Fourth LEAD ATA Class Announced

There are 17 members of the 2017 LEAD ATA Class being introduced at #MCEVegas today. pic.twitter.com/lc8L8EhfMC — Ari Ashe™ (@ariashe) October 2, 2016

LAS VEGAS — The fourth class of American Trucking Associations’ executive leadership program was announced Oct. 2 during the association’s annual Management Conference & Exhibition. Fifteen individuals make up the 2017 LEAD ATA Class. They are:  

• Aaron Brown, NFI Industries
• Wesley Davis, Big M Transportation Inc.
• Jeffrey First, FedEx Freight
• Nelson Gonzalez, California Multimodal
• Jonathan Gravell, Pressure Systems International
• Todd Hahn, Brown Integrated Logistics Inc.
• Daniel Horvath, TransForce Inc.
• Jason Hunter, UPS Inc.
• Colton Lawrence, Equinox Business Solutions
• John Michell, Daseke Inc.
• Jake Rinehart, Celadon Group Inc.
• Andrew Schilling, Fraley and Schilling Inc.
• Andrew Walker, TransLand
• Collins White, Alabama Motor Express Inc.
• James Daniel Wright, Wright Transportation Inc.

“An important theme of this year’s MCE is ‘leadership,’ which is why it is gratifying to see this energetic and engaged group stepping up as our association’s and our industry’s future leaders,” ATA President Chris Spear said.

The LEAD ATA program, sponsored by PeopleNet, teaches participants how the regulatory and legislative process affects the trucking industry and how the association influences those processes.

“When we first came up with the idea for LEAD ATA, we were hoping to bring in some of the best and brightest in trucking and provide them with the tools to direct our industry and ATA into the future,” said Kevin Burch, incoming ATA chairman and president of Jet Express in Dayton, Ohio. “So far, the graduates of this program have exceeded our expectations, and we are looking forward to what this new group of leaders can do.”

LEAD ATA also informs the rising trucking industry leaders about the tools available to industry executives through the association.

“Leadership is very difficult to come by, but even more challenging to maintain and pass down from generation to generation. From the moment that we heard about LEAD ATA, we felt an instant affinity to the mission and ideals of this innovative program,” PeopleNet General Manager Mark Kessler said.

“Witnessing the thought leadership that the past graduating classes are doing by engaging in committees and taking on our industry’s toughest challenges, makes us even more proud of the legacy that LEAD ATA will leave behind,” he added.

Graduating members of the third LEAD ATA class were also saluted at the luncheon ceremony. They are:

• Elise Chianelli, PeopleNet
• JJ Clemmons, Summerford Truck Line Inc.
• Jordan Culver, Q Carriers
• Jonathan Doss, Celadon Trucking
• Melanie Feeley, K-Limited Carrier Ltd.
• Shawn Goad, Ruan Transportation
• Mack “Dutch” Guest, LAD Truck Lines, Inc.
• Megan Melichar, FedEx Ground Package Systems
• Dan Olivier, USF Holland Inc.
• Thomas Putnam, FedEx Freight Inc.
• Jeff Reed, Skyline Transportation Inc.