Many people are unaware that there are two nonprofit entities to the GBC. The first is a 501(c)6 certification and business league; the second is a 501(c)3 educational organization. Both work together to make raise awareness and serve families seeking a natural ending. Board members share a strong commitment to volunteer service and dedicate their skills and experience to further the mission of the Green Burial Council.

Certification & Provider Support
​501(c)6 GBC

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 Ed Bixby, President, is the owner and operator of Steelmantown Green Burial Preserve in Steelmantown, NJ, as well as Purissima Natural Burial Ground in Half Moon Bay, CA.  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 2021
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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
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Doug Renfield-Miller, Treasurer Following a long career in international finance, Doug now devotes most of his time to volunteer and philanthropic activities, especially GoodEnding, Inc., a nonprofit he founded to improve end-of-life outcomes and reduce societal costs. In addition to GoodEnding, Doug currently serves on the Board of and volunteers at Regional Hospice and Palliative Care. He has previously served as Board Chair of School Year Abroad, as a Director of Habitat for Humanity – New York City, and is a Trustee Emeritus of Connecticut College. Doug majored in French and Philosophy at Connecticut College, earned an M.A. in International Affairs at George Washington University and an M.B.A. from Stanford University. In 2015, Doug was appointed an Advanced Leadership Fellow at Harvard University. Term expires June 2021
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Shawn Lavalleur Adame, Director, is a wife, mother, Sacred Passages death midwife and funeral celebrant, notary public, licensed funeral director, and owner & founder of DIY DYING, a licensed funeral establishment in Long Beach, CA. Shawn started her career in the funeral industry in 2006. She began as a DC Specialist and office manager at the Omega Society, in Orange County, CA, where she worked for 6 years. She was then recruited to Area Manager for Smart Cremation, Accu-Care Cremation Centers, and Gateway Crematory serving So Cal. She then opened Argos Funeral Services, in Torrance, CA. Her current business, DIY DYING, offers before and after death care services, living & home funerals, green burials on land and at sea as well as cremation services. Term expires June 2021
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Baxley Andresen, Director, hails from the world of prop design and puppetry. In an effort to change her career trajectory, she began to volunteer at the LA 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, CA. Baxley is currently looking to establish more green burial space in Southern California. Term expires June 2023
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Steve Berkoff, Director, is on his second career as owner/operator of Memorial Reefs, a Hawian memorial service company that restores marine life similar to Eternal Reefs on the Eastern seaboard. Steve’s first career spanning 40 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 2022
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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 2021

