The Car Care Council Women’s Board (WB) has named Vonda Lee, director of retail and special markets for Beck/Arnley Worldparts Corp. the 2015 recipient of the Auto Care Woman of Excellence award.
She will receive the award at the WB press conference and reception at 4 p.m. on Nov. 3, 2015, during the Automotive Aftermarket Products Expo (AAPEX) in Las Vegas, Nev. at the Sands Expo, room 310.
The Auto Care Woman of Excellence award is bestowed annually to honor a remarkable WB member in recognition of her recent outstanding contributions to the auto care industry, while demonstrating role model behaviors, leadership and commitment to the advancement of women.
"Vonda is a great role model for women in the auto care industry," says Amy Mattinat, president of the Car Care Council Women’s Board. "With her leadership, the education and development committee has increased our scholarships by 50% in three short years. We are very appreciative of her dedication to the Women's Board and the advancement of women within the auto care industry, and are thrilled to be able to honor her with this award."
Vince McMahon, vice president of operations at Beck/Arnley says, “Vonda approaches her job with such passion. She is upbeat, positive, and works extremely hard. Her ability to cover so many areas in her aftermarket career shows her versatility. She is a shining example of a woman of excellence.”
“The Women’s Board scholarship program shows its commitment to the development of professional women and the auto care industry," says Kathleen Schmatz, president and CEO of the Auto Care Association. "Seeing Vonda grow this program exponentially shows her dedication and value to the mission of the Women’s Board."
Lee has been active in the auto care industry for 25 years and has held numerous leadership positions with increasing responsibility in product management, sales and operations at Pacer Industries, Dana Corp., Halcyon Management Group and Beck/Arnley.
She entered the auto care industry as a CAD operator and designer. She currently is the director of sales, retail and special markets for Beck/Arnley, responsible for sales, financials, business channel development and relations and has spearheaded new business relationships, domestic and international, while strengthening current business channels. Lee’s background includes executive leadership, product management and 13 years of experience in a broad range of engineering disciplines. She's also managed teams in sales, purchasing, quality assurance, customer service, plant operations, returned goods, chemical and product and support services.
She has been a part of the WB for 11 years and has helped raise more than $114,000 for the scholarship program. During her current tenure as chair of the WB education and development committee, the annual scholarship amount has doubled. Over the last 10 years of her involvement in the committee, Lee has stayed in touch with scholarship winners and welcomed them to the auto care industry. She is a mentor in the WB mentoring program and is planning to roll out a student mentoring program.
In addition to her involvement in WB, Lee served on the advisory board of AWARE, a non-profit organization dedicated to advancing women in automotive retail enterprises, from 2005-2006.
The Car Care Council Women’s Board is comprised of auto care professionals dedicated to providing opportunities, education and career leadership to women in the auto care industry. For more information about the Car Care Council Women’s Board, visit www.wbcarcare.com or email [email protected].
