The American Transportation Research Institute has released the names of those individuals appointed by the ATRI Board of Directors to serve on the 2015-2016 Research Advisory Committee.

Among other activities, the committee is responsible for annually identifying the top research priorities for the trucking industry, according to the group, with members representing a diverse cross-section of trucking industry stakeholders including motor carriers, industry suppliers, commercial drivers, shippers, law enforcement, academia and government.

ATRI is the non-profit research arm of the American Trucking Associations.

"The RAC serves a critical role in developing and prioritizing research proposals that address the trucking industry's top issues. We applaud those appointed by the Board to serve in this important role and we look forward to working with them," said Rebecca Brewster, ATRI president and chief operating officer.

Steve Niswander, vice president of safety policy and regulatory relations for Groendyke Transport was appointed to a second term as Chairman of the RAC.

New RAC members appointed for the 2015-2016 term are:

• Doug Bennett, director of operations and business development, U.S. AutoLogistics;

• Amy Boerger, executive director of North American engine business, Cummins;

• Michael Bray Sr., manager of business development, Omnitracs;

• Louis Campion, president, Maryland Motor Truck Assn.;

• Dennis Dellinger, president, Cargo Transporters;

• Duke Drinkard, energy manager, Southeastern Freight Lines;

• Paul J. Enos, CEO, Nevada Trucking Assn.;

• Sherri Garner Brumbaugh, president/chief financial officer, Garner Transportation Group;

• David W. Guess, vice president of safety and human resources, Usher Transport;

• Kevin X. Jones, vice president of inbound transportation, Walmart;

• Shannon Lively, vice president of planning and engineering, ABF Freight System;

• Michelle D. Livingstone, vice president of transportation, The Home Depot;

• Vladimir Livshits, Ph.D., system analysis program manager, Maricopa Association of Governments;

• Brenda Neville, president, Iowa Motor Truck Association;

• David L. Palmer, major, Texas Highway Patrol Division, Texas Department of Public Safety;

• Jonathan R. Peters, PhD, professor of finance, CSI School of Business, College of Staten Island – The City University of New York;

• Karen Rasmussen, president and CEO, HELP Inc.;

• Barbara Robinson, director, American Truck Dealers;

• Wellington F. Roemer III, president and CEO, Wellington F. Roemer Insurance;

• Steve Rogers, vice president of truckload operations, J.B. Hunt Transport;

• Andrea Sequin, director of regulatory services, Schneider National;

• Brandon Shafer, director of health and safety, UPS Freight;

• Ronald Uriah, vice president of risk management, compliance and government affairs, Pitt-Ohio;

• Rusty Weiss, director of external research, Lytx/DriveCam; and

• Geoffrey Wood, vice president of operations and safety, Canadian Trucking Alliance.

Current RAC members who were reappointed to an additional two-year term on the RAC are:

• Andrew Boyle, executive vice president and chief financial officer, Boyle Transportation;

• Randy Boyles, senior vice president of tailored solutions, PeopleNet;

• Cheryl Bynum, manager of SmartWay Transport Partnership, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency;

• Michael Conyngham, director of research, International Brotherhood of Teamsters;

• Chad England, CEO C.R. England;

• Sanford Hodes, senior vice president and deputy general counsel, Ryder System;

• Barbara Ivanov, director of freight systems, Washington State Department of Transportation, Environmental & Engineering Programs Design Office;

• Chris McLoughlin; cargo risk manager, C.H. Robinson Worldwide;

• Scott A. Mugno, vice president of safety and maintenance, FedEx Ground;

• Dean Newell, vice president of safety, Maverick USA;

• Brett A. Sant, vice president of safety and risk management, Knight Transportation;

• Keith Tuttle, president, Motor Carrier Service; and

• Tom Weakley, director of operations, Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association Foundation.