Carriage Services, Inc. announced that After 32 years of founding and building Carriage, Mel Payne, has chosen to step down from his role as Executive Chairman of the Board and transition to a new role as special advisor to the Board of Directors, which will allow him to be available and share his wealth of knowledge and insights with the Board of Directors and the senior leadership team. Mel will continue as a member of the Board until his current term expires at the May 2024 annual meeting of stockholders. Mel, who served as Carriage?s only CEO and Chairman of the Board for the Company?s first 32 years, started with a vision in 1991 that was born out of a very personal and impactful experience he had following the loss of a loved one.

He turned that experience and vision into a team of more than 2,700 employees and 200 businesses, all driven by a collective mission of serving families during the most challenging time of their lives.