Clozure Team
Dedication. Expertise. Empowerment.
The founding team at Clozure is composed of highly skilled out-of-the-box thinkers, each with deep roots in serving others and raising the bar in fields ranging from intrapersonal and mass media communications to technology transformation. We're interested in elevating the way that technology and personalized service complement each other in the death care space. Some call us disrupters, we prefer 'democratizers'
Chris Clawson
Co-Founder & CEO
Chris is a professional storyteller who loves helping people tell their stories. His background in investigations, sales, entertainment, event production (working with David Monn), and several innovative startups makes him uniquely qualified to lead Clozure.
When his brother Mike was killed in a car accident, the experience upended his family. He felt there had to be a better way for families to navigate 'the system' and get a bespoke experience. Who tells your stor
Chris is a William & Mary graduate and holds an MS in Innovation, Technology & Entrepreneurship from The University of San Diego. A native Washingtonian, he is a diehard Washington Capitals fan & lives in Austin with his dog, Huck.
When he dies, he wants to be planted as a Hawthorn Fairy tree in Ireland's Connemara Park. Also, bagpipes. 🍀
Victoria Burke
Co-Founder & CBDO
Victoria is a 4th generation funeral director, master embalmer, and restorative artist with more than
30 years of experience helping families worldwide. Her unique, loving, compassionate approach to caring for people during times of loss is the secret sauce here at Clozure. She's the auntie we always wished we had!
Her career spans decades at Service Corporation International / Dignity Memorial, Forest Lawn Hollywood & Glendale, and as a private funeral concierge to Hollywood A-listers and captains of industry. She also teaches CPR for the American Heart Association. She is a proud Rotarian (and past President) and volunteers with the Girl Scouts and PTA of LAUSD.
When Victoria passes, she will be buried next to her dad, legendary Rock & Roll Hall of Famer Solomon Burke in Los Angeles - her hometown! 💙💛
Ezekiel Lara
Co-Founder & CTO
Zeke is an innovative technology and engineering leader with extensive expertise across various programming languages and encryption modalities.
At Clozure, he designs and implements scalable serverless infrastructure and leads the development of CI/CD pipelines. He is the Founder of Fixi, and has held senior technical roles at Q2eBanking, Infinity Insurance, and as Engineering Manager at Zen Business where his strategic Fintech advancements helped them achieve unicorn status.
Melinda Gipson
CMO
Melinda is a brand whisperer and storyteller. Her career as an award-winning change agent helped transition the news industry to digital and mobile media, and the digital marketing industry to personalization, programmatics and AI.
A Wheaton College and Northwestern University MSJ alum, she also earned an MBA from the Kogod School of Business at American University where she taught their inaugural class on Internet Advertising. One of the founding team of Digiday.com, she's won Pollie Awards for mobile ads and spoken in 21 countries on media innovation.
She resides in Virginia's Northern Shenandoah Valley and enjoys exploring the Blue Ridge Mountains with her dog Wiley. Her mom is currently redecorating her heavenly home...which will be colorful. 😇
Rich Evans
CRO
Rich is an experienced executive with over 30 years of leadership in various industries and international markets. As a CEO, EVP, and Sales Executive, he has successfully built companies, teams, and partnerships that drive significant revenues. Rich excels at leveraging relationships, social media, and technology to reach potential customers and creatively solve challenges.
Prior to Clozure, Rich co-founded a SaaS-based analytics company that reached $3+ million in revenue within three years and secured a $100 million contract for Portal (Oracle). His track record of scaling companies and running expansion offices coupled with his mind for data make him an ambidextrous negotiator.
Rich lives in the Washington, DC area with his wife and loves all things technology and entrepreneurship.
When Rich passes, he wants a sendoff party with all who can attend. Live music, food, drinks, and a festive atmosphere!🍾
Alex Dayrit
Technical Lead
Alex is a full-stack developer with a psychology degree from UC Irvine who continuously deepens his technical knowledge. He's driven by a mission to help people through thoughtful and impactful software. His background gives him a human-oriented approach to technology, blending empathy with code.
At Clozure, Alex builds end-to-end features that make complex end-of-life planning feel approachable, reviews code with an eye for user impact, and ensures the product runs smoothly through thoughtful debugging.
Based in the San Francisco Bay Area, Alex shares his home with a loyal German Shepherd, a feisty Siamese cat, and stray kittens born in his backyard. He's a lifelong fan of competitive video games and movies, always chasing the next great challenge or story.
When he passes, he hopes to be cremated and remain close, kept in the homes of the people he loves most.
Huckleberry
Director of Mischief
Huck" is a 3-year-old Cavalier King Charles Spaniel and is named after Val Kilmer's performance in Tombstone.
He's mayor of the office and greets visitors with a friendly 'howldy'.
Huck is up for any kind of adventure but likes to nap on 'his' couch and keep us on our toes around here. He can be counted on to make sure your lunch is safe to eat, the UPS driver leaves the packages where they're supposed to go, and ensures Chris doesn't spend the entire day in front of his computer screen.
When he isn't 'on duty,' Huck.....squirrel!!!...
Huck lives in Austin with his Kahu, Chris.
He is often seen chasing his ball in Zilker Park and is an avid birder.
He would like to remind everyone that all dogs go to heaven. 🐾