About

John Christian Phifer is the Executive Director and creative force behind Larkspur Conservation, where he led the creation of Tennessee’s first conservation burial ground—a protected nature preserve that honors life, land, and loss. A licensed funeral director and embalmer, certified end-of-life doula, funeral celebrant, and home funeral guide, he brings over 26 years of experience in end-of-life care to this work.

He earned a degree in mortuary science from John A. Gupton College in Nashville and has served in both rural funeral homes and large metropolitan cemeteries. He deepened his calling through training with Final Passages and the Conscious Dying Institute, grounding his practice in reverence, ritual, and ecological responsibility.

In 2012, he boarded a cross-country train to speak with Americans about death, burial, and what matters most in the end. Those conversations shaped his enduring commitment to creating mindful, inclusive, and environmentally conscious alternatives to conventional funeral practices. His life and work are featured in the PBS documentary Bury Me at Taylor Hollow, now streaming nationwide.

Today, John Christian continues to demystify death and restore its connection to the natural world—bridging environmental advocacy and end-of-life care to empower families and transform our collective relationship with the earth.

David Ponoroff is a native Floridian and lifelong nature lover who now calls the Tennessee foothills home. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and Sustainability Studies from the University of Florida, where he explored the complex intersections of death, ecology, and public policy.

David began his work in conservation burial at Prairie Creek Conservation Cemetery in Gainesville, Florida, where he spent four years growing both the organization and the community it served. Through hands-on stewardship and public education, he became one of the nation’s leading voices in the conservation burial movement. A founding member of the Conservation Burial Alliance, David has helped shape national advocacy for conservation burial and natural end-of-life practices.

As Associate Director at Larkspur, David’s thoughtful presence echoes throughout our operations. Whether he’s guiding a family through ceremony, tending to the land, or expanding Larkspur’s capacity to serve, he brings a rare blend of clarity, care, and conviction to everything he does.

Jenny Shelton grew up in Middle Tennessee with a reverence for nature that has stayed with her throughout her life. She earned her degree in mortuary science and funeral arts from John A. Gupton College in Nashville and went on to serve families across Tennessee as a funeral director, embalmer, and crematory operator. At Tennessee Donor Services, she guided countless families through the organ and tissue donation process, offering care and clarity during moments of profound loss.

Over the years, Jenny has managed multiple funeral service operations, including a statewide cremation platform. Her grounded, compassionate presence was recognized in American Funeral Director magazine, where her work was featured for its heart and integrity.

Jenny began volunteering at Larkspur long before joining the staff full time in the spring of 2023. In many ways, it felt like coming home. With her deep knowledge of the funeral industry, her love for the natural world, and her gift for holding space, Jenny now walks alongside families through each step of the natural burial process—educating, supporting, and creating room for ritual and meaning.

When she’s not guiding burials or tending to the land, you’ll likely find Jenny keeping bees, raising chickens, or wandering the woods of her homestead in Hickman County—sauntering, always, with wonder.

Logan has long explored the deep connections between land, ritual, and meaning. Originally from Indiana, he moved to Nashville to study Religion and the Arts at Belmont University. His academic journey led him to a Master of Letters in Analytic and Exegetical Theology from the University of St. Andrews in Scotland, where he focused on spiritualities of space and place, and a Master of Divinity from Duke University, with certificates in Food, Faith, and Environmental Justice, and Anglican Studies.

Before joining Larkspur, Logan cultivated both land and community—working as a farmhand, sustainable landscaper, and serving in ministerial roles across a variety of church settings. As a Natural Burial Guide, he brings a pastoral heart, theological depth, and reverence for the land to every family he walks alongside. He sees burial not as an ending, but as a sacred return.

Ashley Bright brings over a decade of end-of-life care experience to her role as Family Support Specialist at Larkspur. She holds a Bachelor of Social Work (BSW) and a Master of Professional Studies (MPS) in Aging Services Leadership from Lipscomb University. Her early work as a medical social worker in geriatric medicine and long-term care shaped her ability to navigate both common and complex end-of-life situations with empathy, dignity, and deep respect for life’s final chapter.

