ORLANDO, Fla. (May 6, 2020) –Announced today, Anthony (Tony) J. Buzzelli has been elected AAA National Board chair. Buzzelli, a retired vice chair and regional managing partner of Deloitte & Touche LLP, was elected at the 2021 AAA Annual Meeting, which took place virtually on May 4–5. WDG Ventures founder and retired CEO Paula Collins was elected vice chair of North America’s largest motoring and travel leisure organization.
“AAA ranks among America’s most trusted brands. We are proud that in one of the most challenging years of business, we experienced membership growth to the milestone of 62 million members,” said Buzzelli. “Our exceptional service, respected reliability and well-known reputation is why one of every four households trusts AAA with a membership. I look forward to serving as chair and continuing to innovate and evolve the Federation’s capabilities in ways that maximize value for members.”
Buzzelli was appointed to the AAA Board of Directors in April 2017, elected as vice chair in 2019 and has served on the board of the Automobile Club of Southern California since 2011. In addition, Buzzelli serves on the boards of TriState Capital Holdings and MedStar Health, a not-for-profit, regional healthcare system in Maryland and Washington D.C., and was recognized as a Business Leader of the Year (Los Angeles) in 2010.
“The last year certainly presented many challenges and throughout it, AAA sharpened our focus and strengthened our resolve to be there for our members in their time of need,” said Marshall Doney, president and CEO of AAA. “Tony Buzzelli and Paula Collins are highly successful leaders who will challenge our organization to evolve and continue to deliver exceptional service, value and a consistently positive member experience every day.”
Elected to the AAA Board of Directors in 2011, Vice Chair Collins holds a long history with AAA, as well as experience with a wide range of businesses, boards and charitable organizations. Collins is a founder WDG Ventures Inc., a real estate development and consulting firm in Northern California with a portfolio of completed properties and projects under development representing more than 1.7 million square feet and valued in excess of $500 million. She is a founder and board member of Presidio Bank and sits on the board of the Glide Foundation. In 2011, President Barack Obama appointed her to the board of the Presidio Trust, where she served as chair.
“For 119 years, AAA has been at the forefront of providing exceptional service and we are committed to making continual advancements to preserve AAA’s reliability and trust. From transforming legacy services to go digital, like requesting roadside service, accessing tourbooks and creating TrikTips, to ensuring Members have direct access to exceptional travel and insurance agents, and advocating for much-needed improvements on America’s roadways, AAA is here for our members at every bend of the road,” said Collins. “We are especially proud of our continuing efforts to ensure that our membership is diverse and that our employees reflect that diversity at every level.”
Together, Buzzelli and Collins will lead the board to build upon the strong trust millions have in the AAA brand for our century-plus commitment to providing safety, security and peace of mind.
Buzzelli succeeds William (Bill) A. Mekrut as chair.
About AAA
AAA provides more than 62 million members with automotive, travel, insurance and financial services through its federation of 30 motor clubs and nearly 1,000 branch offices across North America. Since 1902, the not-for-profit, fully tax-paying AAA has been a leader and advocate for safe mobility. Drivers can request roadside assistance, identify nearby gas prices, locate discounts, book a hotel or map a route via the AAA Mobile app. To join, visit AAA.com.
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