Alexandria, Va. – The United Motorcoach Association is pleased to announce the following candidates for the Board of Directors. Ballots for voting will be mailed to primary operator members for each company in October and are to be returned with a postmark by November 15, 2018.
Region I (includes the states of AK, AZ, AR, CA, CO, HI, IA, ID, KS, LA, MI, MN, MO, MT, ND, NE, NM, NV, OK, OR, SD, TX, UT, WA, WI, WY)
The following candidates are running for one open seat in Region I.
Tom Giddens – Owner, Pacific Coachways Charter Services, Inc. – Garden Grove, CA
Tom Giddens has been a member of UMA since 1993. In addition to serving on the California Bus Association Board of Directors since 2002, he also served as their President for six years. He is a big advocate of operators belonging to both their state and national associations to ensure there is accurate input for both programs and legislative agenda development. Tom has attended every UMA/UBOA EXPO since becoming a member and participated in Legislative Fly-In Days and safety seminars during that time as well.
Jeff Rogers – Co-Owner, First Class Tours, Inc. – Houston, TX
First Class Tours has been a member of UMA since 1998 when Jeff’s father, Lanny Rogers, founded the company. Today, Jeff and his family members own and operate the company and support UMA by attending meetings and participating as speakers at various UMA events and EXPOs. Jeff currently serves as chairman and president of the Motorcoach Marketing Council and is involved in supporting a variety of local and regional motorcoach and travel associations. He proposes that as a UMA Board member he would utilize his industry knowledge and collaborative relationships to help UMA continue on its path of change and to shape the future vision for the industry and the association.
Bethany Schubert – Vice President/Co-Owner, Trobec’s Bus Service, Inc. – St. Stephen, MN
Trobec’s Bus Service has been a member of UMA since 2003 and Bethany has actively participated in UMA’s Motorcoach EXPO since 2010. She is proud to have grown up in this industry and is now a partner with her father. She actively serves the industry though volunteering on the UMA Education Committee, serving as Vice President of the Minnesota School Bus Operator’s Association and being active in her UMA Spader 20 Group. In 2018, Trobec’s was recognized as a UMA Vision Award recipient as a small fleet operator. She proposes to bring fresh perspectives to the UMA Board of Directors with a commitment to get young operators involved in the association as we set the course for the next generations of owners and leaders.
Region II (includes the states of AL, DC, FL, GA, IL, IN, KY, MS, NC, SC, TN, VA)
The following candidates are running for two open seats in Region II.
Matt Brown – Owner, Astro Travel & Tours – Tallahassee, FL
Matt Brown has been a member of UMA since 1997. Over the last eight years, he has held a seat on the Board of Directors of the Florida Motorcoach Association, including serving as Chairman of the Board from 2013-2017. Matt used this leadership opportunity to connect with owners and operators of bus and motorcoach businesses around his state and region to become familiar with issues they were dealing with on a daily basis. These experiences have helped him improve his business and he proposes to bring that experience to UMA to help the organization improve service to our members. He looks forward to the opportunity for being actively involved in regulatory affairs policy development and being a voice for the southeast operators.
Matt Dance – Director of Safety and Risk Management, Champion Coach – Greenville, SC
Champion Coach has been a member and supporter of UMA for nearly 19 years. Matt has been involved in the family business that entire time and as he becomes a next generation owner, he brings expertise in technologies that improve efficiency in the industry (i.e. ELD, eDVIR, sales and fleet management). Matt proposes to be involved in legislative and regulatory issues to protect and improve the industry. His goal is to bridge the gap between legacy and next generation owners and operators to grow and establish our industry for future generations. In addition to serving on various committees for the South Carolina Motorcoach Association, he has been involved in attendings/supporting UMA through attending and participating in Legislative Fly-In Days, Safety Seminar and EXPO.
David Moody – Co-Owner/General Manager/Primary Operator – Holiday Companies, Inc. Randleman, NC
Holiday Tours first joined and became involved in the early years of forming UBOA and remained involved through its transition to UMA. As a third-generation owner, David continues to support the association and is completing his second term of office as a UMA Director and is currently serving as the UMA Treasurer. He has served in a variety of volunteer roles for the association in leading the Technology and Finance Committees as well as participating in Legislative Fly-In and EXPO events. He is a member of IMG and also a member of the North Carolina Motorcoach Association. David would like to remain on the UMA Board to use his technology insights as well as his analytical skills to help position the association as the premier organization serving the bus and motorcoach industry.
Alan Robinson – Owner, R&W Motorcoach, Inc. – Atlanta, GA
I joined UMA in 2010 and have actively participated in the UMA Legislative Fly-in and served on the UMA Meetings Advisory Committee. I have seen first-hand how the system often works against the industry and the importance of a strong national association, representing the broader interests of a diverse industry. I currently serve on the Georgia Motorcoach Operators Association Board of Directors and Chair the GMOA Legislative Committee. My obvious dedication to the industry includes giving a strong voice to small fleet operators and continuing the rich UMA history while keeping an eye on expanded opportunities for bus and motorcoach operators; bringing perspective, fresh ideas, and leadership.
Region III (includes the states of CT, DE, MA, MD, ME, NH, NJ, NY, OH, PA, RI, VT, WV)
The following candidates are running for one open seat.
Brent Kelly – President, Innovative Coach – Harrisburg, PA
Brent Kelly has been a member of UMA for the last five years. He is a big proponent of ensuring there is strong member involvement in leading an association and feels that involvement needs to represent all levels of the organization. He has been active in a variety of committees within the American Bus Association the last few years and looks forward to being involved in UMA leadership as well. As a younger member and leading a company that has been in business for just over 8 years, he proposes to bring fresh and innovative perspectives to leading UMA.
Marcia Fields Milton – Owner/Operator, First Priority Trailways – District Heights, MD
Marcia Milton first joined UMA in 2000. She has served as a member of the Board of Directors for the last six years and is excited to continue to serve the industry in this role. In addition to UMA, she is active in the Maryland Motorcoach Association, Trailways, National Association of Motorcoach Operators, and the American Bus Association. She wishes to continue to represent the views of the small and diverse motorcoach operators in the industry at the UMA Board table. Marcia looks forward to helping the UMA Board of Directors move its aggressive agenda forward to ensure it remains the voice of the motorcoach industry.
