Sumner Brashears, lifelong resident of Huntsville, Arkansas, has been a member of the SFLIC Board of Directors since 1987 and Chairman of the Board since 1997. He is also Chairman of the Board of Selected Holding Company.

A third-generation funeral service practitioner, Brashears is president of Brashears Funeral Home, Huntsville, and secretary-treasurer of Brashears Burial Association. He is also a member of the Board of Directors of Anstaff Bank, headquartered in Green Forest, Arkansas, which serves numerous communities in the state.

Brashears attended the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, and is an honors graduate of the Dallas Institute of Mortuary Science, Dallas, Texas. A licensed funeral director and embalmer, he also holds a life insurance license. Brashears earned the Certified Funeral Service Practitioner (CFSP) designation in 1981. He holds the Certified Preplanning Consultant (CPC) designation and the Certified Crematory Operator (CCO) designation, both awarded through the National Funeral Directors Association (NFDA) certification programs.

Brashears is a governor-appointed member of the Arkansas State Board of Embalmers and Funeral Directors, and the Arkansas Burial Board. Brashears has served as a member of the Advisory Board for Funeral Service Education Program, Arkansas State University – Mountain Home. He is also a past president of the Arkansas Club of Burial Associations.

Brashears is a past president (1987-88) of the Arkansas Funeral Directors Association (AFDA). He was named AFDA Funeral Director of the Year in 1989 and was inducted into the AFDA Hall of Fame in 2016. In 2019, the Brashears Family was inducted into the AFDA’s Hall of Fame in the Funeral Family category.

Brashears’ leadership at the national level of funeral service includes as a past president (1995) of the NFDA. Brashears has also served as a trustee of The Funeral Service Foundation, the charitable arm of the NFDA. He has been a board member of the American Board of Funeral Service Education and served on its Committee on Accreditation. He has been a member of the Board of The Academy of Professional Funeral Service Practice, a charter member of the Funeral Ethics Association, and is a past president of the Heritage Club, a charitable organization dedicated to the betterment of the funeral profession through education funding. Brashears Funeral Home holds membership in Selected Independent Funeral Homes, an elite organization of “by invitation only” funeral homes in the United States and Canada.

Very active in his community through the years, Brashears has served in numerous positions in city government, civic groups, and charities, most as chairman, president, or in other significant leadership capacities. Brashears is a 33rd degree Scottish Rite Mason.  

Richard H. Mosley, a lifelong resident of Camden, Arkansas, is Vice Chairman of the SFLIC Board of Directors and has been a member of the Board since 1992.

Mosley is president and owner of Proctor Funeral Home, Inc., Camden, Arkansas. One of the very oldest businesses in south Arkansas, Proctor has been serving families since 1868. Proctor Funeral Home has been awarded the coveted SFLIC Outstanding Funeral Home of the Year award in multiple years. In May 2024, Mosley, the Mosley family, and Proctor Funeral Home were honored by the Arkansas Funeral Directors Association (AFDA) when the Mosleys were inducted into AFDA's Hall of Fame as the Funeral Family of the Year 2024.

Mosley is also a member of the Board of Directors of Generations Bank, an Arkansas community bank with numerous locations in the state.

Mosley graduated from Ouachita Baptist University, Arkadelphia, Arkansas, with a Bachelor of Arts degree. He is also a graduate of Dallas Institute of Funeral Service, Dallas, Texas.

Mosley is a licensed funeral director and embalmer. He is a Certified Cremation Provider. Mosley also holds an Arkansas funeral expense insurance license.

Mosley is a member of the Arkansas Funeral Directors Association and a member of the National Funeral Directors Association. His funeral home is a long-time member of the Selected Independent Funeral Homes, an elite “by invitation only” organization of funeral service professionals in the United States and Canada.

Committed to serving his community, Mosley’s leadership has ensured that Proctor Funeral Home is an integral part of the Camden area and is proud that his staff members live, work, and volunteer in Camden.

