West Des Moines, Iowa — Homesteaders Life Company today announced that Courtney Gould Miller will join the organization as Chief Growth Officer, effective January 2026. Miller will serve on the company’s Executive Leadership Team, leading growth initiatives across Homesteaders’ owned and invested-in businesses and advancing the company’s strategic commitment to digital innovation across the funeral profession and the broader end-of-life ecosystem.

In this new role, Miller will guide Homesteaders’ existing team to optimize our marketing strategy, strengthen consumer-facing solutions, enhance support for funeral homes through both direct channels and partnerships and continue to expand upon Homesteaders’ leading class online planning pathways. She will be a key driver in Homesteaders consumer engagement efforts and work closely with Homesteaders’ portfolio companies to drive integration, accelerate results and maximize value for funeral home clients nationwide.

“Courtney brings an exceptional combination of funeral profession knowledge, strategic leadership and digital acumen to Homesteaders,” said Nick Gerhart, Chief Operating Officer. “Her ability to translate vision into meaningful, modern solutions for funeral homes has set her apart in our profession. We believe she will have a significant impact on Homesteaders’ future, our funeral home partners and the entire funeral profession.”

Miller joins Homesteaders after serving as President of Commercial Markets for Tribute Technology, where she oversaw all commercial operations, including marketing, sales and account management for the largest combined platform of funeral home websites and management software in the profession. In this role, she created and launched the Tribute brand, unifying multiple portfolio companies under a single identity and positioning Tribute as a leading technology partner to funeral homes.

She co-created the profession’s first AI-powered obituary writer, an award-winning tool that has shaped modern digital memorialization. She also launched Tribute’s unified customer relationship model, established the company’s first Customer Advisory Board and helped strengthen Tribute’s service ecosystem through a client-centered approach to growth.

Before joining Tribute, Miller served as an owner of her family’s business, MKJ Marketing, founded in 1982 by Glenn Gould and Marilyn Jones Gould, advising thousands of funeral homes on digital strategy, branding and growth planning. She also founded Lumen Cremation, an online cremation business in Nashville, Tennessee, which served hundreds of families before being acquired by Park Lawn Corporation.

Miller began her career as an attorney at O'Melveny & Myers LLP, one of the nation’s leading law firms, before transitioning into the funeral profession through her work at MKJ Marketing.

“It is a privilege to join Homesteaders’ leadership team,” Miller said. “The company’s mission, culture and long-standing commitment to serving funeral homes and the profession in general connects deeply with my own work. I look forward to advancing digital innovation across the preneed ecosystem, strengthening partnerships and supporting Homesteaders’ clients as they serve their communities with excellence.”

About Homesteaders Life Company

Homesteaders Life Company is a mutual company and a trusted preneed funding partner, helping families plan ahead and supporting funeral professionals. Founded in 1906, Homesteaders has built more than a century of experience offering financial strength, innovative preneed solutions and long-term support to funeral providers and the families they serve.

Visit homesteaderslife.com to learn more.