The American Trucking Associations has announced John Lynch, senior vice president of federation relations and industry affairs, has been named president of the ATA Trucking Cares Foundation, the trucking industry’s charitable arm.

“This is a great day for the Trucking Cares Foundation, as we move forward with a renewed mission for our industry’s charitable efforts – playing an important role in supporting disaster relief efforts, community programs and a vast array of worthy causes,” said ATA President and CEO Chris Spear. “I’m excited to welcome John Lynch as the president of the Foundation, and believe he is the right person to take the organization’s efforts to the next level.”

Those efforts will be focused on several core areas, including: humanitarian and disaster relief; eradicating human trafficking; leadership development; strengthening the industry’s relationships with law enforcement, the military and veterans’ organizations; safety and research opportunities.

“I’m honored to be named president of the Trucking Cares Foundation,” Lynch said. “Being able to play a leadership role in the important work the Foundation does is a tremendous challenge and opportunity that I’m looking forward to.”

“I have tremendous confidence that John is going to take the work that has been done in establishing the Trucking Cares Foundation to the next level in what promises to be a strong and successful future for the organization,” said Foundation Chairman Phil Byrd, president and CEO of Bulldog Hiway Express. “Now, is the time to build on our early work, and I’m confident John will provide strong leadership for the Trucking Cares Foundation in service of our mission.”

In addition to the change in leadership, the Trucking Cares Foundation is announcing a new fundraising drive – the Trucking Cares Foundation Founders Club – challenging members of the trucking community to commit to the Foundation today, and into the future, by pledging to donate $100,000 over the next decade.

“In order to truly fulfill our mission, the Foundation needs to not just increase our fundraising efforts, but to ensure those efforts are regular and sustainable,” Lynch said. “By establishing the Founders Club, we are creating a mechanism where the Foundation will be able to raise funds and direct them in service of the causes we support well into the future.”