The Auto Care Association has hired Gabrielle Hopkins, a Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) executive, to lead its government affairs department as vice president, federal affairs.
The new role will task Hopkins with identifying legislative initiatives for the association to pursue and recommending advocacy efforts on both Capitol Hill and with federal agencies. Hopkins will represent the association’s policies and positions at appropriate legislative and policy hearings and meetings and will monitor and inform staff and board members of legislative, regulatory and other issues of importance to the auto care industry by developing appropriate context and communication channels. Hopkins will research and coordinate relevant state activities for the association to participate in.
Hopkins most recently served as the deputy director for governmental affairs at the FMCSA, where she acted as a liaison with Congress and with senior officials in the Office of the Secretary of Transportation (OST), National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) on the development and implementation of the administration’s surface transportation policy agenda. Her role included the development of autonomous commercial motor vehicle guidance and oversight strategy. As deputy director, she led FMCSA’s implementation of the Fixing America’s Surface Transportation Act reauthorization legislation and developed strong working relationships between the agency and its key stakeholders.
Hopkins also brings with her four years of Department of Transportation (DOT) enforcement experience, where she served as an attorney investigator in the Office of Inspector General’s Special Investigations Unit, providing legal expertise and oversight for departmental investigations. During her time with DOT, Hopkins secured facts and developed evidence from all sources to establish the extent and details of violations being investigated.
She is a graduate of Clemson University and received both Juris Doctor and Master of Business Administration degrees from American University.
For more information about the Auto Care Association’s government affairs department and its initiatives, visit autocare.org/government-affairs or contact Aaron Lowe at [email protected].
