Our Staff

The staff at Adams-Green Funeral Home knows that families and friends come to them at a time of great sorrow and are in need of compassion and understanding. The Adams-Green staff takes pride to ensure that all services represent the life of the loved one now gone. It is the staff’s experience and dedication to serving community members that allows them to have the caring which is needed during this time.

Thomas J. Davison
Funeral Director  tom@adamsgreen.com

Tom returned to the Northern Virginia area after spending several years in Myrtle Beach, SC. Tom had lived in the Northern Virginia area since 1972. He graduated from West Springfield High School. After testing several career paths, Tom graduated from John Tyler Community College with a degree in Funeral Service. Tom has been a Virginia licensed funeral director since 1994. Tom is a past President of the Northern Virginia Funeral Directors Association and served on the Board of the Virginia Funeral Directors Association. Tom currently lives in Fredericksburg with his wife, Maryellen, and has one son Joey. Tom loves the outdoors, camping, fishing, golf and NASCAR.

Chad M. Sjaarda
Funeral Director  chad@adamsgreen.com

Chad grew up in the suburbs of Minneapolis, MN and attended the University of Minnesota where he received a Bachelor of Science degree with a major in Mortuary Science. After graduating in 2006, he served his apprenticeship and was licensed in Anchorage, AK before returning to the lower 48 where he worked as a funeral director in both Colorado and Pennsylvania before joining the team at Adams-Green Funeral Home in 2012. Chad currently holds licenses in Virginia and Pennsylvania. He and his wife Lindsey, a Virginia Tech alum, along with their children Oliver and Greta and their dog, Bonnie, live in Potomac Falls and are members of Good Shepherd Lutheran Church in Herndon.

Scott Howrey

Scott is originally from the state of Arkansas having grown up in the city of Rogers. He graduated from the University of Arkansas in 1986 earning a Bachelors of Science Degree in Music Education and spent the next 10 years working in education.

Scott changed careers entering Mortuary Science in 1997 and earned an A.A.S. degree from San Antonio (TX) College. Having worked previously as a director in the states of Texas and Florida, Scott now enjoys working at Adams-Green while serving the families of Herndon and the Northern Virginia area.

Scott is married to his wife, Anna, who works as a linguist/translator and they currently reside in the Centreville area. His hobbies include music, traveling, gardening, the gym, sports and being an avid Razorback and Packers fan.

Dana Kennedy

Funeral Director dana@adamsgreen.com

Dana was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, where she attended high school, then went to Mary Washington College in Fredericksburg, Virginia, then back to enroll in Pittsburgh Institute of Mortuary Science, graduated in 1991.  She has worked as a licensed funeral director and embalmer in Northern Virginia area since 1992, making many contacts and friends along the way.  That is how she came to work at Adams-Green, reuniting with former colleagues.  Dana is happy to have found her “calling” as a funeral director and feels lucky to have found her husband, Ed, also a native of Pennsylvania, while working in this field.  Together, they have raised 3 wonderful children, Evan, Grace and Shane.  She loves to cheer on her Pittsburgh Penguins, read on her Kindle, travel to the beaches in North Carolina and shop for bargains on eBay. 

John Watts
Funeral Director  John@adamsgreen.com

​John P. Watts first became interested in funeral service during his middle school years growing up in a small town in Upstate New York. In high school and college, he worked on and off at funeral homes in his hometown running errands, washing cars, and assisting on services. After graduating from SUNY Albany and relocating to the Washington, DC area he committed to entering funeral service professionally, earning a degree from the Pittsburgh Institute of Mortuary Science while completing apprenticeships in Virginia, Washington, DC, and Maryland consecutively. In his free time, he enjoys reading, meditation, and just being outside in the beautiful Northern Virginia countryside. He is very happy to be a part of the Adams-Green Funeral Home staff where he feels that he has finally found the right funeral home for him, and wants every family we serve to have the same positive experience he has everyday at Adams-Green.

Kathryn Parr Adams
Owner/Finance Manager

Originally from Elgin, Illinois, Kathryn attended the University of Illinois and Washington University in St. Louis before moving to Northern Virginia in the early 1990s. Chris and Kathryn met and married, and Kathryn continued working as an Attorney for the Department of Labor and later the Internal Revenue Service. After leaving the government, Kathryn worked as a Senior Manager in Employee Benefits for Deloitte & Touche, LLP and KPMG, LLP. Making a career shift, Kathryn assumed the responsibility of managing the financial operations at the funeral home including accounts receivable, accounts payable and payroll while raising Jack, Susanna, and Daley. She is also a member of McLean Bible Church.

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Abu B. Rafique
Funeral Apprentice  abu@adamsgreen.com

Abu B. Rafique was raised in the Northern Virginia area and initially pursued a career as an author after graduating from high school. After finding success in writing and teaching, he came into his first funeral home job during the start of the pandemic in 2020. He enrolled in mortuary school and began pursuing his license a year later after deciding that along with being a writer, he also wanted a career as a funeral director. In his free time, Abu enjoys reading, watching movies, going on walks, having dinner with his friends, and practicing judo and wrestling. He is happy to have found a spot at Adams-Green to serve his apprenticeship as well as the families of Herndon and the greater Northern Virginia Area.

Ellen Smith
Office Manager (Retired)
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A native of Herndon, Ellen was born and raised one block down from the funeral home. Ellen attended school, married and raised a family in Herndon before moving in 1984 to the Shenandoah Valley where she currently resides with her husband, Ronnie.
Ellen worked in the Department of Public Works for the Fairfax County Government where she rose to the position of Engineer. After 30 years of employment, Ellen retired and accepted the position of Office Manager with the funeral home. As such, Ellen prepares and manages all the documents needed for funeral and cremation services including death certificates, permits and all service related materials. Ellen is very often the first point of contact for families. Ellen has two daughters, Tammy and Tracey, and three grandchildren, Ronnie, Justin and Mikey.