Ashley is also a trained and certified End-of-Life Doula and a conscious dying educator, equipping her to support the unique needs of the dying and their families while helping to create meaningful and peaceful experiences at Larkspur. Her deep care and wide-ranging expertise support not only the families she serves, but also the Larkspur team and community.

Meg Wade is an award-winning poet and creative educator born and raised in the hills of the Smoky Mountains. She holds an MFA in poetry from the University of Arizona, a Postdoctoral Fellowship from the University of Wisconsin, and a Masters of Divinity from Vanderbilt University with a concentration in Religion in the Arts and Contemporary Culture.

Meg entered into grief work because she believes the power of language, art, storytelling, and deep attention can transform how we approach death, grief, and healing.

She is a former National Poetry Series Finalist, received an Academy of American Poets Prize, and her first book, Slick Like Dark, won the Tupelo Press Snowbound Chapbook Award.

Meg designed and implemented the first interfaith grief chaplaincy program for natural burial cemeteries in the United States at Larkspur, where she serves the dead and those who love them.

Ross Rogers leads the stewardship of Larkspur’s forests, meadows, streams, and burial landscapes. His work is rooted in a simple belief: healthy ecosystems require thoughtful care, patient observation, and a mindful focus on the future.

A conservation biologist and land steward, Ross brings more than sixteen years of experience in wildlife management, habitat restoration, environmental consulting, and conservation planning. Prior to joining Larkspur, he served with the Tennessee Department of Environment & Conservation, where he worked on stream and wetland conservation throughout the state. His experience also includes ecological consulting, ranch management, and restoring working landscapes across the South.

Ross combines scientific expertise with a lifelong love of the outdoors. At Larkspur, he helps ensure that every burial contributes to a landscape that is healthier, more diverse, and more resilient than before. His work reflects Larkspur’s belief that caring for those who have died can also become an act of caring for the living world.

Lino Larke was born in Athens, Georgia, and raised in Nashville, Tennessee—but his heart has long belonged to the woods, creeks, and hollows of this land. As a child, he spent his days in the shadow of Dr. Ward, exploring Taylor Hollow and forming a deep bond with the landscape—long before it became Larkspur’s nature preserve. His connection to this place runs as deep as the roots in its forest soil.

Lino holds a Technical Certificate in Horticulture from Nashville State Community College and a Certificate in Stream Bank Restoration from North Carolina State. He has worked as a timber feller for a hardwood company in Westmoreland and as a live-in caregiver, supporting people through every stage of life in both Southern California and Nashville. He continues his education through ongoing training and certifications in wildlife habitat, cultural burning, and forest stewardship.

As Larkspur’s Conservation Steward, Lino brings a rare combination of quiet grit, deep compassion, and intuitive care. No task is too small, and no challenge too great, when it comes to nurturing the land and tending to the people who pass through it. He meets each day with reverence—for the earth beneath his boots, and for the lives entrusted to this place.

Troy Adcock has lived within a mile of Larkspur his entire life. A graduate of Westmoreland High School, a deacon in his church, and a devoted family man, Troy carries a quiet reverence for the land he’s called home since childhood. He and his wife, Kelly, often walk the trails of Larkspur together. On Sundays, he sings in a gospel trio with his brothers. His family’s roots run deep—five generations deep—and his grandfather purchased the farm adjacent to Larkspur in 1950.

As a boy, Troy spent his days catching crawdads in Bledsoe Creek, exploring the hills, and hunting in the woods of Sumner County. Today, as Larkspur’s Burial Steward, he brings that same deep familiarity and care to every ceremony—tending to the land and walking alongside families before, during, and after each burial.

Troy serves not only with capable hands, but with a heart full of compassion and faith. He is proud to help carry forward Larkspur’s mission: to offer a place of peace and belonging for the grieving, and a living sanctuary where his grandchildren—and generations to come—can hike, remember, and be held by the land he has loved all his life.