Management

H. Wayne Huizenga, founder of AutoNation retired from the company to focus on his private entrepreneurial activities on May 12, 2004.

Mr. Huizenga and his vision provided the driving force behind the formation and rapid growth of his company. Moreover, it was his recognition that consumers expected and deserved better from automotive retailers that allowed us to set the standard of excellence for the industry. We will always value his guidance and insight.

We are dedicated to continuing his commitment to transform our industry, providing our customers and shareholders the performance they expect from the industry leader.

Mike Jackson has served as our Chief Executive Officer and Director since September 1999, as our Chairman of the Board since January 2003, and as our President since June 2017. Under his guidance, AutoNation secured its position as America’s largest automotive retailer, setting milestones that stand as testimony to his vision of the company as a standard-bearer for a more customer-focused, transparent and contemporary business model.

Previously, Mr. Jackson served as President and Chief Executive Officer of Mercedes-Benz USA that oversaw the German automaker’s U.S. sales operation and 311 franchised dealerships. In that role, he led a renaissance in the luxury vehicle brand’s sales and marketing efforts. He has also served as chairman of the Mercedes-Benz National Dealer Council. Fittingly, it was at a Mercedes-Benz dealership that Mr. Jackson began his automotive career, starting as a technician for the dealership.

Mike Jackson’s achievements have been widely recognized by his peers. In 2009, Automotive News named Mr. Jackson one of the “Fifty Visionary Dealers” of all time. In 2011, Mr. Jackson was named one of the top 50 Global Business Leaders by Fortune Magazine. In January 2012, The Detroit Free Press announced that Mike Jackson was awarded the 2011 National Retail Leadership Award by the Detroit Free Press in conjunction with the North American International Auto Show (NAIAS). Mr. Jackson has also been recognized as a ten-time member of the Automotive News “All-Star Team” of automotive executives. Mr. Jackson serves as trustee for Nova Southeastern University. Mike Jackson was named a 2014 recipient of the prestigious Horatio Alger Award, presented to Americans who overcome adversity to achieve success. In 2015, Mike Jackson was inducted into Saint Joseph’s University’s Haub School of Business Hall of Fame.

His business acumen has been recognized beyond the automotive industry, as well. In 2014, he began a three-year term as a Director for the Atlanta Federal Reserve Board of Directors, and in November of that year, his role was elevated to vice chair of its board of directors for the U.S. southeast region. Most recently, Mr. Jackson was appointed Chairman of the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta’s Board of Directors.

Mr. Jackson is noted as a vocal and compelling advocate for an enhanced energy policy, and in 2010 he was chosen to offer guidance to members of the federal leadership on the future of the U.S. automotive retail industry in a changing economy. He has earned a reputation for taking early and bold positions favoring technological advances in automotive engineering, championing the use of fuel-efficient vehicles, hybrids and electric cars. He has presented his views on energy policy, U.S. economic policy and domestic policy at the William J. Clinton School of Public Policy, the Association of Metropolitan Planning Organizations, the North American International Powertrain Conference and the NADA OESA conference. He is a special contributor to the CNBC, Fox, and Bloomberg business news networks.

Scott Arnold is Executive Vice President of Customer Care and Brand Extensions. In his role, Mr. Arnold serves as a member of the company’s Executive Committee and is responsible for the organization’s service, wholesale & retail parts, collision repair, as well as AutoNation’s Brand Extensions.

Mr. Arnold has 40 years of automotive retail experience and has held various positions within the automotive retail industry, including, General Manager, Market President, Region Vice President-Customer Care, and most recently, Senior Vice President-Customer Care. He previously served as a multi-store General Manager and as the on-site Dealer Principal for Lithia Motors Inc.

In 2015, Mr. Arnold joined the Corporate Team at AutoNation as Vice President of Customer Care. Under his leadership, AutoNation has developed and launched the automotive retail industry’s first private label parts and accessories product-lines, AutoNation Auto Gear and AutoNation Precision Parts.

