LEESBURG, Va. — Bobby Bassett, North American national training manager at Gates Corp., has been elected chair of the 2020 board of directors for the National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence (ASE).
Mr. Bassett is a 22-year veteran of hose and belt maker Gates. Prior to this he was secretary and vice president of Leesburg-based ASE in 2017-18 and 2018-19, respectively.
Other officers elected to the board are:
- Mark Polke, manager of sales and consulting, Bosch Workshop Concepts, North America, Robert Bosch L.L.C., as vice chair;
- Brad Pellman, president, Pellman's Automotive in Boulder, Colo., as treasurer; and
- Glen Nicholson, senior director, learning and development, TBC Corp., as secretary.
Tom Trisdale, vice president, quality, Toyota Motor Corp., is past chair.
Tom Palermo of Preferred Automotive Specialists will begin a term on the board of directors, while Jason Rainey of the NAPA AutoCare Program will serve on the board of governors.
Those stepping down after their terms expire are Annette Sykora of Smith South Plains, Jamie Bullis of Bloomington Firestone, Mike Phillips of NAPA Auto Parts/Genuine Parts Co., and Rafael Garcia of Hill Country European Autoworks.
"The leadership of the ASE board is vital to ensuring that ASE keeps pace with our changing industry," ASE president and CEO Tim Zilke said. "We are grateful for the commitment of ASE's all-volunteer board and for the ongoing support from their companies that allow ASE to fulfill its mission."
The ASA, established in 1972, serves as an advocate for the service and repair industry through the assessment, certification and credentialing of current and future industry professionals.