As dean of the College of Cremation Services at the ICCFA University, Jim Starks possesses the organizational and leadership skills needed to manage one of the profession’s top cremation programs.  Jim not only directs the program, but also shares his knowledge and experience by conducting a session on cremation operations and compliance during the college.  Jim’s passion for the profession, as well as his continuing commitment to make the profession better, is truly admired by all.

No stranger to the profession, Jim grew up in the business and began his career at his family funeral home in Michigan.  Since 1993, Jim has worked at major funeral companies focusing on the operations and compliance segment of our profession.  Jim has trained hundreds of funeral professionals over the years on compliance with OSHA, ADA and other regulatory requirements.  He has inspected over 300 funeral homes in the course of his career and has overseen repairs necessitated in order to bring locations into full compliance.  In addition, Jim has trained and helped implement burial and cremation packages at funeral homes.

Jim knows that failure to properly manage the risk of providing cremation services and/or operating a crematory is an invitation to disaster.  Because of this, Jim has developed several training guides for use across the country.  One of the components of Jim’s training is his “10 Point Identification Verification for Cremation” which includes the necessary identification steps when handling a cremation. The list is a must for all funeral professionals.  Download a copy of the form at the Cremation Coaching Center/Tools and review it with your staff!   Avoid lawsuits…do it the right way!

www.iccfa.com/cremation/tools

Jim Starks, Dean of the College of Cremation Services, holds the ICCFA designations of Certified Funeral Executive and Certified Cremation Executive. Jim is a 2004 graduate of the ICCFA University.