The mission of the Next Generation in Trucking Foundation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization is to prepare students for a career in trucking by funding scholarships, school programs, learning opportunities, and educational resources for students, schools, teachers, and administrators.
Darin Williams has been the Founder and President of CDLjobs.com since the company’s inception in 1999. Mr. Williams started the company after serving in several different Driver Recruiting, Sales, and Human Resources positions at Heartland Express.
Erin Young
Executive Board Member, Conversion Interactive Agency - Vice President of Client Services
Executive Board Member, Conversion Interactive Agency - Vice President of Client Services
For over 26 years, Erin Young has been a visionary pacesetter in recruitment and retention for the transportation and trucking industry. Her leadership at Conversion Interactive as Vice President of Client Service has helped the agency grow to be a top innovator of solutions and strategies for its clients. Her experience includes key roles in operations and customer service as well as executive planning. Over Ms. Young’s career, she has held leadership and membership positions in the Transportation Marketing and Sales Association, the Truckload Carriers Association, and the Professional Truck Driver Institute among others. Ms. Young earned her bachelor’s in business administration with a concentration in marketing from State University of New York at Oswego.
Tiffany Howard
Executive Board Member
,Louisiana Technical and Community College System’s Education and Training Team - Director of Transportation and Logistics Programs
Executive Board Member
,Louisiana Technical and Community College System’s Education and Training Team - Director of Transportation and Logistics Programs
Ms. Tiffany J. Howard, MPA, CWD, serves at the Louisiana Technical and Community College System's Education and Training team as the Director of Transportation and Logistics Programs. She is responsible for providing technical assistance, leadership, and support concerning high-quality training programs that meet the state's existing and prospective employers' needs. Her major projects under Commercial Vehicle Operations (CVO) are creating course commonality among the state's 12 Colleges CVO programs, starting new programs through a regional delivery model, diversifying funding options for the 12 Colleges, creating a state-recognized credential in collaboration with the Louisiana Motor Transport Association and designing the first dual enrollment Transportation pathway curriculum. Ms. Howard began her higher education career at Central Louisiana Technical Community College, where she was the youngest appointed Dean in the history of Central Louisiana Technical Community College (CLTCC) history.
During her time at CLTCC, Ms. Howard adopted a CDL program that was newly established with one faculty member, one truck, and two industry partners. Within two years, she grew the program to its current capacity of three faculty, four trucks, and more than 20 plus actively engaged industry partnerships. Additionally, Ms. Howard spearheaded the project that resulted in creating the only private-public, military Logistics Specialists program in the state of Louisiana at Fort Polk. Furthermore, her innovative vision led her to work with the Pollock State Penitentiary, where she designed and developed a partnership for commercial driving training of furlough inmates pending release. The Pollock State Penitentiary program design required CLTCC to seek accreditation from the Council on Education (COE), which Ms. Howard successfully obtained, making CLTCC's commercial driving program the only COE accredited program in Louisiana. Ms. Howard was also involved in the design of the Angola Prison's new CDL program.
Ms. Howard exceeded established goals regarding sustainability for Commerical Driving programs. She was granted the opportunity to assist in bill drafting, which led to HCR 92, which pass both the House of Representatives and Senate with no opposition. Her current legislative efforts include working with the Commissioner of Insurance, Representatives, and Senators to address insurance rates and driver training as a solution. Ms. Howard is also a current board member for the National Association of Publicly Funded Truck Driving Schools.
Ms. Howard grew up in a small town called Mansura, LA. She earned her Bachelor's degree from Northwestern State University (NSU) in Nutrition and Food Systems Management/Biology, her Master's degree is in Public Administration/Policy from Southern University. She is currently near completion of her NSU Doctoral program for Adult Learning and Workforce Development. A fun fact, she grew up assisting her father with his radiator repair business, whose primary clientele were 18 wheelers. Her favorite pastime as a child was jumping on the inner tubes of the big rigs!
Mike Thurston
Executive Board Member, The Larson Group - Regional Vice President
Executive Board Member,The Larson Group - Regional Vice President
Mike Thurston has a BA from the University of Notre Dame and an MBA from the University of St Thomas. He has been in the heavy equipment and truck business for 30 years including various roles with Ritchie Bros Auctioneers, Firstar Equipment Finance, TCF Equipment Finance, and PACCAR Financial. Mike has been with TLG Peterbilt for 14 years. He has spent time as VP of Used Trucks and VP of National Accounts. Currently, Mike serves as Regional VP over 9 of TLG’s 23 locations. This role has oversight in all departments including New Trucks, Used Trucks, Parts, Service and Body Shop. Mike has also served on the board for the Used Truck Association for 6 years.
