The National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence (ASE) congratulates the six accomplished automotive service professionals who make up the 2023 class of the ASE President’s Club.

• Mark Cossitt – Universal Technical Institute (Highlands Ranch, Colorado)
• Jonathan Couch – Klein Forest High School (Porter, Texas)
• Bryan Gold – First Transit (Downers Grove, Illinois)
• Shane Lally – First Student (Brookfield, Connecticut)
• Ryan Oblak – First Transit (Saltsburg, Pennsylvania)
• Thomas Palermo – Preferred Automotive Specialists (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania)  

“These exceptional individuals not only have successful careers as service professionals, but they have earned ASE certifications in 50 areas, the pinnacle of excellence,” said Dave Johnson, ASE president and CEO. “It is with great honor that we welcome them into the prestigious ASE President’s Club.” 

The ASE President’s Club selections are made each year with any changes in status determined at that time. The current requirements include passing 50 ASE certification tests. The military test series and all OEM-specific tests, including the Parts (P4) test are excluded from the ASE President’s Club requirements.

“The ASE President’s Club is a very small elite group of some of the brightest minds, and despite the small number of President’s Club members, we are a very impactful group in the industry, and I think it’s just that ASE has acknowledged us and given us a way to set us in a category of our own,” said Couch. “Being ASE certified has brought me a long way. I got certified in A1 and A8 when I was 19 years old and almost immediately doors were flung open, pouring with opportunities I would not have otherwise had. I have landed speaking engagements at training conferences because of the success I have had in both ASE Certifications and in my career. Being ASE certified speaks volumes about someone’s ambition, enthusiasm, motivation and self-worth to take the initiative in seeking, attempting and successfully getting certifications on their own.”

“I started getting certified due to incentives put forth by my company,” said Oblak. “After mastering automotive, medium/heavy truck and transit bus, I saw that I was a large portion of the way through the list and started to wonder if it were possible to get them all. It is a great honor to be part of a very short list of people who have pushed themselves to do more. It means I challenged myself and did not let myself down.”

“I am truly honored to be named to the ASE President’s Club,” said Palermo. “ASE is a pillar of our profession. They work hard to improve and advance our industry by listening to the needs of technicians. Being part of this elite group makes me extremely proud. I began my journey with ASE almost 30 years ago. Each certification gives me the ability to represent my capabilities and commitment to my customers. To think I went from my first ASE certification all those years ago to now serving on the ASE Board of Directors humbles me and, at the same time, excites me for the future.”  

“To me, acceptance into the ASE President’s Club is a true honor. It means that my knowledge and skills are credible and qualified by ASE which demonstrates to my students as an instructor, my peers as a fellow professional, and to the courts as a qualified witness that I am an expert in the field of automobile repair,” said Cossitt. “I firmly believe that ASE certifications are just as important as any other tool in a mechanic’s toolbox. A mechanic’s physical tools alone are insufficient and absent ASE certifications, cannot guarantee the knowledge and experience needed to use the tools properly.” 

“Being named to the ASE President’s Club holds great significance for me as it reflects the dedication and effort I’ve invested to reach this achievement,” said Gold. “ASE certifications are recognized as a standard of excellence in the industry, and I believe they have helped advance my career by staying current with evolving automotive technologies and best practices.”