The International Order of the Golden Rule brought together the next generation of independent funeral service professionals during the 2026 Future Leaders Forum, sponsored by Full-Circle Aftercare, held Aug. 23–25 at George Irvin Green Funeral Home in Munhall, Pennsylvania.
Designed for growing professionals, second-career staff and emerging leaders, the annual forum brought together 14 funeral professionals from independently owned funeral homes for education and conversation focused on taking greater responsibility within their firms and the profession.
“The future of independent funeral service depends on what we do today to prepare the people who will lead it tomorrow,” said Peter Urban Jr., president of OGR. “I attended not only as OGR president, but alongside an intern from our funeral home because I believe strongly in giving emerging professionals opportunities to learn, build relationships and see a future for themselves in independent funeral service. Watching these future leaders exchange ideas, ask questions and learn from one another reinforced why OGR must continue creating spaces like this for the next generation.”
The forum began with a visit to the Pittsburgh Institute of Mortuary Science (PIMS) and an evening of networking.
TJ Roser from the Center for Organ Recovery & Education (CORE) led attendees through a conversation focused on organ donation and the considerations for families, funeral directors, physicians, and recovery specialists.
Attendees also heard from independent funeral home owners and an aftercare business owner during a leadership panel facilitated by Jessica MacMillan, meetings and events manager of OGR. Experienced professionals shared lessons from their careers, answered questions and offered candid insight into the realities of leadership and ownership as well as how Future Leaders can advance in their career.
During the Design Your Own Funeral Home Workshop, attendees collaborated with peers to build their business from the ground up. From deciding their market to physical property design to staffing considerations, attendees thought through every aspect of their dream funeral home.
“Future Leaders Forum transformed my approach towards serving families as a funeral director,” said Virginia Araoz, Future Leader from C.C. Van Emburgh, Inc. “Rob taught us the essential hard business skills in business valuation and purchasing; meanwhile Matt challenged us to reimagine our funeral home spaces and services. It was the perfect balance of innovation to empower me professionally moving forward.”
OGR extends its appreciation to George Irvin Green Funeral Home for hosting the 2026 Forum and to the sponsors whose support helped make the program possible, including Presenting Sponsor Full-Circle Aftercare, as well as Bogati, The Bancorp, Impression Vault, Johnson Consulting Group and Passages International.
The Future Leaders Forum is part of OGR’s year-round commitment to supporting professionals who are not yet in primary decision-making roles within their funeral homes. Through education, committee involvement, networking and leadership opportunities, OGR works to equip emerging professionals with the knowledge, relationships and experiences they need to grow their careers and contribute to the continued strength of independently owned funeral homes.
Details about the 2027 Future Leaders Forum will be announced soon. To learn more about OGR’s Future Leaders programming, visit OGR.org/future-leaders.
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