Tara E. Mauk Arthur, resident of Hot Springs, Arkansas, was elected a member of the SFLIC Board of Directors in May 2024 at the company’s Annual Stockholders Meeting held in Hot Springs. She serves the company as Chief Operating Officer and retains her previous responsibilities of Chief Human Resource (HR) Officer and Chief Insurance Compliance Officer.

Arthur is a graduate of the University of Arkansas at Little Rock where she majored in journalism with an emphasis in public relations. Arthur has earned multiple life insurance industry certifications through the Life Office Management Association (LOMA), most prominently the Fellow, Life Management Institute (FLMI). She holds the HR certifications of Professional, Human Resources (PHR) and Society for Human Resource Management, Certified Professional (SHRM-CP). She earned the Certified Preplanning Consultant (CPC) designation through the National Funeral Directors Association (NFDA) program.

Arthur joined SFLIC in 1996 in an administrative capacity in the Corporate Services Division, advancing from there to more focused responsibilities in the company’s HR section. She was soon promoted to Director of Human Resources, and later named Chief HR Officer. In 2003, she was asked to assume the responsibility of SFLIC Insurance Compliance Officer in addition to her then-present duties, soon being named Chief.

Arthur is a long-time SHRM volunteer having served as the representative to the Membership Advisory Council for the Southwest Central U.S. Region in 2010-2011, in 2008-2009 as State Director with the Arkansas SHRM Council. She has served in numerous other substantive positions at the state and local levels, including as Chair of the Arkansas State HR Conference and Chair of the Arkansas Employment Law and Legislative Affairs Conference.

In 2007, Arthur was named Arkansas HR Professional of the Year, and, in 2021, received the coveted Russell Gunter Legislative Advocacy Award presented by ARSHRM. Among other professional achievements, she is one of the originator of the successful West Central Arkansas Society for Human Resource Management’s Managers Seminar, attended annually by managers and supervisors from businesses and organizations across Arkansas.

Arthur’s other volunteer efforts include having served on the West Central Arkansas Workforce Investment Board as Garland County Private Sector Representative from 2006 to 2019, and was a member of the Hot Springs, Arkansas Chamber of Commerce Leadership Hot Springs Class XX. She is a member of Fifty for the Future, Hot Springs.

Victor G. Byas, Sr., a resident of Indianola, Mississippi, was elected a member of the SFLIC Board of Directors at the Annual Stockholders Meeting in Hot Springs, Arkansas, in May 2022.

Byas is President and Chief Executive Officer of Byas, Inc., which includes a group of nine Mississippi funeral home locations -- Greenwood, Indianola, Cleveland, Greenville, Ruleville, Shelby, Hollandale, Clarksdale, and Belzoni. Byas Funeral Home’s Indianola location is a past recipient of SFLIC’s coveted Outstanding Funeral Home of the Year award. In 2015, Byas Funeral Home, Indianola, was entrusted with the final arrangements for Riley B. King, better known as acclaimed blues guitarist B.B. King.

Victor Byas earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Alcorn State University, Lorman, Mississippi. He later graduated from John A. Gupton College, Nashville, Tennessee, with an Associate degree in Funeral Service. He is a licensed funeral director and holds an accident/life/health insurance license issued by the state of Mississippi.

Byas is a former vice-chair of the governor-appointed Mississippi State Board of Funeral Service. For 26 years, he was associated with Allied Funeral Associates, Tupelo, Mississippi, and served as assistant vice president and as a member of the Board of Directors.

Byas is a member of the Board of Directors of Planters Bank & Trust Company, headquartered in Indianola, Mississippi, serving communities in Mississippi, Tennessee, and Louisiana. He is also vice president of Delta Council, an economic development organization for northwest Mississippi. Byas is a founding and lifetime Board member of the B.B. King Museum and Delta Interpretative Center, Indianola, Mississippi, a 5-star museum dedicated to sharing the rich cultural heritage of the Mississippi Delta.

