NACFE Announces Board Changes, Shares Accomplishments

Fort Wayne, Indiana — April 1, 2026 — The North American Council for Freight Efficiency (NACFE) announces changes to its board of directors.

After eight years, Rob Reich, executive vice president, chief administrative officer, Schneider, is retiring and stepping down from his role as chair of NACFE’s board of directors. “Rob has been a great asset to NACFE helping to guide us these last eight years,” said Mike Roeth, NACFE’s executive director. “He has helped us define our place in guiding fleets through trucking’s Messy Middle.”

Steve Mignardi, former executive with Daimler Truck North America, is taking over as board chair. “We are delighted to have Steve as our next board chairman and look forward to his helping NACFE continue to bring unbiased real-world experience to the trucking industry,” Roeth said. Steve is the fifth board chair in NACFE’s 16 years.

Charlotte Argue, senior manager, sustainable mobility, Geotab, and longtime NACFE board member has been elected board treasurer. Other new board members include:

• Chris Avery, sales director, commercial road transport, and Shell;
• Chris Hammond, executive vice president, industry affairs and strategic accounts, Great Dane;
• Steve Hussain, senior vice president head of government affairs, Prologis;
• Dan Symons, vice president maintenance operations, Schneider; and
• Bill Walmsley, product category manager, Michelin.

These new board members join returning board members:

• Ryan Bankerd, global director of automotive sustainability, UPS;
• Leia Guccione, managing director of carbon free transportation, RMI;
• Steve Hanson, senior director of fleet operations, engineering and sustainability, PepsiCo;
• Madhu Madheswaran, director- product management, heavy trucks, International;
• Matt McLelland, vice president of sustainability and innovation, Covenant;
• Amanda Phillips, general manager, North America on-highway OEM engine sales, Cummins;
• Paul Rosa, senior vice president of procurement and fleet planning, Penske; and
• Gregory Treinen, vice president, on highway market development, Daimler Truck North America.

During a recent meeting of the board of directors, Roeth shared some of the highlights of NACFE’s work during 2025. First there was the successful completion of Run on Less – Messy Middle and the Bootcamp sessions that were held before the Run. NACFE also revisited the fleet depots that participated in Run on Less – Electric DEPOT to learn what had changed since we last visited them in 2023. NACFE also released a Guidance Report on truck and trailer refrigeration and a Confidence Report on ide-reduction technologies. It also conducted the first fleet and utility “speed dating” event. NACFE staffers led discussions at more than 120 Industry events and workshops.

So far in 2026, NACFE has published two reports on Run on Less – Messy Middle with three additional reports planned for this spring and summer. It also hosted a data workshop with 26 presentations that analyzed the dataset from the Run. A study team has begun work on a new Confidence Report on trailer aerodynamics and another is working on the 2026 Fleet Efficiency Study (formerly the Fleet Fuel Study). NACFE will continue providing thought-leadership blogs to various trucking media outlets and working with editors to provide content for article relating to improving freight efficiency, alternative powertrains and autonomous vehicles.

That is a lot of output from such a lean team and part of why Steve Mignardi is so excited to help lead the organization. Mignardi said, “There are great opportunities and challenges with all legacy, nascent and future technology being offered in our industry. The founders of NACFE had the foresight to see this coming in 2009, and now this lean and focused team is here to educate and navigate the way the industry may take advantage of these opportunities.”

“NACFE needs industry support to accomplish our mission, providing unbiased information that drives efficiency for the industry. Becoming a sponsor facilitates NACFE in continuing this valuable work, especially as we help OEMs, carriers, shippers, and other supply chain dependent organizations, navigate through the Messy Middle,” Mignardi said.

Companies can provide support through financial sponsorship of the organization or for specific projects such as Confidence Reports, Guidance Reports, Run on Less events or Workshops. Other in-kind contributions include providing needs for the organization such as technical assistance, design and communications support, event delivery, etc. Contact Mike Roeth for more information on how to become a NACFE sponsor.