As protests calling for racial equality continue across the country following the murder of George Floyd, corporate America is tuning in and learning how to lend their support for inclusivity. In a recent blog post, National Automobile Dealers Association (NADA) President and CEO Peter Welch underscored this sentiment, sharing that if American businesses “lean in, and listen to each other sincerely, with grace and an open heart, we can understand each other better, stand up for each other better, and make our communities, country and world a better and more just place.”

NADA continues to take steps to demonstrate its commitment to reaching diverse constituencies in our country’s current, politically-charged environment. And a key leadership position created in 2019 will only complement these current and future initiatives.

In February 2020, NADA hired a veteran of external relations, Myra Dandridge, as Executive Director of External Relations and Public Policy – an entirely new position at NADA. In this new role, Dandridge will conduct strategic outreach to diverse constituencies on behalf of America’s franchised new-car dealers, a sector that contributes both economically and philanthropically to every state in the country. Dandridge – who previously served as communications director for the Congressional Black Caucus and was a vice president of government relations at the National Association of Broadcasters, will be leading efforts to create sustainable partnerships with professional associations, government agencies and third party groups and educate them on the impact of dealerships, not only to their local communities across the country, but also to the U.S. larger economy. She will also work with the association’s Legal and Regulatory, Legislative Affairs and Public Affairs departments to develop and implement NADA’s public policy goals.

Dealers are a vital component to nearly every community – large and small, rural and urban alike. Their employees and customers look like their communities because they reflect the communities where they operate and live. The intrinsic connection of dealers to each of the communities they serve, makes dealers truly understand the tribulations that their customers and employees are facing.

“Dealerships represent a broad spectrum of customers and employees, and local dealership reflect the thousands of individual communities where local dealers do business. It is important to the success of the entire auto industry that we successfully engage all of the various populations that dealers touch,” shared NADA President and CEO Peter Welch in a press release underscoring the importance of Dandridge’s hire for NADA.

As an organization with more than 100 years representing the interests of dealers, NADA is gearing up for the next century with Dandridge’s hiring, which could not come at a more important time in our country’s history.