The SAH is pleased to announce the following new Officers and Board Members:
Vice President David Schmidt served on the Board of Directors before being named as Vice President after the last election. Born in Detroit, his father and grandfather both worked for GM at Fisher Body. Being a product of a certain generation, he experienced the muscle car era firsthand cruising the famed Woodward Avenue in the late 1960s. David received a BA from Michigan State University, MA and PhD from Indiana University and after a career in financial services retired from TIAA. He is a member of the Porsche Club of America and Fuelfed, a private club for enthusiasts of European cars. As an auto enthusiast, he can be seen driving about town in a 1967 Volvo Amazon or 1989 Porsche Carrera.
Secretary Paul Baxa served as former secretary Bob Casey’s assistant before being elected to the position. Originally from Canada, he now resides in Florida and teaches at Ave Maria University, a Catholic Liberal Arts college. Paul currently serves as the Cugnot Award Panel Chair for Books in Languages Other than English; he is also a member of the SAH Motor Sport Chapter. He has published in the history of motorsport and its relationship to politics and culture and has presented several papers at the Argetsinger Symposium on Motor Sport History. He is also the managing editor of the Journal of Motorsport Culture & History.
Board Member Peter Hollinshead is a 40-year veteran of the automotive industry with 23 years at Chrysler/Stellantis. He worked on the marketing launch of the LH cars, the Prowler, the DR Ram pickup, the JK Jeep Wrangler and the recent 300. Peter managed the Dodge and Ram websites and developed the company’s first digital app (for trailer-towing). He has written speeches, managed the Camp Jeep owner event including the history tent, and assisted with Bob Lutz’s first book Guts. In addition to SAH Leland Chapter leadership, where he serves a president, Peter is the current vice-chairman of SAE’s Mobility History Committee and a board member of the historic Durand (Michigan) Union Station, a National Historic Site and museum.
Board Member Eric Monterastelli comes to the SAH not by way of the automotive industry or academia, but rather his own amateur racing career. Starting with endurance kart racing at a young age, moving to autocross then road racing, time trials and HPDE coaching he’s been steeped in Motorsports for his entire life. Eric leveraged his technical prowess and early adoption of ‘the internet’ to be appointed as the youngest webmaster for the Porsche Club of America (PCA) back in the late ‘90s. In 2013, he spun off his own organization Gran Touring Motorsports (GTM); over the past 12 years GTM has evolved into a multi-faceted organization including a digital magazine Gran Touring and most recently the creation of the Motoring Podcast Network (MPN). Eric is the ‘tech master’ of the annual Argetsinger Symposium where is involved in the production, livestreaming, and remastering of content.
Board Member Mark Vargas, the Development Director at America’s Packard Museum, has a 35-year career in museums and libraries. He was Chief Operating Officer at the Revs Institute in Naples, and directed the libraries at St. Cloud State University, Saint Xavier University, and the University of Arts and Sciences of Oklahoma. Mark’s past experience includes serving as archivist at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Mark has published over 20 peer-reviewed articles, and made numerous presentations to professional groups, including the World Forum for Motor Museums and National Association of Automobile Museums [NAAM]. He has also served on many local, regional, national, and international boards and committees. Mark also led the initiative to for SAH borrowing rights at America’s Packard Museum Turnquist Library. (CL)