HOFFMAN ESTATES, Ill. – The International Board of Directors of the Inter-Industry Conference on Auto Collision Repair (I-CAR) has appointed John Van Alstyne to the position of CEO and president of the organization.

Tom Moreland, chairman of I-CAR’s International Board of Directors, made the announcement.

“The I-CAR Board of Directors, through the work of the board’s CEO Search Committee, has gone through an extensive search and candidate selection process. We had access to a solid pool of highly qualified candidates from which to make our selection,” said Moreland. “From among this rich candidate pool, John Van Alstyne emerged as the leading candidate. John’s extensive experience and his history of success in the automotive industry will be considerable assets as I-CAR continues its work to address the training needs of the auto collision inter-industry.”

Van Alstyne brings 25 years of automotive industry experience and a breadth of knowledge, having previously worked for an electric vehicle OEM, global Tier One supplier, a leading provider of engineering and strategic consulting services to the industry and in the automotive aftermarket. He also worked in the area of special metals, dealing with issues of metal joining and welding.

He earned an MBA from Michigan State University, participating in its Advanced Management Program, and has a bachelor of business administration degree in marketing from Western Michigan University. He is Lean Systems-certified and has been Six Sigma Black Belt Champion trained.

“Joining I-CAR is very exciting,” said Van Alstyne. “I firmly believe that education is the critical foundation for individual success and fulfillment, and this is I-CAR’s core mission. Further, I see I-CAR as uniquely positioned and equipped to serve the interests of our stakeholders, as well as the end-consumer, working to improve automotive repair processes, technologies and business practices. I look forward to working with the inter-industry and the I-CAR team to continue to advance our industry’s capabilities and the value I-CAR provides to all our stakeholders.”

Van Alstyne continued, “I believe that my experience, strengths and background will allow me to connect with I-CAR’s stakeholders. I know only one way to figure out how well a business is doing, and what a business needs to do better: ask the customer and listen. I’ve already learned that I-CAR is relevant, and that there is opportunity to create even more value for I-CAR’s customers, or stakeholders.”

I-CAR’s current President and CEO John Edelen offered his congratulations and thoughts on his successor.

“I believe that John Van Alstyne is a great choice – great for I-CAR and for the industry it serves. John’s experience and talents will bring much to the organization and to the collision repair inter-industry. I’m looking forward to working with John to ensure a successful transition of the organization to his leadership,” Edelen said.

Van Alstyne will assume the responsibilities of CEO and president on Jan. 1, 2011.