Eleven independent judges. One decision.

Cara Howes is West Region Sales Manager at Kenworth Truck Company, capping more than 15 years with parent company PACCAR. A U.S. Navy Reserve Supply Corps officer with an MBA, she has served in Italy and Afghanistan and earned multiple commendation medals. She brings deep family roots in both military service and trucking to the committee.

Martin Garsee directs Transportation Training at Houston Community College and has served since 2015 as Executive Director of the National Association of Publicly Funded Truck Driving Schools (NAPFTDS). A longtime champion of quality CDL education, he helps shape driver-training standards and build workforce pipelines across the trucking industry.

Lindsey Trent is President and Co-Founder of the Next Generation in Trucking Association, a national nonprofit connecting young people to trucking careers through career and technical education. A Purdue University graduate with more than a decade in the industry, she is a leading voice for developing the next generation of the trucking workforce.

Marilyn Surber is co-founder and Principal of Candela Professional Group and Vice President of Sales and Marketing at Drivers Legal Plan. In transportation since 2008, she previously led industry relations at Tenstreet and stays active with the American Trucking Associations and Truckload Carriers Association.

Elisabeth Barna is a 35-plus-year trucking veteran who in 2023 founded EAB Strategies, an industry consulting firm. During nearly three decades at the American Trucking Associations she rose to Chief Operating Officer and Executive Vice President of Industry Affairs, championing driver recognition, safety, and the industry’s public image.

Rich Clemente is a Transportation Specialist in the Driver and Carrier Operations Division of the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. With roughly 35 years in transportation safety, he works on entry-level driver training and commercial driver standards that shape how new truckers enter the profession.

Brad Klepper is President of Drivers Legal Plan and Interstate Trucker, national law firms defending professional drivers’ CDLs in courts nationwide. An attorney and licensed architect, he graduated magna cum laude from Oklahoma City University School of Law and is a widely read trucking-law columnist and podcast host.

Bruce Busada has led Shreveport-based Diesel Driving Academy as President since 1994. A nationally recognized advocate for driver-training quality and professionalism, he chairs the Professional Truck Driver Institute (PTDI) and serves as an Emeritus Director of the Commercial Vehicle Training Association (CVTA).

Amy Dutra is Director of Client Development at Driver iQ, a leading provider of driver background screening and compliance solutions. With more than 20 years in transportation and background screening, she focuses on client success and business development, helping carriers hire safely and efficiently.

Ellen Voie founded the Women In Trucking Association in 2007 to advance gender diversity in transportation, growing it into an internationally recognized organization. A CDL holder and longtime advocate, she has served on federal advisory committees and hosts the Women In Trucking Show on SiriusXM’s Road Dog Trucking channel.

John Frey is a transportation executive with CDLLife, bringing experience across trucking sales, safety, and driver recruitment. A NATMI-certified Director of Safety and member of the Commercial Vehicle Training Association (CVTA), he offers seasoned operational and safety expertise to the selection committee.