IN
EVERY ISSUE
President’s Message
After more than 12 years of having the honor
of writing this column, it is with mixed emotions
that I compose my final Highroads message,
as I announce that I am stepping down as chief
executive officer of AAA Arizona.
While my history
with the AAA “family” dates back to the 1970s,
my time with AAA Arizona began in 1997 in the
role of Executive Vice President. The Club has
changed quite a bit in the last 12 years. Our
membership has grown by 80 percent, our property
and casualty insurance business has increased
by 300 percent, and we have doubled the size
of our travel agency services. We have also added
five branch offices, a state-of-the art member
contact center in Glendale, and AAA Plus and
AAA Premier membership plans. In addition, we’ve
added several new member services, including
auto repair, on-site battery delivery, car buying
services, and in addition to our AAA contract
garages, we now deliver emergency road service
using AAA’s own fleet of vehicles.
This type of
growth would not have been possible without the
support of the AAA board of directors and a team
of dedicated individuals who have worked tirelessly
to make sure that members remain our first priority
in all that we do. One of these dedicated individuals
is a dynamic leader whom I am honored to have
worked side-by-side with over the last eleven
years, current President Michael Tully.
I hired
Mike as our chief financial officer in 1998.
In 2005, he became our chief operating officer
and in March 2008, he assumed the role of president.
I am now most proud to announce that Mike has
been recently appointed by the AAA Arizona board
to succeed me as chief executive officer.
Mike
brings with him a diverse wealth of leadership
experience. Prior to joining AAA Arizona in 1998,
he owned an export finance company that arranged
structured trade finance transactions for exporters
throughout the United States. He has also held
the position of Chief Financial Officer at two
major corporations and has authored trade finance
articles for the International Trade Finance
Report, the Institute of Management Accountants
and Chase Manhattan Bank.
He earned his Bachelor
of Science degree in Finance and Masters in Business
Administration from Arizona State University.
He has also completed the Advanced Management
Program at Harvard Business School and is a certified
public accountant (CPA). Mike serves as the vice
chairman for the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Arizona
and serves on the board for ASU’s Finance Advisory
Board, Center for Services Leadership, Greater
Phoenix Economic Council and Financial Executives
International.
And while I am no longer serving
at the helm of the Club, I will transition into
the role of vice chairman of AAA Arizona’s board
of directors. I am looking forward to this new
role, as it affords me the opportunity to remain
active on a number of community boards and apart
of an organization that serves to help people,
each and every day.
In closing, I would like to
thank our members, all 800,000 of you, for your
support and your membership. Our goal has been
and will continue to be to provide you with high
quality trusted products and services that met
your needs and enhance your safety, security,
and peace of mind.
I hope you will all join me
in welcoming and congratulating Mike Tully as
AAA Arizona’s new chief executive officer.
–Jim McDowell
