The Car Care Council Women’s Board (WB) recently announced that Vonda Lee, director of retail and special markets, Beck/Arnley, is the 2015 recipient of the Auto Care Woman of Excellence award. Lee will be presented with the award at the WB press conference and reception at 4 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 3 at the Sands Expo, room No. 310 during AAPEX in Las Vegas.
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,” said Amy Mattinat, president, Car Care Council Women’s Board. “With her leadership, the education and development committee has increased our scholarships by 50 percent 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.”
“Vonda approaches her job with such passion. She is upbeat, positive, and works extremely hard,” said Vince McMahon, vice president of operations, Beck/Arnley. “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. Seeing Vonda grow this program exponentially shows her dedication and value to the mission of the Women’s Board,” said Kathleen Schmatz, president and CEO, Auto Care Association.
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 Worldparts Corp. Holding a bachelors of science in engineering technology from the University of West Florida and an masters of business administration from Trevecca Nazarene University, Lee entered the auto care industry as a CAD operator and designer. Today, she 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 extensive background includes executive leadership, product management and 13 years of progressive experience in a broad range of engineering disciplines, including product and tool design. She has also been successful in managing teams in the areas of sales, purchasing, quality assurance, customer service, plant operations, returned goods, chemical and product and support services.
Lee is dedicated to supporting women in the auto industry. She has been an integral part of the WB for 11 years and has helped to 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 past 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, inspired by its success, 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-‘06.