The Tire Industry Association (TIA) has announced the winners from its 2018 board of directors election. Each new member selected will serve on the board for a three-year term. Members will take office on Monday, Oct. 29 at TIA’s board of director’s meeting at Bally’s Hotel in Las Vegas.

The 2018-‘19 new board of directors include:

John Baldwin – Discount Tire Co., Scottsdale, Arizona 

Baldwin is the chief product and technical strategist for Discount Tire Co. He has a Bachelor of Science degree in chemistry from the University of Detroit and a PhD in Polymer Science from The University of Akron. Baldwin is internationally recognized for his research on tire aging, tire test development and tire service life prediction and was an integral part of the root cause team while working for Ford during the Firestone/Explorer recall. He also worked with NHTSA extensively on tire test development and tire aging. In his current role, Baldwin has traveled the world to work with tire manufacturers on improving tire construction and performance. He is an industry veteran who brings both deep technical and market knowledge to the position.

Russell Devens – McCarthy Tire Service, Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania

Russell is the director of safety and risk management for McCarthy Tire Service and is currently a TIA board member. He has more than 30 years of experience in safety, law enforcement, security, insurance and risk management. He is a Level 400 Commercial Tire Service TIA Instructor, a Part 48 Certified and Part 46 Instructor with Mine Safety & Health Administration (MSHA), 30-hour General Industry Certified with OSHA, a Certified Commercial Vehicle Inspector with US DOT, and holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in criminal justice from King’s College in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania. Devens conducts ongoing training, evaluations of workplace safety, emergency response, hazardous materials management and facility security for more than 50 locations in nine states. He is dedicated to protecting the people and corporate assets of McCarthy Tire Service, as well as mitigating the environmental impact of operations.

Stephen Lyons – Monro Inc., Rochester, New York

Lyons is the director of training for Monro Inc. Prior to Monro, he worked at Bridgestone for 14 years and served as a retail sales teammate, store manager, district manager and was the national division Education manager that supported more than 2,200 retail stores and 22,000 teammates. At Bridgestone, Lyons had the opportunity to work on the launch and deployments of new products, Olympic partnership and the Maplewood High School Project that took a high school automotive program and incorporated Bridgestone’s teammate training into the curriculum. Lyons also sat on Bridgestone’s ASE tech council and developed an industry-leading high school automotive curriculum. At Monro, Lyons’ department supports a tech hotline that is available for all of employees when they run into an issue with vehicles or are looking for direction on a specific process or application. In 2018, Monro will be launching Monro Online University a training platform focusing on teammate development and career path progression.

Don Vanderheyden – Hennessy Industries, La Vergne, Tennessee

Vanderheyden is the vice president of marketing for Hennessy Industries. In 2001, he joined Hennessy Industries and has held positions in purchasing, marketing and sales. In August 2010, he was promoted from director-program distribution to regional vice president – sales and led the marketing team in June 2015. Prior to joining Hennessy, Vanderheyden held roles of increasing responsibility at Stihl Inc. and also has served as an ETI board member. He holds a BBA-Business Administration from the College of William and Mary and a MBA from Vanderbilt University. He has deep roots in tire equipment and is focused on the needs and challenges of the independent tire dealer. Vanderheyden is an innovator and workhorse who embraces new technology and business practices in response to changes in the marketplace.

In addition, TIA filled one vacancy with Keith Jarman of AME International in Brooksville, Florida. Jarman will serve a one-year term.

Keith Jarman – AME International, Brooksville, Florida

Jarman is the president of AME International. He has served on the TIA board since 2009. Jarman started AME International in 2007 after working in the industry for 14-plus years and continues to promote improved ways of changing tires with a focus on large construction and mining/OTR tires. His company regularly participates and supports TIA training out in the field. Jarman is the recognized authority on tire bead breaking tools and equipment for changing construction and earthmover/OTR tires. He regularly works with OE tire, wheel and equipment manufacturers. He has spent his career in the tire industry and says he would like the opportunity to help the industry that has provided so much to him.

“We are honored to welcome the new members of our 2018-‘19 board of directors,” said Roy Littlefield, CEO of the Tire Industry Association. “They will officially join our governance board on Monday, Oct. 29 during our GTE Pre-Show events. We are confident that each new member will help us continue our mission of providing government representation, tire safety and education to all.”