Adelante · Hispanic Heritage Month 2026
Carlos Quezada
Vice Chairman and CEO, Carriage Services
Operations and Enterprise chapter
Carlos Quezada is Vice Chairman and CEO of Carriage Services, and an immigrant who describes building his career one decision, one failure and one disciplined day at a time. His argument is that exceptional business performance and deeply human service are not competing priorities.
01What you're building
What are you building right now, and what does it make possible that wasn't possible before?
I’m building a Carriage where extraordinary talent, a powerful culture, and disciplined execution come together to redefine what is possible in our profession. I believe leadership is not about managing people to a result. It is about creating an environment where people discover how much they are truly capable of achieving. The Carriage Way is designed to do exactly that, allowing us to scale excellence without losing our humanity and proving that exceptional business performance and deeply human service are not competing priorities. The best organizations can deliver both.
02What it took
What did it take to get here that people don't see?
What people see is the position. What they don’t see are the years of discipline, sacrifice, setbacks, and starting over that made it possible. My journey as an immigrant taught me early that opportunity is never guaranteed and that resilience is built by moving forward when the outcome is uncertain. I’ve learned to be comfortable with pressure, demand more of myself than I ask of others, and treat adversity as fuel. Nothing about getting here was inevitable. I built it one decision, one failure, and one disciplined day at a time.
Never waste potential, yours or anyone else’s.
03Who carried you
Who carried you, and what did they teach you that you still use every week?
I have been carried by my family, by mentors who saw something in me before I fully saw it myself, and by people who were willing to give me an opportunity when there was no guarantee I would succeed. They taught me that belief in another person can change the trajectory of a life. I carry that lesson into my leadership every week. See the potential in people, challenge them beyond what they believe they can do, and then give them the opportunity and accountability to prove it.
04For the leader coming up
What is the one thing you'd tell the leader coming up behind you?
Never waste potential, yours or anyone else’s. Leadership is not about the title you hold, the authority you have, or even the results you personally achieve. It is about seeing what others cannot yet see, setting a standard that demands growth, and having the courage to hold yourself and others accountable to it. Stay relentlessly curious, never become comfortable with what worked yesterday, and surround yourself with people who challenge you to think bigger and become better. Be relentless about the destination and uncompromising about excellence, but never lose your humanity along the way. In the end, your greatest legacy will not be what you achieved alone, but what became possible in others because you led them.
05Adelante
Adelante means forward. Where are you taking your function, your company, or your industry next?
Adelante, to me, means moving forward with purpose and refusing to accept that the way something has always been done is the way it must continue. Our 2030 Vision is to build Carriage into the best professional funeral and cemetery organization in the country, known for extraordinary people, premier experiences for families, exceptional performance, and a culture that brings it all together. But our ambition goes beyond Carriage. We want to challenge conventions, embrace innovation and technology without sacrificing the human connection, and help redefine what excellence looks like in our profession. By 2030, I want Carriage not only to be a stronger and more valuable company, but to have raised the standard for what our entire profession can become.
The recognition · Operations and Enterprise
Carlos Quezada is Vice Chairman and Chief Executive of Carriage Services, and he writes publicly about something most chief executives leave to the HR function: that people want to feel appreciated for the work they do, and recognized when they strive for excellence. Hearing that from the top of a company is rarer than it should be. He is recognized in the Operations and Enterprise chapter.
Meet all the Adelante leadersThe Floor
Every leader recognized in Adelante answers a short set of questions in their own words, and the answers they approve go into the 2027 book.
