Tammy Darvish, Lisa Copeland, Shea Holbrook Headline Inaugural Women in Automotive Convention

The first-ever Women in Automotive Convention will draw upon top female success stories as it assists the automotive community in recruiting, retaining and developing female employees and leaders. Women make up just 17% of employees at auto dealerships according to NADA – and organizers of the conference are working diligently to raise this number, beginning with this event.

The conference is set for Tuesday-Thursday, August 18-20, at the Ballroom at Church Street in downtown Orlando, Florida. The three-day conference includes speakers, breakout sessions, workshops and booth displays – all centered on the goal of educating and inspiring women in all areas of the automotive industry.

Speaker Tammy Darvish has been a pioneer in the automotive industry for more than 20 years, holding a variety of management positions at the DARCARS Automotive Group.

For the past seven years, she has served on the Board of National Automobile Dealers Association representing over 17,000 franchised automobile dealerships across the country.

Speaker Shea Holbrook is an American professional racecar driver and entrepreneur; co-owner of Shea Racing. She races in the Pirelli World Challenge IHRA Drag Racing Series. She’s the only 24-year old spokeswoman and professional female racecar driver with a Bachelor’s Degree in Communications and Marketing who co-owns and operates her racing team,

Speaker Lisa Copeland is Managing Partner of Fiat of Austin, the brand’s top retailer since its return to North America. Attendees will hear the inspirational journey of her success in the male-dominated industry. Under her leadership, Fiat of Austin was named the #6 Best Workplace in North America by Automotive News in 2013.

“The topic of women in the automotive industry hits very close to home for me, because for women, the struggle is real,” Copeland said. “The event’s organizers are women who have been in the automotive industry for many years, and I am honored to be part of this precedent-setting event.”

Women in Automotive, founded by Christy Roman, Joni Stuker, Jody Devere, Kathy Gilbert and Subi Ghosh, is hosting the conference to facilitate cultural changes inside dealerships and increase the population of female employees.

More speakers and workshops will be announced soon. For more information or to register for the convention, please visit www.WomeninAutomotive.com or contact Susan Givens (sgivens@womeninautomotive.com 502-802-5608)

WomeninAutomotive.com