Byas is a member of St. Benedict The Moor Catholic Church, Indianola, Mississippi.

T. R. “Buddy” Courtney was elected a member of the SFLIC Board of Directors in May 2024 at the Company’s Annual Stockholders Meeting held in Hot Springs, Arkansas. Courtney serves SFLIC as the President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO). In addition to assuming oversight of the chief executive functions for the Company, he continues his responsibilities as Chief Financial Officer (CFO).

Courtney has a Bachelor of Science degree from Arkansas State University where he majored in accounting. He has enjoyed a distinguished professional career with 37 years of executive level accounting experience and approximately 28 years in the insurance industry as well as consulting and computer system conversion experience.

Courtney serves as SFLIC’s representative to the Board of the Louisiana Life and Health Guaranty Association. He has been elected President of the Arkansas Association of Life Companies (AAIC) and was recently installed in this position at the AAIC’s annual meeting held in Little Rock, Arkansas. Courtney holds the Certified Preplanning Consultant (CPC) designation obtained through the CPC certification program sponsored by the National Funeral Directors Association (NFDA).

Courtney joined SFLIC in 2016 as Controller, soon advancing to CFO. In 2024, he was elected President and CEO by the SFLIC Board of Directors, succeeding the retiring CEO.

Courtney C. Crouch, Jr., resident of Hot Springs, Arkansas, has been a member of the SFLIC Board of Directors since 1976. He serves SFLIC as President Emeritus and Chief Investment Officer, and Selected Holding Company as President. Prior to January 2022, Crouch served SFLIC as President and Chief Executive Officer for more than 40 years.

Crouch received his Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville. He has earned the insurance industry designation, Fellow, Life Office Management Institute (FLMI). He also holds the Certified Preplanning Consultant (CPC) Associate designation awarded through the National Funeral Directors Association (NFDA) certification program.

Dedicated to service in several statewide professional organizations, Crouch is Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Arkansas Life and Health Insurance Guaranty Association where he has also served as Chairman of the Investment Committee and is currently a member of the Audit Committee. A founding member of the Arkansas Association of Insurance Companies (AAIC), Crouch is a past president and is currently vice president. Crouch has been a governor-appointed member of the Arkansas State Cemetery Board.

In 2016, Crouch was honored by the funeral profession when he was inducted into the Arkansas Funeral Directors Association’s (AFDA) Hall of Fame.

Crouch’s driving force behind the restoration of the SFLIC corporate offices’ historical building resulted in the property being placed on the National Register of Historic Places by the U.S. Department of the Interior and SFLIC being awarded the Excellence in Preservation Through Restoration Award in 1991 by Historic Preservation Alliance of Arkansas (now Preserve Arkansas). In 2006, Crouch was the recipient of the Parker Westbrook Award for Lifetime Achievement in Historical Preservation presented by the Historical Preservation Alliance of Arkansas.

Active in his local community, some of Crouch’s service includes current Chairman of the Board of Directors of Levi Hospital; a past president of Rotary Club of Hot Springs National Park (Paul Harris Fellow); Board member of Arkansas Bank & Trust Company (now Regions Bank) and member of the Directors Loan Committee; a past chairman of the Civil Service Commission; a past chairman of the Board of Directors of Mid America Science Museum; a past president of Fifty for the Future of Hot Springs; a member of the Board of Directors of Historic Preservation Alliance of Arkansas; a former president of the Quapaw-Prospect Historical District; and a past chairman of the Administrative Board for First United Methodist Church, Hot Springs.

Charles F. Dearman, Jr., lifetime resident of Monticello, Arkansas, has been a member of the SFLIC Board of Directors since 2001.

