Our Leadership

People first. That’s Mark Hamilton’s motto, and every day his 24+ years of experience are at work creating an environment where employees know that they matter. Mr. Hamilton has mastered many professional responsibilities, including corporate acquisitions, financial and operational management, corporate development and sales leadership. Through it all, he has developed a deep passion for the importance of company culture. Mark leads NorthStar as a company that cares about its employees, their families and the life-changing work that we do together.

Brian Sullivan’s industry experience dates back to 1986 when he began in pre-need cemetery sales. Over the next 18 years, he held various sales and operations roles before joining Mark Hamilton in the early days of NorthStar Memorial Group. Brian leads the company’s marketing, sales, service and operations teams. He believes in building a long-term enterprise with long-term people, so he makes a point to make company decisions that encourage lifetime relationships with our employees and the communities we serve.

From New York to NorthStar – that’s Mark Shinder’s journey. Before joining our team in 2006, Mark was an equity strategist at a Wall Street securities firm, and prior, he served for 10+ years as a senior advisor to leading multinational companies. Today Mark brings his unique talents to our company by taking thoughtful care of all trust and asset management activities.

Caring for families is more than a job to John Renfro…it’s his calling – from working with vendors, to ensuring every ceremony reflects the unique life it has been designed to honor, to comforting those who entrust us with this sacred task. John has been an active, licensed funeral director and embalmer since 1993. He joined NorthStar in 2004 through our first acquisition, where he worked as a funeral director; in the years since he has steadily risen through the ranks with hard work, passion and dedication.

Tom Reichert began his career as a licensed funeral director and embalmer, and this is where he developed his unequivocal belief that everyone needs to make their memorial and funeral decisions in advance. As an industry professional for more than 30 years, he has had responsibility for both operations and sales, bringing his vast experience to NorthStar in 2017.

Solving the needs of the families we serve is what drives Matthew V. DiGiovanni. Matthew leads the company’s marketing initiatives and oversees the marketing team. With more than 25 years of experience, including over 10 years within this profession, he has served in a variety of sales and marketing roles and is uniquely positioned to understand what matters to the families we are honored to serve.

Mike joined our team in 2011 and was instrumental in building out both our Technology and Trust & Asset Management teams. Mike and his team have automated many key processes to help NorthStar meet its mission of supporting client families in a seamless fashion. Mike held senior roles in the financial services industry prior to joining NorthStar.

Becky is a seasoned Human Resources executive, who believes in the power of investing in culture and people. Joining our team in 2020, Becky was attracted to NorthStar’s mission. With over 20 years of general management and human resources experience in multiple industries, she brings a diverse skill set and strong business acumen to our human resources function.

Joining our team in 2021 as Chief Financial Officer, Justin leads our accounting, finance, client support, and corporate development teams. Justin has held financial function leadership roles for multiple organizations across a range of industries. He began his career in public accounting with KPMG. Justin is passionate about helping NorthStar meet its mission of serving more families by enabling growth.

Tim brings in-depth legal expertise and 30+ years of industry experience to NorthStar, after working in private practice and in-house with funeral home and cemetery companies. Tim formally joined the NorthStar team in 2019 after representing the company since its formation in 2004. He has led the legal team for each of NorthStar’s acquisitions and financing. The legal department provides strong support to the teams who serve client families every day.