Mr. Arnold’s philosophy is, “keep things simple,” simplify things for both the customer and the associate. By keeping things simple, the Customer Care teams are focused on one common element, delivering a peerless customer experience.

Mr. Arnold continues to change the paradigm of traditional automotive retail service to drive unmatched brand loyalty.

Dennis Berger is Executive Vice President and Chief Human Resource Officer at AutoNation, America’s largest automotive retailer. Mr. Berger is a member of the Executive Committee and is responsible for overseeing all human resources and benefits functions.

Mr. Berger has over 20 years of human resources leadership experience. His expertise includes, organizational effectiveness, executive compensation, as well as implementing diverse change efforts. Most recently, Mr. Berger served as Senior Vice President and Chief Coworker Services Officer at CDW, a leading multi-brand technology solutions corporation. While serving at CDW, his role included, all aspects of CDW’s human capital plan, overseeing talent acquisition, employment branding and training and leadership development. Mr. Berger also previously held leadership positions at Pepsi-Cola and GTE Corporation.

Mr. Berger is actively involved with a variety of professional and human resources organizations. He serves on the Board of Directors for the HR Policy Association (HRPA), which is the lead public policy organization of chief human resource officers representing the largest employers doing business in the United States and globally. As well as the Center on Executive Compensation Advisory Board, dedicated to developing and promoting principled pay and governance practices and advocating compensation policies that serve the best interests of shareholders and other corporate stakeholders; and Center for Executive Succession (CES), leveraging world-class faculty research capability and a unique corporate/academic partnership to provide cutting edge knowledge in these areas.

Mr. Berger holds an M.B.A. from the John M. Olin School of Business at Washington University in St. Louis, and a B.S.B.A. degree from Northeastern University in Boston.

Marc Cannon was appointed Executive Vice President – Chief Marketing Officer, Communications and Public Policy on January 31, 2017. Prior to that appointment, Mr. Cannon served as our Chief Marketing Officer, Senior Vice President of Communications & Public Policy from February 2016 through January 2017. Mr. Cannon is responsible for overseeing the Company’s marketing, communications, community affairs, and public policy functions. From February 2007 until February 2016, Mr. Cannon served as our Senior Vice President, Corporate Communications. Marc has more than 30 years of executive-level experience as an automotive industry communications, branding, advertising and public policy professional. Notably, he directs the company’s broad range of communications – to investors, to the industry, to the media, and to the marketplace.

During his tenure with AutoNation, Mr. Cannon has been instrumental in the growth of the company into the country’s largest and most successful automotive retailer. In particular, he supervised the brand launch of AutoNation’s Coast-to-Coast initiative and part of the executive team that launched AutoNation Express, the company’s industry leading transactional digital platform, which seamlessly integrates the customer’s in store and online experience. Mr. Cannon also spearheads the company’s multi-year mission to raise funds to fight cancer, and he has successfully positioned the company as the leading voice in automotive retail.

Prior to joining AutoNation, he served as Chief Marketing Officer and Senior Vice president of Marketing for Blue Dot Services, a national network of home repair and services contractors. He had previously served as Vice President of Internal Communications for Republic Industries, Vice President of Marketing, Advertising and Communications for AutoNation USA, and Vice President of Advertising for Alamo Rent A Car. In his time with Alamo, Marc was part of the team that grew the company from 15 locations to more than 100 locations nationwide, and expanded the company to Europe. He also helped develop the “Where all the miles are free” campaign, a pioneering advertising and operational effort that changed the way vehicles are rented in the United States.

Mr. Cannon has a bachelor’s degree in public affairs from the University of Miami. He is a member of the Arthur Page Society, the most distinguished honor society in the communications industry, and he serves on the University of Florida Public Relations Advisory Council. He is on the Board of Directors of the Automotive Hall of Fame and was honored by Automotive News with the All Stars Award for Public Relations/ Communications, the only recipient from an automotive retailer to be granted this honor.

Tom Conophy is Executive Vice President and Chief Technology Officer of AutoNation, America's largest automotive retailer and a Fortune 150 company. Mr. Conophy is a member of the company's Executive Committee and leads all aspects of technology within the enterprise.

