Who We Are
WIA Governing Board
WIA Executive Board
Susan Givens
PUBLISHER
AutoSuccess/Babcox
Scotty Reiss
A Girl’s Guide To Cars
Eliana Raggio
Chief Marketing Officer
Dealer eProcess
Bobbie Herron
The Bees Knees Automotive Agency
Audrey McKinley
Auto Network Consulting, Inc.
Joe Webb
PRESIDENT & FOUNDER
DealerKnows Consulting
Andy Church
Dealer Solutions Mergers and Acquisitions
Susan Burke
700Credit
Beth Mach
Michelle McLain
RetentionMasters
WIA Executive Steering Board
David Spisak
President/CEO
Disruptive Growth Solutions
Alex Vetter
CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER
Cars.com
Marisabel Cole
Adam Arens
PRESIDENT, DEALER, CEO
Patriot Auto Group
Danny Zaslavsky
MANAGING PARTNER
Counry Hill Motors/VinCue
Charlie Vogelheim
Mike Benavides
PRESIDENT
VIN10/DataOne Software
Our Mission
Recruiting, retaining, mentoring, and developing women in the automotive Industry, from entry level to executive.
Women In Automotive was originally founded in 2014 and changed ownership in 2022. Under the new ownership, the organization is Board member led and operated. The driving force behind this chosen group of industry executives is a unanimous interest and belief in empowering, mentoring, and developing women in the auto industry. The philosophy is that these initiatives will benefit women, men, and the industry as a whole.
Who we are:
To empower and champion women within the automotive industry through the WIA
Community, mentorship program, conferences, educational resources, and WIA Social &
regional events.
Women In Automotive dedicates all efforts into helping organizations hire, develop, retain, and
promote women in every role, from entry level to executive. We partner with those that are like
minded.
As more women take on leadership roles in an industry that has historically been majority male,
it is paramount that this growing and powerful force has a support network that bolsters this
trend. This is not a mission we choose to accept. It is one we must.
Why A Women's Conference?
The industry focuses quite a bit on certain niche segments. There are conferences for any major theme in automotive such as digital, leadership, finance, marketing, sales, etc. These events serve as great platforms for discussion, debate, networking, and most importantly innovation. People who attend these events are pushed and challenged and filled with information on the changes and progress in those fields. They find themselves growing every year. So, the real question is… why not a women’s conference?
Women are an under-served population in this industry when it comes to those needs and having those platforms. There is significant growth in the number of women working in automotive and attending conferences and seminars. With women only making up 2.8% of all dealerships and only holding 7% of the managerial, sales, and service advisor positions, the Women In Automotive Group feels passionate about providing a place for women to come together to share and learn.
We want to provide an experience that discusses challenges, changes, opportunities for education, personal branding, and career paths. A first-of-its-kind conference serving women that make up all aspects of the industry, Women In Automotive is a stepping stone to the greater growth of women in this space, especially in leadership roles.
Scholarships:
Why Should Dealers Send Their Employees?
What Makes WIA Unique As A Conference?
Outside the obvious reason, this conference was designed carefully by passionate women discussing the most important topics for this specific population. Speakers did not apply and speaking roles were not purchased. The agenda consists of important topics for women, how to overcome challenges, and invited guests to speak on chosen topics. This conference is 100% designed to help further the discussions between women, address challenges, continue to educate, and move our industry forward.