The Automotive Aftermarket Charitable Foundation (AACF) has announced the addition of two new members, Jacki Lutz and Kathryn Reinhardt, to its board of trustees. The newly appointed trustees say they are eager to apply their wealth of industry knowledge, marketing experience and contacts combined with their intense desire to help those in need to their AACF board duties, in an effort to reach more beneficiaries and increase the AACF’s recognition across the vast automotive aftermarket landscape.
Lutz is global head of communications, training & ecommerce, auto at Sensata Technologies, and brings 14 years of marketing experience and nine years in the automotive aftermarket. “I have admired AACF from afar for many years,” said Lutz. “I have always respected their mission and the positive impact the AACF has on so many lives from all over the automotive aftermarket. Over the past few years, I supported their fundraisers and promoted their mission on LinkedIn. I am thrilled to be given the opportunity now to play a larger role in their mission and I am honored to have been selected to serve.” Lutz sits on several other association boards including Young Auto Care Network Group, Women in Auto Care and was the past president of the Automotive Communications Council.
Reinhardt is senior vice president marketing & events for Hemmings. She brings more than 20 years of experience in the automotive aftermarket and has a track record of delivering unique and effective content and her history of planning and executing marketing campaigns. “I am honored to be part of this elite group of volunteers who donate their time, resources and experience to making a difference in the lives of our automotive aftermarket community,” said Reinhardt. “I am grateful to be able to join the board and give back to an industry that has given me so much.” Reinhardt serves on the SEMA Board of Directors and was awarded SEMA’s Person of the Year and the Top 35 under 35 award, along with a number of other industry accolades.
“I am both excited and honored to have Jacki and Kathryn join the Automotive Aftermarket Charitable Foundation Board of Trustees,” said Larry Magee, Foundation president. “Jacki and Kathryn bring a wealth of knowledge, experience and passion to the AACF that better enables our ability to achieve our mission of helping those within our industry who have fallen on hard times and have nowhere else to turn among the diverse Automotive Aftermarket we serve.”
According to AACF, research shows that nonprofit boards that include a higher percentage of women tend to have board members who participate more in fundraising and advocacy. Members of these boards also tend to be more involved in the board’s work and mission. In addition, boards with higher percentages of young members (age 39 or younger) have greater commitment and involvement and engage more in oversight and governance. This is also true of boards with higher percentages of women members. This was according the study, The Impact of Diversity: Understanding How Nonprofit Board Diversity Affects Philanthropy, Leadership, and Board Engagement (https://scholarworks.iupui.edu/handle/1805/15239) conducted by the Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy at IUPUI in partnership with Johnson, Grossnickle and Associates and BoardSource.
“The AACF board realizes the importance of diversity of its members and relies on a variety of industry experiences to further the mission of helping families,” said Joel Ayres, AACF Executive Director. “Bringing on two female professionals will no doubt improve the reach of the foundations’ mission.”
For more information or how to get involved, contact Joel Ayres at [email protected].