Education & Outreach
501(c)3 GBC International

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Darrell Hill, President, is Founder + CEO of EternityGardens.com – a technology platform that engages and educates cremation families about laying to rest cremated remains.  Darrell has a professional background in marketing and brand building, having spent more than 20 years as a marketing and branding leader in healthcare, financial services, and strategy consulting. He has served on the following boards:  Advocate Charitable Foundation, The English-Speaking Union of the United States, and Chicago Jesuit Academy.  After earning his MBA from Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management, Darrell and his wife settled in Chicago with their three children. Term expires June 2021
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Jane A. Black, Secretary, has written for a daily newspaper with a circulation of 100,000; curated scores of exhibitions; managed international artist residencies and major public art installations; facilitated conferences and public events; written millions of dollars of funded grant applications; and developed participatory practices for a variety of institutional partners. Her studio practice is in mixed media, fiber and surface design. Following this varied career as a writer, artist, nonprofit executive leader and business owner, she began her studies at the San Francisco Zen Center and the American School of Thanatology. She is engaged in spreading the message that, while we do not know when our time on earth will end, we can express our desire for a beautiful death through acceptance, documentation and preparation. Term expires June 2023
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Liz Dunnebacke, Treasurer, began her career over 25 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
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Sabrina Dorfman, Director, is a copywriter and communications specialist for a hospital system in Los Angeles, CA. 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 2022
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Susan Greer, Director,  honed her communication skills during her earlier career days in the advertising world. For over a decade, she’s been with a design agency that supports non-profit organizations, where her role is to help clients develop strategically sound communications.  Susan's concern for the planet, coupled with the frustration that there aren’t enough green options at death, motivated her to advocate for natural burial grounds. Susan is Executive Director of the Natural Burial Association, and its mandate is to create natural burials throughout Ontario. A strong believer in the power of ceremony and ritual, Susan is also a funeral celebrant.  She lives in Toronto, Ontario, with her husband and dog. She bikes all around town, takes Gracie for her daily walk in the ravine, and hogs the hammock in the backyard. Term expires June 2021
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Caitlyn Hauke, Director, holds a PhD in Microbiology and Immunology, and a BS in Biology, with a concentration in Forensic Science. She is a biological safety officer with the Dartmouth College Office of Environmental Health & Safety in Hanover, NH, 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
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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 US 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 (CCE) and the Certified Supplier Executive (CSE) distinction from the International Cemetery Cremations Funeral Association (ICCFA), and a Master of Science degree with an emphasis in environmental studies. Term expires June 2022
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Adriane Jach, Director, worked in graphic design and marketing for 30 years. Her lifelong interest in organic gardening and all things natural inspired her to become a certified horticulturist and an LA County Master Gardener, and to complete a certification course in the Art of Death Midwifery and funeral celebrant training. She has volunteered for numerous non-profits over the years, designing graphics and gardens, staffing information tables at public events, teaching gardening and nutrition, and recruiting donors and volunteers. She is adamant about spreading the word about green burial and home funerals since she learned about both in 2012. Term expires June 2022
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Hannah Palko, Director, is a doctoral student in the ​Department of Geography and Earth Sciences at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, with a specific research interest in sustainable funeral practices and management of urban burial grounds. She holds an MA in Ecology and a BA in Biology and has served as a science and environmental educator and research assistant. She is interested in completing a comprehensive survey of green cemeteries and aiding in research development. Term expires June 2022

Consultants

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Research Consultant Dr. David O. Carter is Director and Professor of Forensic Sciences at Chaminade University of Honolulu. He brings extensive research experience with the decomposition of remains in terrestrial habitats. Dr. Carter’s research focuses on the contributions that decomposing remains make to biodiversity and the cycling of nutrients, all of which are crucial to a healthy habitat. He is particularly interested in the role of microorganisms during decomposition. Dr. Carter’s work has been published in several international journals and books while his research has been presented at numerous scientific conferences around the world.
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Lee Webster, Vice Chair for Education, is a two-term GBC Board Director, recently leaving her post as president of the Education wing to continue her support of the GBC as educational consultant and media resource. She is a career writer, editor and researcher, and frequent speaker and published author on funeral reform, including end-of-life support, home funerals, and natural burials. She is the Director of New Hampshire Funeral Resources, Education & Advocacy, former President of the National Home Funeral Alliance, and has served as a founding member of the NHPCO End-of-Life Doula Council, the National End-of-Life Doula Alliance, and the Conservation Burial Alliance. She is a frequent speaker to local and national academic, health, and conservation organizations throughout the country, and is a published author, web designer, and long time hospice volunteer. She lives in the foothills of the White Mountains.

​With deep gratitude to all who have served the Green Burial Council

Former Board Members

Volunteers

Advisory Council
Matthew Alcide
Brad Angell
​Paul Bauman
Katey Bean
Sara Brink
Billy Campbell
​David O. Carter
Rob Caughlin
Holly Chan
Stephen Christy
​Ernest Cook
​Candace Currie
​Bob Fertig
​Brian Flowers
​​Sharon Hermanson
William Jordan III
John Lovasco
​Diane Miller
​Mike Mitchell
Barb Milton
Father Charles Morris
​Stephen Olson
​Robert Prout
Joel Rabinowitz
Paul Rahill
​Jon Eric Rolfstadt
​Merilynne Rush
Joe Sehee
Joshua Slocum
​Joe Smolenski
​Kim Sorvig
Lindsay Soyer
Roxanne Walsh
​Lee Webster
Anne Weston
Shari Wolf
​Juliette Armstrong
Sam Bar
Jim Betino
​Matt Dolkas
Kate Kalanick
Donna Larsen
Sam Perry
Shannon Shoup
Monica Varona
Billy Campbell
Brian Flowers
Elizabeth Fournier
Suzanne Kelly
Sam Perry
Joe Sehee
Mary Woodsen