Interview with Rick Davis, new Secretary Treasurer for CCW

Q: Tell us about your personal background.

A:  I was born and raised in Central California.  With the exception of one year in Salinas, just inland of Monterey, I lived within 50 miles of Fresno my whole life until I recently moved to Pleasant Hill in Contra Costa County (east San Francisco Bay).  I received my Bachelor's Degree in Management and Organizational Development from Fresno Pacific University, a small private Christian University in Fresno.  I have a beautiful daughter, Collen, who is 28 years old and has been married for 3 1/2 years to a wonderful young navy man (Chris).  They currently live in San Diego.

Q: What about your professional background?

A:  I have spent most of the past 20+ years in a variety of positions with non-profits or in more entrepreneurial roles.  I was a fundraiser and then Executive Director for the American Heart Association in the late 1980's and early '90's.  In the mid-'90's I spent a few years as the Director of Development for a local Catholic High School.  That is where I fell in love with working for the church.  Prior to joining Fresno Catholic Cemeteries I was a partner in a software company where we developed a program for electronic patient records.

Q: So how did you go from Software Developer to Director of Cemeteries?

A: After my partner and I split up, I took a few months off to help our daughter prepare and move back to Fresno. During that time, my pastor told me about the position at the cemeteries.  I have been very involved in our parish as an Extraordinary Minister of Holy Communion, a Lector, as well as volunteering in a variety of capacities for several years, so I knew our pastor very well.  He seemed to think that my combination of professional experiences and my love for our faith would be a good fit for the position.  They had been looking for a Director for over 9 months.  At first I thought he was crazy to suggest I work at a cemetery - knowing nothing about the industry at all - but I was intrigued enough to take a drive out to the cemetery.  Up to that point, I had only been to one Catholic funeral in my life, and had only been to St. Peter's once even though I had lived in the area for 11 years.  I was so impressed with the beauty and serenity of the cemetery I figured I would go ahead and apply.  I was already friends with the CFO of the diocese and when he received my application we both knew that it was the perfect fit.  As it turns out, it was.  I joined Fresno Catholic Cemeteries in August of 2002.

Q: But now you are working for the Catholic Cemetery and Funeral Services, a ministry of the Diocese of Oakland.  How did that come about?

A:  I have known Robert Seelig for 7 years, and most of his management staff for almost that long.  I have also been very impressed with their operations in many ways.  Earlier this year I attended a meeting with Robert and some of his other staff about some reorganization that they were going through.  One of the results of the reorganization was the creation of two new Family Service Manager positions, one for Alameda County and one for Contra Cost County.  The more we talked, the more it seemed as though the Contra Costa position could be a wonderful opportunity for me to grow and expand both personally and professionally.  We both decided to take a leap of faith and here we are!  It has been a fantastic decision. (I hope they agree)

Q: Tell us your thoughts about CCW:

A:  Barely one month after joining Fresno Catholic Cemeteries, I attended a National Catholic Cemetery Conference convention with Mike Orlando, my predecessor (God rest his soul) in Ottawa, Canada.  I was totally green and knew nothing about the industry, but it was instantly obvious that the people in this industry were first class.  At the convention, I met CCW members such as Mike Wright, Rich Peterson, Robert Seelig and Kathy Atkinson. They told me about CCW and how important it was for me to participate in this more regional organization.  They were right.  I attended my first CCW in 2003 in San Francisco. Not only are the CCW members the very best, but the organization as a whole including the annual convention is an incredible opportunity to network and grow in our ministry. I have not missed a convention since.  I am thrilled that, even with my recent move to the Diocese of Oakland, I can continue to be involved with CCW.  I would be very lonely without you all!

Q:  So, what do you do with your time when you are not at work?

A:  HMMMMMMMMMMMMMM ..... Not at work?  I never considered that!

(Administrator’s note: A little birdie told me that when Rick has his work ironed out, he takes a drive somewhere and putts in some time relaxing, Of course, I can’t pin down what he does.)