A former senior vice president of legislative affairs is returning to take over as president of one of the American trucking industry’s largest trade organizations.
Chris Spear, currently vice president of government affairs at Hyundai Motor Company, becomes the next president of the American Trucking Associations effective July 9. He succeeds Bill Graves, who is retiring after more than 13 years with ATA.
Chris Spear new president of American Trucking AssociationsSpear previously was vice president of global government relations at Honeywell International, and he held executive branch positions including assistant secretary in the Department of Labor. Spear also served as professional staff for Sens. Tim Hutchinson (R-Ark.), Mike Enzi (R-Wyo.) and Alan Simpson (R-Wyo.). He holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the University of Wyoming.
“Chris’ enthusiasm for the trucking industry and the mission of ATA – to effectively advocate and communicate efforts that improve safety and profitability for our members – is second to none,” said ATA Chairman Pat Thomas, senior vice president of state government affairs at UPS. “We had many excellent candidates for the position, but Spear is the right fit for the organization. We are extremely pleased that he will be joining us.”
Graves will serve as an advisor to ATA for the remainder of this year.
