NADA 2022 Elevated By The Presence of WOCAN

Prior to attending the Automotive News Retail Forum in Las Vegas, I was sitting in the breezeway outside of the ballrooms checking and responding to emails. 

To the right of me, is the conference center. To the left, an energetic, happy, laughing group of women with an energy I couldn’t help but lean into. As I approached, it became increasingly clear. This wasn’t just any group of women. This was the board of the Women Of Color Automotive Network. 

Kerri Wise, Erikka Tiffani, Sandy Zannino, Patrice Banks, and  Amanda Gordon assembled together on a rare occasion (they are all spread across the country) for a photoshoot ahead of Erikka receiving her 40-under-40 award as well as being a featured speaker at the event. 

Three of the WOCAN network’s founders have joined me on the show, including Kerri Reese Wise, Errika Tiffani Wells, and Patrice Banks, and I can’t wait to welcome whatever her name is… 

During Erikka’s presentation, Paul J. Daly from #ASOTO leaned over to me and said, “Literally everything coming out of her mouth is a quotable social post. There could be hundreds just from this one talk.”

I agree. Erikka shared so many power bombs (as we like to call them on the show) that at one point she had old white dudes exclaiming, “You Go Girl” from the crowd!

I didn’t get to spend nearly enough time with them as I would have liked, but there is one thing that is clear: Their amazing work is bringing positive awareness to the importance of diversity and inclusion within the workplace, and I am sure the influence will be felt for years to come. They are pioneers in this industry, and powerful leaders, and their presence and influence definitely elevated this year’s NADA. 

Thank you WOCAN.