The American Trucking Associations (ATA) revealed the seventh class of its LEAD ATA industry leadership program during the recent ATA Management Conference and Exhibition in San Diego CA.
The association also celebrated the latest graduating class during a special lunch.
“Trucking is empowering the next generation of industry leaders through our LEAD ATA program and we’re excited to see how our newest class can shape the future of our industry,” said Chris Spear, ATA’s president and CEO. “Over the past few days, we’ve celebrated the outgoing graduates and introduced the new LEAD ATAers to our association and one another.”
LEAD ATA offers educational opportunities that incorporate real-world problem solving and industry insights. Participants are set up to become future leaders in the trucking industry by accessing industry experts and building networks with colleagues and alumni, ATA said. Sponsored by Trimble Transportation, the program provides information about the regulatory and legislative processes, as well as how ATA educates policymakers. LEAD ATAers also learn about ATA’s image and outreach programs, the American Transportation Research Institute, and develop leadership skills through teambuilding exercises and media training.
“Our company has benefitted significantly from having employees go through the LEAD ATA program and bring innovation and resources back to Pottle’s Transportation,” said Barry Pottle, ATA chairman and president of Pottle’s Transportation. “We also know that LEAD ATA members add value to each other’s experiences and the industry as a whole by completing projects on the latest industry trends, building relationships with elected officials and learning how to present a good view of our industry to the media.”
The new class of LEAD ATA will meet again for a regulatory overview in January 2020. They also will meet at ATA’s Mid-Year Management Session in May and visit Washington in June for a legislative update and meetings with members of Congress. Throughout the year, LEAD ATA participants work on problem-solving projects to tackle some of the industry’s trending issues. The class divides into groups for final presentations delivered to past ATA chairmen and executives. Participants also are required to complete one individual project each year, including speaking to a local school about trucking, taking a leadership role at their state truck driving championship, or hosting an ATA image truck for a community visit.
“Trimble Transportation sees the immense value in the LEAD ATA program and is excited to continue supporting the emerging leaders of our industry,” said Alicia Jarosh, Trimble’s vice president for customer experience. “We at Trimble Transportation love the opportunity to interact with these driven individuals and are looking forward to seeing this year’s class grow their understanding of the industry while building lifelong relationships with peers.”
The 2019-20 LEAD ATA class includes:
- Fausto Bizzarri, FedEx Ground
- Nick Card, Trimac Transportation
- Mezzalina Dejongh, Trimac Transportation
- Matt Erim, Amazon
- Andrew Erin, PGT Trucking
- Brian Falter, YRC Worldwide
- Nate Graglia, Wallport Transit Xpress
- James Jaggers, United Parcel Service
- Jake Newman, Newman Carriers
- Michael Shipman, Vertical Alliance Group
- Kailey Spangenberg, Conversion Interactive Agency
- Brett Wilburn, Total Transportation of Mississippi
The 2018-19 LEAD ATA class graduates are:
- Wayne Bailey, FedEx Freight
- Jeremy Byrd, SmartDrive Systems
- Brett (Sean) Connell, Bergstrom
- Erica Denney, Denney Transport
- Wesley Dunn, RangeWay Carriers
- Amber Edmondson, Trailiner Corp
- Anna Faford, C&K Holdings Acquisition
- Cristian Garcia, Alto Systems
- Soona Lee, EROAD
- Allison Meiners, Ruan Transportation
- Barkely Park Jr, UPS Freight
- Amanda Pearson, Pottle’s Transportation
- Andrew Petrofsky, J&M Tank Lines
- Terrance (Terry) Pump, CRST Expedited
- Whitney Massengill Stokes, Big M Transportation
- Ryan Walpole, Walpole
Additional information on LEAD ATA can be found at trucking.org/Lead_ATA.aspx.