now serve as Executive Chairman of the Board of Directors, also effective immediately. The Board also announced that Steve Metzger, previously Executive Vice President, Chief Administrative Officer and General Counsel, has been appointed to serve as President, effective immediately. On June 21, 2023, the Board appointed Chad Fargason to serve as a Director and as Chair of the Corporate Governance Committee of the Board.

Currently Senior Portfolio Manager for Vaughan Nelson Investment Management, an investment manager with approximately $15 billion under management, Mr. Fargason brings to the Board deep capital allocation expertise and a track record of building businesses through strategic growth initiatives. Mr. Fargason has been with Vaughan Nelson for more than ten years. Prior to that, he spent ten years with the global investment firm KKR & Co.

Inc. Mr. Fargason holds a B.A. in Mathematics from Rice University and both a Masters and Ph.D. in Mathematics from Duke University. Mr. Fargason’s appointment follows the resignation of the Company’s prior Corporate Governance Committee Chair, Dr. Achille Messac, as a Director of the Company.