Jenny Abernathy
Board Member,Vice President of Enterprise Capacity Development for CRST, The Transportation Solution Inc.
Board Member,Vice President of Enterprise Capacity Development for CRST, The Transportation Solution Inc.
Jenny Abernathy is the Vice President of Enterprise Capacity Development for CRST, The Transportation Solution, Inc. In this role, she oversees the recruitment, marketing and driving career placement strategies for CRST company drivers and independent contractors – supporting all operating divisions and their fleets; made up of over 7,000 professional driving partners. Jenny joined CRST in 2015 as a Director of Capacity Development, and in her time with CRST, she has overseen all facets of driver recruitment, driver career advisement, recruitment marketing and CDL student training programs. Prior to CRST, Jenny served in multiple operational leadership roles at Target Corporation. Jenny is a member of the American Trucking Association, a LEAD ATA graduate, and is active within her community of Cedar Rapids, IA; where she resides with her husband and two daughters.
Martin Garsee
Board Member ,Houston Community College - Director of Transportation Training & Executive Director of NAPFTDS
Board Member ,Houston Community College - Director of Transportation Training & Executive Director of NAPFTDS
Martin Garsee is an experienced professional in the field of transportation, has 20+ years of experience at different levels with the Houston Community College, and is now currently the Director of Transportation Training.
Martin has served as Executive Director for the National Association of Publicly Funded Truck Driving Schools (NAPFTDS) since 2015 and has been a board member of NAPFTDS since 2001. NAPFTDS is an organization for the promotion of public education for the transportation industry. Through membership, educators can network with other truck driving schools across the country to provide the highest quality, most cost-effective, and up-to-date training available.
Martin achieved a Master's Degree from Midwestern State University in Wichita Falls, Texas in 2009 and became an Awarded Certified Program Planner in 2019.
In 2015, Martin represented NAPFTDS on the Entry-Level Driver Training Advisory Committee. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration formed the committee to have input to write the regulation for Entry Level Driving Standards. This experience allows Martin to be an in-demand speaker on this subject.
Martin is currently a board member of Texas Trucking Association, Commercial Training Association, and Kidz Harbor. Past Chairman of the Board for Harvest Christian.
Tim Norlin
Board Member,Vice President of Driver Employment at Roehl Transport
Board Member,Vice President of Driver Employment at Roehl Transport
Tim is the Vice President of Driver Employment at Roehl Transport, Marshfield, WI. He is a graduate of the Ivy College of Business at Iowa State University with a BBA in Transportation and Logistics. Tim has over 33 years in the transportation industry and has held a variety of positions in Operations, Sales, Safety, Driver Training and Development and Driver Recruiting. Tim is a member of the Wisconsin Motor Carrier’s Association where he has served as a past board member and Chairman of the Legislative Committee. He currently serves on the board of directors of the Commercial Vehicle Training Alliance, is a board member of the North Central Wisconsin Workforce Development Board and serves on the client advisory boards of three industry consumer reporting agencies. In February of 2020, Tim was named the 2019 Recruiting Professional of the Year by Transport Topics magazine.
Chris Petersen
Board Member,Director of Sales - National Fleet Repair Solutions
Board Member,Director of Sales - National Fleet Repair Solutions
Chris Petersen has spent the last two decades serving large fleets by helping them deploy creative offerings which improve efficiency and profitability. In his current role as Director of Sales for National Fleet Repair Solutions he is helping some of the largest fleets in the US to reduce the amount of damage on their rolling stock while simultaneously improving their equipment uptime through NFR Solutions' unique, dedicated body damage repair program.
He also has helped launch the South Dallas Teen Driving Academy urban which assists youth from impoverished communities to get a Class C license clearing the obstacles which are keeping them from a career in the transportation industry.
Nick Wakefield is a talent strategist, culture leader, performance coach, and diversity champion driven to transform work through technology and experiences that empower individuals to reach their full potential. Nick has served the transportation field through Human Resources, Customer Service, and Driver Recruiting and Retention roles over the last 15+ years, and currently is the Chief People Officer with Ascend.
Nick achieved a master’s degree in Organizational Management in 2002. Nick lives in Sumner, Washington with his wife.
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