The Green Burial Council is comprised of two distinct nonprofit entities. Both work together to further the movement toward more sustainable burial practices and to support those who are actively engaged in green burial activities. Board members share a strong commitment to volunteer service and dedicate their skills and experience to further the mission of the Green Burial Council.
The Green Burial Council, Inc., a 501(c)(6) certification and provider support organization, oversees certification conducted by independent third-party experts, and maintains up-to-date certification standards for cemeteries, funeral homes, and product providers. The Green Burial Council International, a 501(c)(3) educational and outreach organization, develops educational materials and opportunities for providers and the public to learn more about natural burial.
Those interested in becoming involved with the Green Burial Council are asked to fill out our volunteer application here.
The Green Burial Council, Inc., a 501(c)(6) certification and provider support organization, oversees certification conducted by independent third-party experts, and maintains up-to-date certification standards for cemeteries, funeral homes, and product providers. The Green Burial Council International, a 501(c)(3) educational and outreach organization, develops educational materials and opportunities for providers and the public to learn more about natural burial.
Those interested in becoming involved with the Green Burial Council are asked to fill out our volunteer application here.
Green Burial Council, Inc.Certification and Provider SupportOFFICERS
Ed Bixby, President, is the owner and operator of Steelmantown Green Burial Preserve in Steelmantown, New Jersey, as well as Purissima Natural Burial Ground in Half Moon Bay, California. Ed’s extensive background in land use and development includes being a licensed New Jersey real estate broker and the owner of Fox and Fox Builders, LLC. Ed’s experience in the development industry has provided keen insight into better land use practices and drives his passion for the natural burial movement and the benefits it provides to the present and future generations. Ed has led presentations on natural burial for numerous organizations and has provided educational training for both funeral directors and cemeterians alike. Ed resides in southern New Jersey with his two daughters Ava and Mina.
Term expires June 2025 
Baxley Andresen, Vice President, hails from the world of prop design and puppetry. In an effort to change her career trajectory, she began to volunteer at the Los Angeles Arboretum, discovering a love of plants and nature. Through that, she discovered land conservation and green burial, and has since been searching for ways to collaborate with land conservation trusts and habitat restorers to bring about a natural burial ground and conserve open green spaces. In 2019 she completed her Horticulture Certificate at UCLA. She worked with Alua Arthur of Going with Grace in 2018 and 2019, and currently works as a funeral arranger at FRIENDS Funeral Home in Venice, California. Baxley is currently looking to establish more green burial space in Southern California.
Term expires June 2023 
Kate Berdan, Secretary, comes to the GBC with experience in conservation with The Nature Conservancy, Woodstock Land Conservancy, Vermont Land Trust, Otsego Land Trust, and the Adirondack Land Trust, among others. She is currently earning her doctorate at the University of Vermont from the Rubenstein School of Environment and Natural Resources. Kate is committed to advocating for and supporting conservation burial.
Term expires June 2023 
Marla Carter, Treasurer, holds both a Master of Science and Bachelor of Science in Accounting. She is a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) and a member of the AICPA and NJCPA. After 10 years in public accounting and three years as a controller in the private industry, she joined a company called Your Part Time Controller and only focuses on nonprofit accounting. She is excited to serve on the Green Burial Council board.
Term expires June 2024 DIRECTORS
Sam Bar, Director, Bio coming soon!
Term expires September 2025 
Steve Berkoff, Director, is on his second career as owner/operator of Memorial Reefs, a Hawaiian memorial service company that restores marine life similar to Eternal Reefs on the Eastern seaboard. Steve’s first career spanning forty years has been in communications, giving him expertise in nonprofit management, business plan development, financial management, strategic planning, fundraising, public speaking, training, and education. He is dedicated to helping heal the damage to the planet and embraces green alternatives.
Term expires June 2024 
Darren Crouch, Director, is president and co-founder of environmentally responsible funeral product company Passages International, Inc., and is also the founder of agreenerfuneral.org, a website designed to educate consumers about alternatives for greening their funeral. He has been featured in The Director Magazine, The American Funeral Director Magazine, Funeral Business Advisor, The Cremationist, the ICCFA Magazine, the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal, and has spoken at several national and international conventions, including the Asia Funeral Expo, the National Funeral Directors Convention, and the ICCFA Convention.
Term expires June 2022 
Rachel Essig, Director, is the Executive Director of River View Cemetery in Portland, Oregon. River View Cemetery is Portland’s oldest endowment care cemeteries and has been offering natural burial and funerals since 2009 and is a certified hybrid cemetery by the Green Burial Council. Rachel’s background is in habitat protection through Metro Regional Government’s land acquisition bond program. She became a cemeterian when Metro assigned her to manage fourteen historic cemeteries in their park’s portfolio. She’s presented at the ICCFA Annual Convention, the Cemetery Association of Oregon, and to the Oregon legislature. She’s a board member with the Cemetery Association of Oregon and the Lone Fir Cemetery Foundation. Currently, Rachel is working on a dedicated natural burial meadow and natural burial forest section within River View Cemetery. Rachel is motivated by providing a place for reflection and by serving everyone regardless of race, religion, gender, or economic condition.
Term expires June 2024 
Ariel Leath, Director, Bio Coming Soon!
Term expires October 2025 
Emily B. Miller is a licensed Funeral Director/Embalmer and founder of GBC-certified cemetery Colorado Burial Preserve. After receiving a Bachelor of Arts in Religions from Reed College, she studied Funeral Service Education at Lake Washington Institute of Technology. It was in funeral directing classes that Emily first learned of natural burial as an option. In her later experiences in helping families connect with funeral options, she found the options for wild final resting places lacking in Colorado and resolved to join the movement.