Mr. Conophy is an experienced senior executive with International exposure in multi-national Fortune 500 and FTSE 100 companies. He is a highly accomplished visionary and thought leader with a strategic mindset. He has worked in the Technology Sector, Travel Industry and more recently in Retail.

He formerly was the EVP & Chief Information Officer for Staples Inc. and InterContinental Hotels Group. Tom was also the EVP & Chief Technology Officer for Starwood Hotels & Resorts. Tom has also held senior technology roles in Sabre, Galileo International and United Airlines.

Tom is an advisor to two cloud computing companies, Mirantis providing an OpenStack cloud for use inside of companies and Skytap a public cloud provider.

As General Counsel, Coleman Edmunds serves as chief legal advisor for the company and oversees its team of attorneys responsible for all aspects of AutoNation's legal affairs, including securities, mergers and acquisitions, commercial transactions, litigation, compliance, manufacturer relations and government relations. He also serves as corporate secretary, chief legal advisor to the Board of Directors, as well as advising the company on corporate governance matters. Coleman is also Chairman of the Employee Benefits Committee and serves on the Business Ethics Committee and Risk Review Committee. Coleman joined AutoNation in November 1996 and served in various capacities within AutoNation's Legal Department. He was appointed General Counsel in April 2017.

Prior to joining AutoNation, Coleman was in private practice with the international law firm of Baker & McKenzie. Mr. Edmunds holds a bachelor's degree from the University of Virginia, a law degree from the University of Richmond and masters of law degree (taxation) from the University of Miami.

Coleman currently serves, or has served, on various industry, civic and charitable boards and committees, including the Florida Chamber of Commerce, the National Automobile Dealers Association, Florida Automobile Dealers Association, the Fort Lauderdale Chamber of Commerce, the Fort Lauderdale International Film Festival, and the Orange Bowl Committee.

Lance Iserman is Executive Vice President of Sales and Chief Operating Officer of AutoNation, America’s largest automotive retailer. Mr. Iserman is responsible for all variable operations including the company’s branded stand-alone pre-owned vehicle sales centers.

Most recently, Mr. Iserman was the Western Region President. He was responsible for the company's 84 stores and 110 franchises in the Western Region of the United States. Prior to this role, Mr. Iserman served as a Market President leading the operations of 21 stores in Southern California as well as a Market President in Arizona leading 15 stores in Phoenix and Tucson.

In each role, Mr. Iserman has led teams to drive common processes, business results and Customer loyalty. With over 30 years of retail automotive experience and over 15 years of experience within the AutoNation organization, Mr. Iserman has a strong foundation in the business. He joined AutoNation in 2001 and became a General Manager of AutoNation Chrysler Jeep Dodge Ram in North Phoenix in 2002. Prior to AutoNation, Mr. Iserman spent several years in Customer Financial Services and Sales roles.

Mr. Iserman has a Bachelor’s Degree in Finance from the University of Arizona.

Cheryl Miller is executive vice president and chief financial officer of AutoNation, America's largest automotive retailer and a Fortune 150 company. In this role, Ms. Miller is a member of the company's executive committee and has responsibility for all financial functions, the company's Shared Service Center and its corporate strategy. She also currently serves on the board of directors and is the audit committee chair for Tyson Foods, one of the world’s largest food companies and a member of the S&P 500.

Under her financial leadership, AutoNation has reached a number of significant milestones, including achieving its lowest SG&A as a percentage of gross profit in its corporate history. In addition, it was under her guidance that AutoNation has become the only automotive retailer to earn investment-grade status from Standard & Poors, Moody’s Investors Service, and Fitch Ratings. She established an internal Controller University to develop future financial talent, and she has championed a vigorous and growing focus on enterprise and cyber risk management.