Dearman graduated Magna Cum Laude with a Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting from the University of Arkansas at Monticello (UAM), and earned a M.B.A. in Accounting from Louisiana Tech University, Ruston, Louisiana. While at UAM, he was a member of the varsity baseball team and varsity golf team where he was an Academic All-American golfer. He is a graduate of Dallas Institute of Funeral Service, Dallas, Texas, where he was named valedictorian, served as president of his class, and received the Bill Pierce Outstanding Student award.

Dearman is a licensed funeral director and embalmer. He also holds a funeral expense insurance license. Dearman is the fourth-generation owner of Stephenson-Dearman Funeral Home in Monticello, serving southeast Arkansas since 1928. One of the early SFLIC-affiliated funeral homes, Stephenson-Dearman Funeral Home is the longest running winner of the annual SFLIC Derby Cup (sales). The funeral home has also been awarded the coveted SFLIC Outstanding Funeral Home of the Year in multiple years. Additionally, Dearman has been active in commercial real estate development in Monticello, increasing the community’s entertainment options and retail rental space.

Dearman served two terms as a governor-appointed member of the Arkansas State Board of Embalmers, Funeral Directors, Cemeteries and Burial Services. Dearman continues family tradition in long time local public service as Drew County Coroner.

As was his father before him, Dearman is a past president of the Arkansas Funeral Directors Association (1998-1999) and was named Funeral Director of the Year by the Association in 2014. He is a member of the National Funeral Directors Association.

Dearman is a member of the Board of Directors of Union Bank & Trust Company, headquartered in Monticello. Active in his community, Dearman is a former member of Monticello Rotary Club, Board member - Monticello Chamber of Commerce, Board member - Drew County United Way, Monticello’s Twenty for the Future, member of the UAM Alumni Board and Capital Campaign Committee, and has served 15 years as president of the Monticello School Board, among other community involvement.

Robert W. Eichelberger, a resident of Hot Springs, Arkansas, has been a member of SFLIC’s Board of Directors since 2016. In March 2024, he retired as President and Chief Executive Officer, and continues his association with the company as a consultant. Previously he was Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer with direct responsibility for the Company’s Sales Development Division.

Prior to his employment with the Company, Eichelberger was employed by Selected Financial Service Corporation (SFSC) and provided consulting services to SFLIC. For 20 years prior to his association with SFLIC and SFSC, Eichelberger was President and a member of the Board of Directors of First Guaranty Life Insurance Company and Madden Enterprises, Ashdown, Arkansas.

Eichelberger has a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from the University of Mississippi, Oxford, Mississippi, and is a Certified Public Accountant (CPA), licensed in Arkansas, Mississippi, and Louisiana.

Eichelberger is a licensed funeral director and has earned the designation Certified Funeral Service Practitioner (CFSP). He holds the Certified Preplanning Consultant (CPC) designation and the Certified Crematory Operator (CCO) designation, both awarded through National Funeral Directors Association (NFDA) programs. In May 2024, Eichelberger was honored by the Arkansas Funeral Directors Association (AFDA) when he was inducted into AFDA's Hall of Fame.

Involved in the life insurance industry at state levels, Eichelberger is a past member of the Board of Directors of the Arkansas Life and Health Guaranty Association, serving as Chairman of the Audit Committee during that time. Eichelberger formerly represented SFLIC on the Louisiana Life and Health Guaranty Association. He is the current President of the Arkansas Association of Insurance Companies (AAIC). 

Eichelberger, a former resident of Ashdown, Arkansas, served that community in numerous civic capacities, including as a past president of Ashdown Rotary Club, a member of the Board of Directors for Little River Memorial Hospital, and a member of the Board for the Ashdown, Arkansas School District. A member of the Little River Rural Development Authority for 19 years, Eichelberger served as chairman for 17 of those years.

Robert DeWitt Harris, Jr., lifelong resident of Morrilton, Arkansas, has been a member of the SFLIC Board of Directors since 1998. Harris, a third-generation funeral director, is the owner of Harris Funeral Home, Morrilton, founded in 1905 by Harris’ grandfather. Harris Funeral Home is one of the original 20 funeral homes that founded SFLIC in 1960 and has been awarded the coveted SFLIC Outstanding Funeral Home of the Year in multiple years.

