The Women In Trucking Association has formed a foundation to provide scholarships for members looking to advance their careers in the trucking industry.


The nonprofit 501(c)(3) foundation will be a separate entity from the association and has its own board of directors.

The organizational meeting was held Aug. 30 and 11 WIT members were approved to serve as the board of directors. Jan Hamblin, corporate manager of Strategic Accounts at J.J. Keller & Associates, was elected to serve as the chairwoman of the foundation. Jeana Hysell of Safety Compliance Professionals will serve as the vice chairwoman and Deborah Sparks, vice president of development, Truckload Carriers Association, will serve as secretary/treasurer.

The foundation was formed after Jeana Hysell received a check from the Ohio Trucking Association in recognition of her achievement as the association's 2008 Safety Professional of the Year. Hysell donated the funds to Women In Trucking to start the foundation and begin funding a scholarship program.

"My goal in donating the check was to encourage more women to look at careers in the area of safety," said Hysell. "I'm happy to see that safety will be one of the scholarship funded programs."

In addition to the officers, eight corporate members were elected to the board of directors: Joyce Brenny, Brenny Transportation, Don Hess, John Wood Community College, Sonya Kavisto, Marcello & Kavisto, LLC, Antoinette Martinez, American Defense Lawyers, Les Rozander, Trimac, Sandra Sanford, Travel Centers of America/Petro Stopping Centers, Kreigh Spahr, Cuyahoga Community College Driver Training Academy, Deb Whistler, Fleet Owner Magazine.