Thomas J. Crawford was appointed president, CEO and a member of the board in February 2007. He has more than 27 years of business management experience focused on strategy, operations improvement, sales and marketing.

Prior to joining Stewart, he served on behalf of Sorenson Capital Partners, a private equity group, as CEO of Erickson Companies, a regional residential framing company with manufacturing operations in Arizona, California and Nevada. He was Chairman, CEO and President of publicly-traded The York Group, Inc., one of the largest casket manufacturers in the U.S., from 2000 until its merger with Matthews International Corporation in 2002. In addition, he served in various positions with the Batesville Casket Company, a leading manufacturer and supplier of caskets, including Hardwood Products Group Vice President and General Manager, New Business Development Vice President, Marketing Vice President and Logistics Vice President.

He served as Corporate Development Director for both the Batesville Casket Company and its parent company, Hillenbrand Industries.

Thomas M. Kitchen has served as a member of the board of directors since 2004. He is a member of the investment committee. He was an investment management consultant with Equitas Capital Advisors, LLC in New Orleans. During a 25-year career with Avondale Industries, Inc., the nation's fifth largest shipbuilder, he served as president, chief financial officer and board member.

He has served as a board member for the New Orleans Regional Chamber, the Metrovision Economic Development Partnership, the New Orleans Business Council, the Jefferson Business Council, the Financial Executives Institute and AICPA/Louisiana Society of CPAs. He is also a member of the American Shipbuilding Association in Washington, D.C.

Lawrence B. Hawkins is president of Investors Trust, Inc., the Stewart subsidiary since 1979 that manages all Stewart trust accounts. He also serves on Stewart's Senior Executive Committee.

Prior to joining Investors Trust in 1989, he handled Stewart's trust accounts as the head of personal trust investments for a Texas bank. He was the senior vice president of M Trust of Dallas, vice president and manager of investments for Valley National Bank in Tucson, Ariz., and assistant vice president and portfolio manager for Mellon Bank. He earned a master's degree in business administration from Cornell University in Ithaca, N.Y. and a bachelor's degree in Economics from Trinity College in Hartford, Conn.

Kenneth G. "Jerry" Myers Jr. serves as the senior vice president of operations and is on the Senior Executive Committee. Jerry is responsible for the Company's funeral home and cemetery operations and the sales force. In early 2005, Myers served as a consultant to the Company in the area of Sarbanes-Oxley compliance. A year later, he joined the Company as the senior vice president of finance, responsible for the Company's Shared Services Center, Information Systems technology and Fleet operations, while initiating a consolidated Purchasing function. Jerry has also helped implement the Company's prominent business systems.

Before joining the Company, he served as president, chief executive officer and a director of Conrad Industries, Inc. He was also the vice president of the LPD Program Office for Northrop Grumman Ship Systems (formerly Avondale Industries). He is a certified public accountant and a Project Management Institute (PMI)-certified project management professional.

G. Kenneth "Ken" Stephens Jr. is senior vice president of sales responsible for leading the Company's sales organization. He is a member of the Senior Executive Committee. He previously served as president of the former Western and Eastern Divisions. He also served as chief operating officer of the former Eastern Division's Southern Region. He joined Stewart in 1993 as vice president of cemetery operations for the Southern Region when his Carolina cemeteries merged with the Company.

He earned a bachelor of arts degree in Economics from Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, graduated from the University of North Carolina, and graduated from the University of North Carolina School of Law in Chapel Hill.

Larry L. Merington is senior vice president, sales and marketing, and a member of Stewart's Senior Executive Committee. Before joining the Company in 2007, he was the chief operating officer of Ace Bayou Corporation. During his 25-year career, he has also held the positions of vice president of marketing, sales and business development for New York Environmental Services Corporation, division president for Browning-Ferris Industries and vice president of TransRiver Marketing for American Ref-Fuel.

He specializes in transitioning companies to exploit new marketing and business opportunities, management of the sales-operations interface, mergers and acquisitions, and strategic planning. He received his undergraduate degree from the University of Notre Dame in Indiana and holds a master's degree in organizational theory from St. Edwards University in Austin, Texas. He is also a retired colonel in the United States Air Force Reserves and was a fighter pilot flying A-10 aircraft in Desert Storm, F-16 fighters in Bosnia and acted as a senior commander in Afghanistan following the events of 9/11.

Martin R. de Lauréal is the senior vice president of corporate development and investor relations. He also serves on Stewart's Senior Executive Committee. He has held many management positions since joining the Company in 1977, initially in the sales engineering department of Stewart's Acme Marble and Granite Co., which developed community mausoleums. In 1989, he created the Corporate Development arm responsible for administering the Company's acquisition activities. A few years after the Company went public, in early 1996, he created the Investor Relations function to enable the Company to better interact with its Wall Street investors. Today, he also oversees Stewart Resource Center, which serves Company-owned properties, and Acme Mausoleum, which serves mostly rural third-party-owned cemeteries.

He earned a bachelor's degree in marketing from the University of New Orleans. He has also been involved in a number of civic, business and charitable organizations, most recently serving on the boards of the New Orleans Metropolitan Crime Commission and Miller McCoy Academy, a public charter school serving the New Orleans community.

Lisa T. Winningkoff is vice president and senior administrative officer, and is a member of the Senior Executive Committee. She joined Stewart in 1991 as a financial accountant, working her way up to the position of assistant controller. Her analytical experience and understanding of financial and regulatory issues and communications skills enabled her to also serve in the positions of assistant treasurer, corporate compliance director, and compensation and benefits director.

She holds a bachelor's degree in accounting from the University of New Orleans and is a Certified Public Accountant (inactive). She is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, Louisiana Society of Certified Public Accountants and World at Work, an organization of human resources professionals dedicated to knowledge leadership.

Lewis J. "Lew" Derbes Jr. is the senior vice president of finance and a member of the Senior Executive Committee. In 2005, he joined Stewart as treasurer, responsible for placing and servicing the Company's debt, and instituting efficient cash management and trust administration systems. During his 15-year career, he has been chief financial officer of Conrad Industries, Inc., a publicly held marine construction and repair company, and vice president and controller for Avondale Industries, the nation's fifth-largest shipbuilder.

He graduated cum laude from University of Notre Dame in Indiana with a bachelor's degree in business administration. He is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, the Association of Financial Professionals and the National Association of Stock Plan Professionals.

Angela M. Lacour is the vice president, chief accounting officer and corporate controller. She also serves on the Senior Executive Committee. She has held various financial and accounting positions since joining Stewart in 1997, including assistant corporate controller and director of external reporting. Prior to that, she was with KPMG Peat Marwick, an international accounting and consulting firm.

She is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and Louisiana Certified Public Accountants. A New Orleans native, she is also involved locally in the Young Leadership Council. She holds a bachelor's degree in accounting from The University of New Orleans.