LaMont Byrd, Director, Health and Safety, International Brotherhood of Teamsters. Mr. Byrd has been with the Teamsters since 1990 and has served as Director of its Health and Safety Department since 1994. He is also Principal Investigator of the IBT Worker Training Program. Mr. Byrd earned his BS in Environmental Health from East Carolina University and his MS in Industrial Hygiene from the University of Cincinnati.
Dr. James Edwards, Washington Representative, National Association of Small Trucking Companies. Dr. Edwards’ federal affairs consulting began in 2001. In transportation, he serves as Washington representative for the National Association of Small Trucking Companies, and has advised the Alliance for Safe, Efficient, Competitive Truck Transportation. He earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees at the University of Georgia and a doctorate at the University of Tennessee.
Martin Garsee, Immediate Past President, National Association of Publicly Funded Truck Driving Schools. Mr. Garsee is an experienced professional in the field of transportation and has 20+ years of experience at different levels with the Houston Community College, where he is currently the Director of Transportation Training. He holds a Master’s of Public Administration Degree from Midwestern State University, Wichita Falls, TX.
Scott Grenerth, Director, Regulatory Affairs, Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association. In his present capacity, Mr. Grenerth advocates for Association members and truckers in general by working with regulatory agencies like the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, the Environmental Protection Agency and others. Prior to his current role, Mr. Grenerth spent 13 years as a small business trucker based out of northwest Ohio. He holds an associate’s degree in recreation and wildlife interpretive services from Hocking College, Nelsonville, OH.
Clyde Hart, Jr., Vice President, Government Affairs, American Bus Association. Mr. Hart has more than twenty-five years of experience on legal, legislative, regulatory and political issues. He holds an MA in Public Policy from George Washington University, a JD from The Catholic University of America, and a BS in Political Science from St. Peter’s College, Jersey City, NJ.
David Heller, Director, Safety and Policy, Truckload Carriers Association. Mr. Heller is responsible for communicating and interpreting all industry-related regulations - safety, legislative and otherwise - to the membership of TCA. He authors a monthly column for FleetOwner, a national publication pertaining to the trucking arena, and is one of the few TCA executives certified by the North American Transportation Management Institute (NATMI) as a Certified Director of Safety (CDS).
Charles F. Hood, Executive Director, National Association of State Directors of Pupil Transportation Services. Following graduation from Florida State University, Mr. Hood worked as an automotive technician to gain career skills and became an ASE master automotive, truck, and bus technician. He started with the Florida Department of Education in 1981 as a school bus fleet specialist and was the state’s Director of Student Transportation for 23 years prior to retiring in 2014.
Peter Kurdock, Director of Regulatory Affairs, Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety. Prior to his current position, Mr. Kurdock served in the legislative departments of several non-profit organizations in Washington, DC, and served as a Legislative Aide to U.S. Senator Frank R. Lautenberg and Congressman Bill Pascrell, Jr., where he handled transportation issues. He is a graduate of New York University and Seton Hall University School of Law.
John Lannen, Executive Director, Truck Safety Coalition. Mr. Lannen has worked closely with truck crash survivors, their families, and other safety groups directing both non-profit partners of the Coalition, CRASH and Parents Against Tired Truckers. He earned his BA in Economics from the College of William and Mary and his MBA from the University of Virginia.
Kevin R. Lewis, Director, Driver Programs, American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators. Mr. Lewis has over forty years of Information Systems, Computer Hardware/Software Integration, and Driver Licensing experience, having worked for a wide variety of employers, including NASA. He served in the U.S. Navy in the military intelligence arena, and graduated from the University of Maryland with a degree in Business Administration.
Larry Minor, Associate Administrator for Policy, FMCSA. Mr. Minor began his Federal career in 1989 as a Mechanical Engineer responsible for developing truck and bus safety regulations for the Federal Highway Administration’s Office of Motor Carriers. He served as Chief of the Vehicle and Roadside Operations Division from 1999 through February 2005, and Director of the Office of Bus and Truck Standards and Operations from 2005 to July 2007. He holds a BS in Physics from American University and an MS in Mechanical Engineering from George Washington University.
David M. Money, Chairman, Board of Directors, Professional Truck Drivers Institute. David Money retired as Technical Consultant for Risk Control Consulting Services at Liberty Mutual Insurance Co. after 36 years of service in 2014. He was responsible for high level technical consulting services for telephonic customer-related products and services. He continues to serve the efforts of the Professional Truck Driver Institute in Alexandria, Virginia. He earned a BS in Education from Southern Connecticut State University, and is both a Certified Driver Trainer and a Certified Director of Safety.
David Parker, Senior Legal Counsel, Great West Casualty Company. Before joining Great West, Mr. Parker was Executive Vice President-Administration, US Express Enterprises; Chairman, JTI, Inc. and Affiliated Companies; Partner, Rembolt, Ludtke, Parker, and Berger; Vice President and General Counsel, Crete Carrier Corporation; and Partner at Nelson and Harding Transportation Law Practice. Mr. Parker earned his BS from the University of Colorado and a JD from the University of Nebraska College of Law.
Ken Presley, Vice President, Industry Operations, and Chief Operating Officer, United Motorcoach Association. Prior to joining the United Motorcoach Association, Mr. Presley was an insurance executive and industry advocate for the bus and motorcoach industry for twenty-two of the twenty-eight years he was in the insurance industry. He also serves on the Board of Directors of the Alabama, Georgia, South Carolina, South Central Motorcoach Association (which includes Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Texas) and the Bus Association of New York.
