Council of Stewards  

Back row:  André Richmond, Beth Tillman, Kathleen Davidson, Allen Brimer (2021-2025) Al Lauritano, Heidi Hannapel and Jeff Masten.
​Front row:  Jennifer Evans, Shenae McPherson and Seletha Pherribo (2021-2025). Missing from the photo: Franzi Rokoske, Cris Rivera and Liz Peeples.
The Council of Stewards provides oversight of Bluestem's vision and mission. It is guided by Bluestem's bylaws and constitution that provide the framework for its operations, for now and into the future. Council Stewards currently serving are community members specializing in spiritual ministry, community building, end of life care, government, public health, estate law, conservation, and nonprofit management. Learn more about our Council Stewards below.
KATHLEEN DAVIDSON 
Council Steward - Hillsborough
PictureTraining tour guides (and dogs)
Kathleen (she, her) brings her tremendous people skills and joy to sharing Bluestem. She leads our tour guide team of volunteers and  provides guests with green burial information to guide their decision making. Kathleen is a former teacher and was the admissions director at Carolina Friends School for 20 years. Grateful for the ways Bluestem builds community, fosters a healthy relationship with nature, and offers a final resting place that nourishes the earth, Kathleen lives with her partner Doug and amazing 97 year old mother. 
JENNIFER EVANS
Council Steward - Chapel Hill  
PictureOperating a drone
Jennifer (she, her) has many roles in life. Wife, mother, grandmother, and businesswoman, Jennifer has been a caregiver all her life. She is the co-founder of  Trio Family Services, specializing in compassionate care for elderly clients.  Jennifer is a trained hospice volunteer and death doula, with a singing voice that rises above the birdsong at Bluestem. She has assisted on drone filming at Bluestem, hosting burial services, and is always ready to connect with others by sharing her unique story. 
AL LAURITANO
Council Steward - Chapel Hill  
PictureSupporting families
For 40 years, Al (he, him) devoted his career to the pharmaceutical, biotechnology and medical device industries, where he focused on marketing research and new business development. Since Bluestem's earliest days, he has been a regular volunteer, clearing and building hiking trails, and assisting with burial services. Al is honored to support and serve Bluestem families. He comes out for the Friday Workdays because he appreciates "the opportunity to meet my future neighbors!"​
SHENAE MCPHERSON 
Council Steward - Graham 
PictureCommitted to our elders
Passionate, energetic and joyful, Shenae (she, her) is a committed advocate for healthy aging in Orange County. As the administrator for the Volunteer Connect 55+ program, she excels in the role, creating and developing meaningful programming for the community at large, with particular attention to our aging elders. Shenae is excited to support green burial in the region as an option for people seeking a simpler, more economical form of honoring and remembering their loved ones. Find more about Shenae here. 
BETH TILLMAN
​Council Steward - Chapel Hill 
PictureCommitted from the beginning
Beth (she, her) has been a dedicated friend to Bluestem before it even had a name. A founding partner of Tillman, Whichard and Cagle, Beth has practiced estate and probate law in the area for over 25 years. Beth is also a writer, who among many great short pieces, has captured the spirit of Bluestem's mission so well. "As an estate planner I think about death probably more than most people. I have considered death as a period to the final sentence in the final paragraph that is life. Of late it seems to me to be like a colon: that which follows after it is as much a part of life as the words before the colon. If you consider your death as a part of your life, perhaps you will be inspired to prepare for it rather than to turn away from it."  Read more of Beth's writing here.  
LIZ PEEPLES
​Council Steward - Durham 
PictureLoving the outdoors
Liz (she, her) is an educator, mother, and fan of  Bluestem. A Florida native, Liz has been teaching high school in North Carolina since 1997. She first came to Bluestem in 2022 leading a class of  students from North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics, where she has been teaching in the Humanities Department since 2008. She fell in love with the magic, solitude and beauty of Bluestem and regularly introduces students and friends to the hiking trails. Liz believes that listening to the birds, feeling the breeze and experiencing the deep connection to the earth while helping families hold space for their grief and love is a sacred privilege.
ANDRÉ RICHMOND
Council Steward - Hillsborough 
PictureDedicated public servant
Andre (he, him) holds very deep family roots in Orange County. Currently a Captain at the Orange County Sherrif's Office, Andre is a public servant in many other capacities, serving on the Orange County School Board of Education, and with Volunteers for Youth, State Employees Credit Union, and the Project Engage Intergenerational and End of Life Choices Senior Resource Teams with the Orange County Department on Aging. He is an active member of Lattisville Grove, where throughout his life his goal has always been to create resources and options that educate, empower, and bridge the gaps to ensure support for those living in Orange County. 
CRIS RIVERA
Council Steward - Durham 
PictureAppreciates the quiet
Originally from southern Maryland, Cris (they, them) thrives on providing operational, strategic and administrative support for organizations in the advocacy, education, climate and social justice arenas.  They currently serve as the Director of Finance and Operations for DPS Foundation. Prior to DPSF, Cris served with Student Action with Farmworkers and the Durham Co-op Market, two positions that solidified their commitment to having equitable workplaces that "walked the walk."  They completed a masters in public theology at Union Presbyterian Seminary this year, and fell in love with Bluestem the moment they stepped onto the land and into its sacred space. If there's any spare time, Cris enjoys hiking, photography, posting highs and lows on Instagram, and experimenting in the kitchen. 
FRANZISKA ROKOSKE
Council Steward - Durham 
PictureWelcome to the porch
Franzi (she, her) is a founding Steward, hospice volunteer and restorative yoga teacher. She combines mindful movement practices in nature with compassionate meditation. A clinician by background, Franzi spent over 20 years shaping federal health policy to support patients and families facing serious illness and end of life. In the past she was driven by the question ‘what is a good death?’ These days she rallies around the question ‘what does good care for family, community, and the earth mean?' Franzi brings a thoughtful spirit, deep nonprofit expertise, and a passion for universal accessibility to Bluestem. 
PictureFirst Field in the Fall
Gratitudes
To our friend and colleague, CARL BAUMANN of Hillsborough. Carl was a founding Council Steward from 2021-2023, who brought his enthusiasm for green burial as well as a tremendous sense of humor to our founding days. Carl departs the Council in order to truly enjoy his retirement. Thank you, Carl. 

Friends and colleagues SELETHA PHERRIBO and ALLEN BRIMER rotated off the Council in June 2025. Thank you, friends!