Term expires June 2025 |
Green Burial Council InternationalEducation and OutreachOFFICERS
Caitlyn Hauke, President, holds a PhD in Microbiology and Immunology, and a BS in Biology, with a concentration in forensic science. She is a biological safety officer, cemeterian, and serves on her local town cemetery commission. Caitlyn aims to use her extensive experience encompassing published work, public speaking, teaching, and research to compile, communicate, and promote scientific research related to green burial and deliver that body of knowledge to the general public.
Term expires June 2023 
Liz Dunnebacke, Treasurer, began her career over twenty-five years ago in the entertainment industry where her experience ranged from property development for Comedy Central to free-lance work on PBS documentaries. Since moving to New Orleans in 2004, Liz’s work has toggled between television production and nonprofit administration. As the executive director of New Orleans Video Access Center, Liz saw the quintupling of the organization’s operating budget and built workforce development programs that put New Orleanians back to work in the burgeoning film industry in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. Liz has followed the growth (return) of the green burial and home-funeral movements with passion, and is committed to providing resources to the community for sustainable end-of-life care. Liz holds a BA in Theatre Arts from Brown University.
Term expires June 2023 DIRECTORS
Sarah Beck, Director, received her Master of Divinity (M.Div.) from the University of Chicago with an emphasis on Indian philosophy and bioethics. She later trained as a hospital chaplain at Rush University Medical Center and UCSF Medical Center and helped patients make end-of-life decisions during times of great stress and loss. She was first introduced to green burial as an option for a cleaner, more peaceful and healing way of caring for the dead while serving a bereaved family in the neonatal intensive care unit. Sarah currently works as a Program Manager at UCSF Medical Center.
Term expires June 2024 
Kate Burns, Director, has served as a parole officer, a director of human resources, and investigator of complaints of harassment, discrimination, and sexual violence for a large university in the midwest. She recently transitioned into a new career path and is currently serving as an organizational development consultant at a healthcare system in Topeka, Kansas. In her spare time, Kate is an amateur photographer and enjoys kayaking. Kate found the Green Burial Council during her grief journey after her mom died unexpectedly in 2019. Her interest and curiosity grew and she has become committed to learning and subsequently educating others on sustainable end of life care. Kate is in the process of completing the Going with Grace End of Life Training to become an end of life planner/death doula. She serves as a co-host on the Death Dialogues Project Podcast and is thrilled to serve on the Green Burial Council Board of Directors!
Term expires June 2024 
Caiti Crum, Director, Bio Caiti is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and Clinical Director at Foresight Mental Health. She is a Certified Thanatologist and specializes in grief work as well as issues of aging, severe mental illness with older adults, complex grief, and loss to suicide. She is an adjunct professor at the Wright Institute and is pursuing her PhD in Anthropology at CIIS, with a focus on healthcare, migration, and the impacts of remittance on family dynamics. Additional projects include exploring the intersection of birth work and death work, and teaching young people about key tenets in conscientious helping. Caiti is happiest when spending time backpacking with friends and family, running, and cooking good food.
Term expires June 2025 
Sabrina Dorfman, Director, is a copywriter and communications specialist for a hospital system in Los Angeles, California. With a background in marketing and advertising, Sabrina is helping to find new ways to educate the public and relevant organizations about green burials. She holds a fiery passion for sustainability and environmental conservation. Sabrina volunteers her time for local trash clean- ups and tree planting. She believes in the future of green burials and is excited to help create a shift in today’s culture and burial practices.
Term expires June 2025 
Kyla Harrison, Director, comes to the GBC with years of experience working on issues surrounding climate change. Currently, she works as an Associate Consultant at The Bridgespan Group, a leading social impact consulting firm, where she has worked on several environmental and climate-centered engagements involving large philanthropic efforts toward climate change mitigation & adaptation solutions. Prior to this role, she worked at Mission Capital, a local nonprofit capacity builder in Austin, Texas as a Consultant Fellow, where she specialized in strategic planning for nonprofits. Kyla holds a BA in Plan II Honors and Middle Eastern Languages and Cultures from The University of Texas at Austin. In her spare time, Kyla enjoys volunteering, staying active, and reading.
Term expires June 2025 
Jeff Hodes, Director, has forty-plus years of experience in the cemetery industry, with key positions in major cemetery organizations, and has provided consulting services to cemeteries across the United States for over ten years. As an active leader in cemetery development, training, and volunteering with multiple industry associations, Jeff has served in leadership roles on the boards of directors for six different cemetery associations, and earned the Certified Cemetery Executive and the Certified Supplier Executive distinction from the International Cemetery Cremations Funeral Association, and a MS degree with an emphasis in environmental studies.
Term expires June 2025 |
With deep gratitude to all who have served the Green Burial Council!
Former Board Members
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Matthew Alcide
Brad Angell Paul Bauman Katey Bean Jane Black Sara Brink Billy Campbell Doug Carroll David O. Carter Rob Caughlin Holly Chan Stephen Christy Ernest Cook Sequola Collins Candace Currie |
Bob Fertig
Brian Flowers Susan Greer Sharon Hermanson Darrell Hill Adriane Jach William Jordan III Shawn LaValleur-Adame John Lovasco Diane Miller Mike Mitchell Barb Milton Father Charles Morris Stephen Olson Hannah Palko |
Robert Prout
Joel Rabinowitz Paul Rahill Doug Renfield-Miller Jon Eric Rolfstadt Merilynne Rush Joe Sehee Josh Slocum Joe Smolenski Kim Sorvig Lindsay Soyer Kim Stewart Roxanne Walsh Lee Webster Anne Weston Shari Wolf |
Green Burial Council
2720 Cold Springs Road Placerville, CA 95667 888-966-3330 info@greenburialcouncil.org |
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Website originally designed by Lee Webster
©2022 Green Burial Council |