Phyllis T. Croisant
President
Phyllis T. Croisant, Ph.D., has served as President of the Funeral Consumers Alliance of Champaign County, IL. She was recruited to the affiliate shortly after serving as trustee of her mother’s estate. That experience heightened her interest in sharing the benefits of pre-planning for end of life. She created a website for her local affiliate so that they could expand their educational efforts and, since joining the national FCA Board, she has been actively involved in development of FCA’s new website. Phyllis is a Professor Emeritus at Eastern Illinois University where she taught in the Gerontology program and in Exercise Science. She has 3 sons, 5 grandchildren, and an energetic dog who all keep her moving in her spare time.
Marjorie Focarazzo (marjorie@funerals.org)
Vice President
Marjorie Focarazzo is a retired adult education instructor in the medical assistance field and clinical placement coordinator for advanced nursing students. She began her avocation as a board member with the New York State Parent Teachers Association as the Legislative Chair and then District Director of a six-county area in western New York. Marjorie served on her local school boards for twelve years in the position of legislative liaison with local, state, and federal congressional representatives. During this time, she served as Monroe County School Boards President overseeing seventeen school districts. Marjorie was introduced to FCA of Greater Rochester through a long-time member and advocate who believed she was a great fit for this organization. At the affiliate level she has served as secretary, treasurer, and is the current president. She also served on National FCA from 2018 to 2022 as its secretary. Marjorie is a strong proponent that the public should be well informed in order to make good, sound, and informed decisions for their own well-being and their quality of life.
Sara Brown (sarabrown@funerals.org)
Secretary
Sara Brown serves as Secretary of the Board for the Funeral Consumers Alliance. Her work is informed by both personal and academic focus in death care, end-of-life issues, and ethical practice. Sara served in the U.S. Army as a veterinary technician and later worked as a national social work case manager supporting veterans and their families, including providing crisis intervention. She is pursuing graduate studies in Thanatology, has a background in hospice volunteering, community outreach, and participates in Death Cafés. Sara believes that open and honest conversations about death and dying are essential to informed decision-making, and she advocates for accessible, affordable, and meaningful death care. She lives with her husband, their son, two cats, and a Great Pyrenees who keeps life lively and grounded.
Gary Sherck (gary@funerals.org)
Treasurer
Gary Sherck, our Treasurer, is a retired CPA, with financial management experience in public accounting, hospital accounting, and Department of Defense auditing. In addition, he is the past Treasurer of Cleveland (Ohio) Memorial Society and is active in the monthly Halifax Nova Scotia Death Café. He is experienced in working with funeral directors. He wants to both assist and learn from the leaders at our affiliates.
Gary joined the Board in 2023 and assisted in the April 2023 closing of the Burlington, Vermont office, which included transferring the financial records to Quick Books Pro Online.
Recently, he found a new friend, Molly, a one-year-old Labrador Retriever, given to him by his sister.
Gary hosts frequent Zoom meetings where he enjoys sharing ideas and learning with Affiliate Treasurers and others in leadership roles.
Julie Beth Bean (juliebethbean@funerals.org)
Director
Beth brings more than forty years of experience in event planning, graphic design, and marketing as a member of the Funeral Consumer Alliance (FCA.)
Her diverse background, which includes numerous vocations and trainings in the arts, religious studies, and sacred ceremony has shaped her creative perspective on life’s many rites of passage.
One of Beth’s goals as a board member is to assist the FCA affiliates in effectively communicating accurate and helpful information to consumers with messaging that broadens their local reach and reinforces FCA’s mission and purpose.
Beth is married and is a mother of four children and five grandchildren. She loves music, painting, and being on the NC coast.
Rita Haider (ritahaider@funerals.org)
Director
Rita Haider serves on the national FCA Board of Directors while also leading at the affiliate level as President of the Funeral Consumers Alliance of Central Ohio. This dual role gives her both strategic vision and practical insight into the challenges and opportunities facing local affiliates.
As a retired Family Nurse Practitioner with over four decades of healthcare experience, Rita brings deep expertise in patient advocacy and consumer empowerment to both roles. Her professional background includes serving as Health Promotion/Disease Prevention Program Manager at the Chalmers P. Wylie VA Medical Center in Columbus and Clinical Director at Hospice of the Good Shepherd in Massachusetts, where she consistently championed patient education and transparent communication during life’s most vulnerable moments.
Rita’s commitment to service extends globally through international medical mission trips to Haiti, Pakistan, the Dominican Republic, and the Philippines, where she worked under resource-limited conditions to serve vulnerable populations. Beyond healthcare, she served as Director of International Programs at Shawnee State University, demonstrating skills in strategic planning, budget management, organizational development, and building collaborative networks across diverse stakeholders.
In her spare time, Rita enjoys being out in nature, biking, dancing, and spending time with family and friends.
Sara Williams (sara@funerals.org)
Director & Past President
Sara’s professional career spans a trajectory in international health and breast cancer research. She was told in high school that she was obsessed with death, which became one of the defining moments in her life. In 2014, Sara organized and continues to host a local Death Café. She served on the Board of Directors of the National Home Funeral Alliance from 2014-2017, and is President Emeritus of the Funeral Consumers Alliance North Carolina (FCANC). She continues to try and change people’s negative feelings toward death and dying and is passionate about educating people about their rights when it comes to purchasing funeral goods and services. Memento Mori!