Carlos R. Quezada (pictured at top) has been named CEO of Carriage Services effective immediately, according to a news release issued by the company.
He was formerly the company’s president and chief operating officer and will continue in his role as vice chairman of the board. The company’s founder, Mel Payne, will now serve as executive chairman of the board of directors, also effective immediately.
“I am honored and deeply humbled to assume the CEO role at Carriage,” Quezada said. “As I step into this position, I am acutely aware of the significance of the transition, as Mel has served as the sole CEO of the company since its founding more than 32 years ago. I commit to our employees and shareholders that I will lead with the utmost dedication, integrity, and an unwavering commitment to our culture and mission and vision of being the best.”
In a LinkedIn post, the new CEO of Carriage offered some additional thoughts, noting that he extends his “sincere appreciation” to Payne. “I am privileged to continue to learn from him,” he said. “I am confident that his guidance and strategic insights will continue to be invaluable in driving our future success. Mel Payne’s visionary decision to establish the Strategic Vision and Principles Group as the initial step in our CEO succession planning demonstrates the careful thought and preparation of this seamless transition.”
He continued, “I am committed to building upon the strong foundation laid by Mel and the entire leadership team as we continue to foster transformational growth and deliver on our bold ten-year vision. I want to express my utmost confidence in the incredible team at Carriage Services. We will forge ahead with passion, innovation, and a strategic mindset through the power of collaboration and the collective strength of our talented people. I am confident that we will achieve new heights of success and create value for our shareholders.”
Before joining Carriage Services in 2020, Quezada spent more than 10 years as an executive at Service Corporation International, where he was managing director of Strategic Operations Improvement. Earlier in his career, he was the founder and CEO of a hospitality company, managing a chain of full-service restaurant concepts, while also providing strategic consulting services to clients in the restaurant and foodservice industries.
Payne said, “When I created the company’s Strategic Vision and Principles Group in June 2021, a team consisting of four executive leaders including myself, we noted it was the first step in our CEO succession planning. The past two years have been a thoughtful, deliberate and intense period of learning, leading and preparation to ensure the seamless transition we announce today. I could not be more excited and confident in Carlos and his ability to thrive in the CEO role, as he has continued to take on additional responsibilities and lead transformational growth throughout the company since he first joined Carriage in 2020. The board has also recognized his talent and achievements, which culminated in appointing Carlos as president in 2022, and ultimately electing him to serve on the board as vice chairman earlier this year. Carlos is a thoughtful and strategic leader who, I am confident, will lead Carriage to achieve our bold ten-year vision, as laid out in this year’s shareholder letter.”
Chris Cruger, CEO of The Foresight Companies, called Quezada “a passionate leader who has always driven Mel’s vision through the organization. It will be exciting to see how he and Steve put their mark on the future of Carriage. I think Carriage is poised for new leadership and will benefit greatly from a change. Mel was a visionary and created an exceptional organization. Carlos and Steve certainly have big shoes to fill, but they have been pointed in this direction for some time. I am wishing them both well and excited to see how Carriage grows into the future.”
Metzger, ‘A Gifted Leader,’ Also Continues His Upward Climb

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.
Payne said, “Steve joined Carriage in 2018 and is a gifted leader who has driven significant growth and improvement in a variety of areas over the years. In addition to leading our legal, HR and risk management teams, Steve also leads our corporate development efforts, which has resulted in the addition of several premier businesses to the Carriage portfolio. Steve is involved with just about every aspect of the company and brings great experience and judgment to his role as president.”
Payne added, “As those of you who have followed Carriage for any amount of time know, this company is my passion. I could not be prouder of our people, the noble nature of what we do, and the way we take care of our families. I will continue to lead our board as executive chairman and provide guidance and mentorship to Carlos, Steve and our CFO, Kian Granmayeh, as they work together to execute our bold ten-year vision and continue generating value for our shareholders. As we often say at Carriage, ‘the best is yet to come!’”
Board Refreshment and Governance Updates
The company also made some other important announcements.
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, he brings to the board deep capital allocation expertise and a track record of building businesses through strategic growth initiatives. He has been with Vaughan Nelson for more than 10 years. Prior to that, he spent 10 years with the global investment firm KKR & Co. Inc. Fargason holds a B.A. in mathematics from Rice University and both a master’s and Ph.D. in mathematics from Duke University.
Donald D. Patteson, Jr., lead independent director, stated, “Chad’s proven track record over his 20-year career with both KKR and Vaughan Nelson provide Carriage and its shareholders with a unique combination of valuable skills and insight, specifically as it relates to capital allocation, strategic growth, and investor assessment and valuation. We are fortunate to have someone of Chad’s caliber join our board and we look forward to his contributions.”
Quezada added, “We are excited to welcome Chad to the board as we continue to focus our efforts on building a best-in-class board of directors. Chad’s experience adds skills to our board that will be invaluable as we continue to execute our plans to pay down our debt and drive our growth strategy.”
Fargason stated, “I am honored to be invited to join the Carriage board and look forward to supporting a company with such a rich history, unique culture, and that is poised for sustainable growth.”
Fargason’s appointment follows the resignation of the company’s prior Corporate Governance Committee Chair, Dr. Achille Messac, as a director of the company.
Quezada concluded, “We continue to listen to shareholders’ feedback and evaluate opportunities to enhance governance. To that end, as mentioned in the company’s annual shareholder letter and in its first quarter earnings call, the board is committed to adding gender diversity to the board this year and has partnered with a nationally recognized firm to guide the search process. The board is actively meeting with prospective director candidates that meet these criteria and intends to share more news on this priority during the third quarter.”
In addition, in connection with the company’s focus on governance and responsiveness to shareholder feedback, Carriage has amended its bylaws to provide for mandatory resignations for any director who fails to receive majority support from shareholders in an uncontested election.
Carriage Services is a leading provider of funeral and cemetery services and merchandise in the United States. Carriage operates 173 funeral homes in 26 states and 32 cemeteries in 11 states.
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