Ms. Miller brings AutoNation more than 20 years of corporate finance expertise, including more than fifteen years of automotive retail, rental and captive finance experience. Prior to being named CFO of AutoNation in 2014, Ms. Miller served as the company’s treasurer and vice president of investor relations, a position she assumed in 2009. Before this, she served as vice president and treasurer for JM Family Enterprises, a diversified automotive company, and ION Media Networks (formerly Paxson Communications). Ms. Miller also previously held financial management positions at Republic Industries, its successor companies AutoNation USA and Alamo/National Car Rental, and Circuit City Stores.

She has received numerous honors, including the Florida Diversity Council's Glass Ceiling Award and CFO of the Year by the South Florida Business Journal. She has been listed as a Director to Watch in the 2018 Directors and Boards Journal, one of 30 Outstanding Women in Finance by Treasury & Risk magazine, one of the nation's top female CFOs by Business Insider magazine, a member of the 2017 All-America Executive Team in the Midcap Best CFOs category by Institutional Investor magazine and one of the 100 Leading Women in the North American Automotive Industry by Automotive News. Additionally, she serves on the board of directors and investment committee for the Broward Performing Arts Foundation.

Ms. Miller holds a bachelor's degree in finance and business administration from James Madison University.

Donna Parlapiano is Executive Vice President, Franchise Network, Mergers & Acquisitions and Corporate Real Estate of AutoNation, America’s largest automotive retailer. Ms. Parlapiano is responsible for the Company’s 350+ franchise network strategy, representing 34 brands; and the Company’s $3 billion real estate portfolio, including an annual $250 million capital budget.

Ms. Parlapiano has over thirty years of experience in the automotive industry. Prior to joining AutoNation, Ms. Parlapiano held finance, marketing and strategic management positions with Ford Motor Company.

In 2010 and 2015, Automotive News honored Ms. Parlapiano as one of the “100 Leading Women” in the industry. Ms. Parlapiano holds a Master’s Degree in Business Administration from the University of Denver. Beyond her dedication to AutoNation, Ms. Parlapiano is an advocate for underprivileged children and serves on the South Florida PGA Advisory Board.

Ron Ardissone is the Central Region President. Prior to his current role, Mr. Ardissone served as a Market President in the Western Region which included the Company’s operations in the San Francisco Bay Area, Roseville, California and Seattle/Bellevue, Washington. Mr. Ardissone has served a strategic role in growing manufacturer relationships and driving common processes across all stores. Through a successful twenty years in automotive retail, Mr. Ardissone has held many positions within dealerships. His commitment to personal development and industry leading performance has allowed him to quickly climb the dealership organizational ladder and hold key positions in our dealerships in Northern California as well as a Region Used Vehicle Director. In this position, Mr. Ardissone was able to successfully mentor dealership General Managers and Used Vehicle Managers to drive exceptional used vehicle performance.

Mr. Ardissone joined AutoNation in 2002. Prior to AutoNation, he held other leadership and sales positions within automotive retail and also Pepsi and Gallo Wines. He earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Finance from The University of San Francisco.

Jim Bender is President of the Eastern Region. Mr. Bender is responsible for the states of Florida, Georgia, Alabama, Virginia, Tennessee, Ohio, and Maryland for AutoNation. Prior to this Mr. Bender served as President of AutoNation's Florida Region.

Before joining AutoNation he spent 23 years with Holman Enterprises, an auto retailer based in New Jersey with a strong retail presence in South Florida. Mr. Bender has extensive experience in auto retailing. Mr. Bender has a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from Canisius.

Steve Kwak is the Western Region President. Prior to his current role, Mr. Kwak served as Market President for several markets in our western region which includes stores in the Orange County, San Diego, Nevada and Los Angeles County. He brings over 19 years of success in the automotive retail space. He is responsible for the operations of over 80+ dealerships and leads about 7,000 of our associates.

Before joining AutoNation in 2001, Mr. Kwak was the operating partner of an Audi and Toyota dealership. He started his career as a Sales Manager at the House of Imports and quickly ascended to GM at key brands for Chevy, Acura and Mercedes Benz. He has been awarded the Toyota President’s Award, Magma Society for Audi and the Best of the Best by Mercedes Benz.