Harris attended Ouachita Baptist University in Arkadelphia, Arkansas. He graduated from the Dallas Institute of Mortuary Science (later known as Dallas Institute of Funeral Service) in Dallas, Texas, and from the National Foundation of Funeral Service School of Management in Evanston, Illinois.

A licensed funeral director and embalmer, Harris is a member of the Academy of Professional Funeral Service Practice. He earned the Certified Funeral Service Practitioner (CFSP) designation. Harris also holds a life insurance license.

Harris is a member of the National Funeral Directors Association and the Arkansas Funeral Directors Association (AFDA). In 1986-1987, Harris followed the family tradition of his father and grandfather when he served the AFDA as President. In 2013, the AFDA named Harris Funeral Director of the Year.

Harris is a past president of the Arkansas Club of Burial Associations and a past member of the Arkansas State Board of Burial Associations. Also active in the life of his local community, Harris is a past Conway County Coroner and deputy Coroner and has been a Special Deputy for the Conway County Sheriff’s Department for 47 years. He is a 50-year member of the Morrilton Rotary Club and is a Paul Harris Fellow. Harris is also a member of Morrilton First Baptist Church.

Harris is a former private pilot with a long-time passion for flying. He also continues the family interest in antique cars, serving on the Board of Directors for the Museum of Automobiles, a non-profit museum located at Petit Jean Mountain, Arkansas, dedicated to exhibiting classic and antique vehicles from across the United States.

Robert C. Milton, a resident of Warren, Arkansas, has been a member of the SFLIC Board of Directors since 2018. He followed his father’s service to the Board, which began at the Company’s formation in 1960.

Milton is the principal in the firm of Robert C. Milton, a tax preparation and accounting service for the business and industry sectors, with offices in Warren.

Milton attended the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville and is a graduate of Arkansas A & M College (now University of Arkansas at Monticello-UAM), Monticello, Arkansas, afterwards joining his father’s CPA firm. Milton served six years in the Arkansas Army National Guard.

Milton is active in his community with a range of involvement, including serving as Treasurer for the City of Warren and with service to the Warren Water & Sewer Department. He is also a past Board member of the Warren Housing Authority. 

Milton is a past president of Warren Rotary Club and is a Paul Harris Fellow - Rotary International. He is a past president of the Warren YMCA and past president of Warren Country Club.

Milton serves on the Board of Directors for the First Presbyterian Church Childcare Center and is an Elder and Trustee for First Presbyterian Church, Warren.

A sports enthusiast, Milton is an avid golfer.

Johnny K. Morgan, lifelong resident of Russellville, Arkansas, has been a member of the SFLIC Board of Directors since 1998. In 2014, he retired as President of First State Bank, Russellville, and continues to serve as a member of the bank’s Board of Directors. He is the former owner and operator of Shinn Funeral Service, Russellville, one of the 20 original funeral homes that founded SFLIC in 1960.

Morgan is a graduate of Arkansas Tech University (ATU), Russellville with a Bachelor of Science degree in Chemistry. After graduation, he was commissioned a 2nd Lieutenant in the U.S. Army, serving with the 2nd Armored Division as a Brigade Chemical Officer. Morgan later served his college alma mater as a member of the Board of Trustees, and is a former Board Chair. Morgan was inducted into the ATU Hall of Distinction in 2003. He is a former president and member emeritus of the ATU Foundation Board. He is a member and past president of the ATU Alumni Association.

A licensed funeral director, Morgan Is a member of Arkansas Funeral Directors Association (AFDA) and served as AFDA President in 1988-1989. He was honored by the AFDA when he was named AFDA Funeral Director of the Year, 1991-1992.

