ARTICLE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Barbara Kemmis Phone: (312) 245-1077 499 Northgate Parkway Wheeling, IL 60090-2646 Barbara@cremationassociation.org
CANA ELECTS NEW DIRECTORS
WHEELING, IL—CANA’s Board of Directors has elected W. Scott Smith of Texas into the role of President. Scott is the CEO/President of All Texas Cremation. He is involved in every aspect of the funeral industry and was appointed by Governor Perry to the Texas Funeral Service Commission to serve as commissioner from 2014-2017. Scott is past president of the Texas Funeral Directors Association, the Dallas County Funeral Directors Association, and the North Texas Funeral Directors Association. He currently serves as chair of the Texas Disaster Response Team of the Texas Funeral Directors Association.
Joining the CANA Officers as Third Vice President is Don Fritz of the Cremation Society of Illinois. With his election, Don is in position to take the role of CANA President in the 2024-2025 membership year. He has served on the CANA Board of Directors since 2017 and is the current chair of the Statistics Advisory Group.
Newly elected Directors are William (Bill) Clark of Kootenay Enterprises Inc and Joseph (JP) DiTroia of Fresh Pond Crematory & U.S. Columbarium Co. Robert Hunsaker of Hunsaker Partners was reelected to a second term on the Board of Directors.
They join CANA Board Officers Archer Harmon, Fairfax Memorial Funeral Home; Shannon Asmus, Vertin Company; and Caressa Hughes, Service Corporation International; Michelle Canerot, Trust Advisors, Inc.; and Elisa C. Krcilek, Mountain View Funeral Homes and Cemetery. Other board members include Lindsey Ballard, Ballard-Sunder Funeral & Cremation; Denis Desrochers, Gregoire Desrochers; Kim Price, Memory Glass, LLC; Robbie Pape, Service Corporation International; Erin Whitaker, Whitaker Funeral Home; Ryan Wiseman, Porter Funeral Homes & Crematory; Gerald "Jerry" Sullivan, Cremation Society of Illinois; and Lara M. Price, Sheehy, Ware & Pappas, P.C., CANA Legal Counsel. These individuals comprise the 2020-2021 CANA leadership team.
Founded in 1913, the Cremation Association of North America (CANA) is an international organization of over 3,300 members, composed of funeral homes, cemeteries, crematories, industry suppliers, and consultants. CANA members believe that cremation is preparation for memorialization.