Bob Ramsdell, Chief Operating Officer, West, Durham School Services, National School Transportation Association. With over 20 years of leadership in the transportation industry, Mr. Ramsdell has developed broad expertise in the areas of operations, safety, and human resources. He holds a bachelor’s degree in English from California State University, Fullerton and a MBA from DePaul University, and received the National School Transportation Association’s prestigious Golden Merit Award in 2002.
Margaret Rohanna, School Bus Program Manager, Massachusetts Registry of Motor Vehicle Division, Massachusetts Department of Transportation. Ms. Rohanna has over thirty years of experience in the school bus transportation industry, most recently managing the school bus inspection program and other related school bus functions at the Registry of Motor Vehicles. Prior to transferring to the RMV, she worked as a commercial bus inspector and was a CDL road examiner for seventeen years. In addition, she serves on a variety of state and national committees representing the school bus industry.
Lauren Samet, Assistant Director, Paraprofessional and School-Related Personnel, American Federation of Teachers, AFL-CIO. Ms. Samet has been with the AFT in different capacities for the past thirteen years. Prior to working with the AFT, Lauren worked in the private sector as a human resource and public relations manager for a secret shopping company. She graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and earned her Masters in Public Administration with a concentration in labor from the University of Baltimore.
Brian Sherlock, Safety Specialist, ATU International. Mr. Sherlock began his transit career in 1979 as an operator for King County Transit in Seattle Washington. His two decades of experience as the ATU Local 587 Safety Chairman involved the full range of safety issues from ergonomics and vehicle design, to workload and policy, focusing on research and engineering providing problem analysis and solutions for labor, management, industry and government. For several years, that role has expanded to include numerous projects for the ATU International and engagement with TRB, TCRP and the US Department of Transportation.
Alan Smith, Director of Safety and Security, Greyhound Lines, Inc. Educated at Meramec College and SMU Cox Business School, Mr. Smith has been a manager at Greyhound since 1989. With extensive experience in passenger carrier safety, he has presented at the Transportation Research Board (TRB) and National Safety Council Transportation Committee, and other motor carrier safety agencies.
Carl Spatocco, Regional Vice President, Educational Affiliates, Commercial Vehicle Training Association. Mr. Spatocco has 27 years of post-secondary education experience, 26 years of which has been focused on commercial driving programs. Prior to serving as Regional Vice President, Spatocco held a number of positions within Education Affiliates and its predecessor, the Marco Group, ranging from Director of Admissions, Director of Career Services, and Regional Manager of Contract Training. He is a graduate of Temple University.
Bryan Spoon, Owner-Operator, Spoon Trucking. Owner-operator of Grandy, N.C.-based Spoon Trucking, Mr. Spoon recently delivered his 1,000th load without any accidents in his seven-plus years as a small-business owner. He is a veteran of the U.S. Navy with 14 years’ experience as a commercial driver, and has developed a driver training curriculum and apprenticeship program.
Louis D. Spoonhour, Senior Advisor for CDL Programs, Stevens Transport. Mr. Spoonhour has over thirty-four years of experience in the truck driver training industry. Prior to working for Stevens in 2015, Mr. Spoonhour founded and served as the President of Driveco CDL Learning Center in Gary, Indiana. He holds a BA in Psychology from Quincy University and a Master’s Degree in Education.
Boyd A. Stephenson, Director of Hazardous Materials and Commercial Licensing Policy, American Trucking Associations. Mr. Stephenson joined ATA in July 2007. Before joining ATA, Boyd worked at United Parcel Service in their Office of Public Affairs. Boyd also has experience working on political campaigns in Florida and Arkansas. Boyd graduated from Davidson College in Davidson, NC in 2003 with a degree in Political Science. He lives in Washington, DC.
Robert John Tershak, Master Trooper, Virginia State Police, Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance. Trooper Tershak has twenty-nine years of experience serving the Commonwealth of Virginia as Virginia State Trooper, performing law enforcement and public safety duties in various positions. For thirteen years, he has been serving in the Safety Division, Motor Carrier Safety & Hazardous Materials Unit. He attended Northern Virginia Community College and George Mason University.
Ellen Voie, President and CEO, Women in Trucking. Ms. Voie has worked in a variety of capacities in the trucking industry since 1980. Prior to her work at the Women in Trucking Association she was the Manager of Retention and Recruiting Programs at Schneider, Inc. She earned a diploma in Traffic and Transportation Management, and a Master’s Degree in Communication from the University of Wisconsin, Stevens Point. In July 2012 Ellen was honored by the White House as a Transportation Innovators Champion of Change .
Ron Wood, Washington, DC, Volunteer Coordinator, Citizens for Reliable and Safe Highways. Mr. Wood graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1977. He served for five years as a nuclear-trained submarine officer aboard the Fleet Ballistic Missile submarine, the USS George Washington Carver (SSBN 656). After the Navy, Mr. Wood worked for over twenty-five years for various defense consulting firms (including Booz Allen Hamilton and Northrop Grumman) as a program manager/engineer on a variety of engineering and design projects. Mr. Wood has actively advocated for improved truck safety regulations and enforcement since 2005 and has attended numerous DOT and Congressional meetings on a variety of truck safety issues. He earned a MFA in Playwriting from Carnegie Mellon University.
Updated: Friday, May 8, 2015