ASE appoints 2026 officers, board members

The National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence (ASE) has selected its officers and board members for 2026.

“On behalf of the ASE team, I look forward to collaborating closely with the new officers and board members whose knowledge and experience will be invaluable to ASE,” said Dave Johnson, ASE president and CEO. “Together, we will continue to reinforce ASE’s leadership in the transportation industry and explore new ways to best serve technicians, service providers, and vehicle owners.”

The new leadership for the board of directors includes:

• Chair of the board of directors: John Wolf, president, Snap-on Business Solutions
• Vice chair:  Tom Palermo, general manager, Preferred Automotive Specialists
• Treasurer: John Hanighen, president and CEO at Cloyes Manufacturing
• Secretary: Gary Uyematsu, national technical training manager at BMW of North America
• Past chair: Jason Rainey, vice president, NAPA AutoCare/AAA

Additionally, the organization has appointed six new governors, including the following:

• Aaron Charbonneau of General Motors
• Chris Charton of Toyota
• Brent Franks of North Texas Automotive Dealers Association
• Mike McSorley of Goodyear
• Gerry Mead of TravelCenters of America
• Jake Sorenson, NcNeil’s Auto Repair

Finally, six former board members have completed their terms, including:

• Karen Allison of Breeden Dodge Chrysler Jeep
• Stacy Balzer of Ford
• Tej Gill of Pohanka Lexus
• Elisha Huddleston of General Motors
• Rebecca Mahan of Clarience Technologies
• Mike Mallet of Freightliner