Dedicated to his community, Morgan has served in city government, on boards of numerous civic and economic development groups, his church, and charities, including Arkansas Valley Alliance, Russellville Water and Sewer Commission, City Corporation Board of Directors, Russellville Noon Rotary Club (Paul Harris Fellow), United Way, Chamber of Commerce, Pope County American Cancer Society, and others, serving most of these organizations as president or chairman.

With an interest in sports and youth, Morgan was an official and referee for more than 20 years in Arkansas high school basketball and football and is a former Arkansas Intercollegiate Conference (AIC) football official. Morgan is also an avid golfer. He is a member and deacon of First Baptist Church, Russellville.

David R. Powell, Jr., a second-generation funeral service practitioner, has been a member of the SFLIC Board of Directors since 2007. A resident of Searcy, Arkansas, he is the former owner and president of Powell Funeral Homes in Searcy, Bald Knob, and Augusta, Arkansas. Powell Funeral Home, established by his father, was among the group of early SFLIC-affiliated funeral homes. The funeral home has been the recipient of the coveted SFLIC Outstanding Funeral Home of the Year in past years.

Powell attended University of Central Arkansas, Conway, Arkansas. He graduated from Dallas Institute of Mortuary Science, Dallas, Texas (known today as Dallas Institute of Funeral Service), returning some years later to give the commencement address to the graduating class.

A licensed funeral director and embalmer, Powell was an early Certified Preplanning Consultant (CPC), a designation awarded through the National Funeral Directors Association (NFDA) certification programs. Powell also holds an Arkansas life insurance license.

In 1986, Powell was named Funeral Director of the Year by the Arkansas Funeral Directors Association (AFDA). In 1994-1995, Powell followed family tradition by serving the AFDA as president. Powell is a member of the National Funeral Directors Association (NFDA), and served on NFDA committees through the years. He was certified by NFDA as qualified to be a member of the Disaster Mortuary Operational Response Team (D-Mort), now part of Homeland Security.

Powell is a past chair of the governor-appointed Arkansas State Board of Embalmers and Funeral Directors, having served two terms as a member. He also served two terms as a member of the Arkansas Burial Board. Powell is a past member of the Conference of Funeral Service Examining Boards (now the International Conference of Funeral Service Examining Boards) and its Exam Review Committee. Powell is a past member and officer of the Arkansas Club of Burial Associations.

Active in his area communities, Powell is White County Coroner, a position he has held since 2002. He is a member of Rotary Club, both in Judsonia, where he served as president, and in Searcy. He was president of the Bald Knob Chamber of Commerce and was Board chair for the Searcy Chamber of Commerce. He served as president of the U.S. Jaycee Clubs in both Judsonia and Searcy. Powell also served as chair of the Searcy Airport Commission.

Fred (Trey) Wilkerson III, lifelong resident of DeQueen, Arkansas, and third generation funeral director, has served as a member of the SFLIC Board of Directors since 2017.

Wilkerson is the former owner and president of Wilkerson Funeral Homes, DeQueen and Dierks, Arkansas, established by the Wilkerson family in 1929 to serve southwest Arkansas and southeast Oklahoma. Wilkerson Funeral Home is one of the original 20 funeral homes that founded SFLIC in 1960 and is a past recipient of the coveted SFLIC Outstanding Funeral Home of the Year award.

Wilkerson attended Henderson State University in Arkadelphia, Arkansas. He graduated from Dallas Institute of Funeral Service in Dallas, Texas. Wilkerson is a licensed funeral director and embalmer and holds a life insurance license.

Active in his community, Wilkerson has served various needs, including as a past member of the Sevier County Ambulance Board and as a past member of the Board of Directors of the DeQueen-Sevier County Chamber of Commerce.

Dedicated to the funeral profession, Wilkerson’s funeral home and family have been very active with the Arkansas Funeral Directors Association for many years. As in past family tradition, though formally retired from full time funeral home responsibilities in 2018, Wilkerson continues to assist the next Wilkerson generation as they serve their community families.