Jury
Chris Burdick
CHRIS BURDICK began his automotive journey by starting up a car blog for fun in 2006 to chat about his love for sports cars. Since then, Automoblog.net has gained quite a following, and is now the home of seven part-time writers/car enthusiasts. As the editor-in-chief, Chris gets to have all the fun - test driving cars, traveling around the country, and doing product reviews. Chris is also an occasional contributor to other automotive blogs and likes the "blogger" community, which is more open and friendly than the "stuffy corporate" types. Since Automoblog.net, Chris has also started AudiSite.com - a blog just for Audi lovers.
Mark Elias
It started with his first Matchbox car at age three. Since then, MARK ELIAS has been passionate about anything with wheels. As first drive editor for LeftLaneNews.com, Elias reviews and photographs cars, trucks, SUVs and more. He also freelances for Bloomberg News, Autoweek, The Palm Beach Post and has previously worked for the Associated Press, and AMI Autoworld.
Lauren Fix
LAUREN FIX, the Car Coach, is an automotive and lifestyle expert. She appeared numerous times on Oprah, TODAY, 20/20, The View, CNBC, CNN, Fox News, Headline News, and MSNBC to name a few. Author of her third book: Lauren Fix's Guide to Loving Your Car; and host of Talk 2 DIY Automotive and Female Driven on Lifetime TV. She is a nationally recognized automotive expert in car care, repair, safety issues, buying and selling autos, and driving skills. Lauren is editor-in-chief of CarZen.Com. A member of the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) and an ASE certified technician, Lauren was named 2008 Automotive Woman of the Year.
Susan Frissell, Ph.D.
The publisher and editor of Womenwithwheels.com, SUSAN FRISSELL, Ph.D. has been writing about cars professionally since the 1980s. Susan began publishing Women With Wheels, a 12-page consumer newsletter about automobiles written for women in 1989 that went online in 2001 after the hard copy was discontinued. Susan has written for CarPrices.com, Cars.com, thecarconnection.com and AutoFusion. Susan is currently a member of the Women’s Automotive Association International (WAAI) and served as Secretary/Treasurer on the original Executive Board of WAAI’s Chicago Chapter from 1996-1998,and as a consultant from 1998-99. She is an active member and past Vice President/Membership Chair of the Midwest Automotive Media Association (MAMA), a member of the Wisconsin OpenAir Classic and the Motor Press Guild.
Roosevelt Gist
ROOSEVELT GIST sold and leased cars for several years in Northern Virginia. In 1996, he started AutoNetwork Inc., an automotive purchasing and leasing program for Washington, Maryland and Virginia credit unions. Roosevelt also wrote and implemented the first auto leasing program for credit unions. In 1994, he set up one of the first African-American owned automotive web sites on the Internet, AutoNetwork.com. It hosts more than 40 auto dealer Web sites and was one of the first web sites with searchable new and used car inventories. In 1995, AutoNetwork.com began streaming unique uncut automotive video on the web. And in 1998, it conducted the first live web cast from the floor of Detroit's North American International Auto Show. Today, AutoNetwork.com continues web casting automotive events and distributes its proprietary vehicle inventory manager system to multi-cultural newspapers for auto dealer advertising. Roosevelt's credits include the last-known interview with the late John F. Kennedy, Jr., conducted at a BMW and George Magazine sponsored event in Landover, Maryland.
Aaron Gold
AARON GOLD started his career in automotive journalism as an intern for What Car? magazine in Great Britain. After returning to the States, Aaron moved to California and began writing for automotive web sites. Aaron now works full time as About.com's Guide to Cars, though he also writes for J. D. Power and Associates. He credits his love for cars to (and occasionally blames it on) his stepfather, a former used car salesman who met Aaron's mother when he sold her a low-mileage 1971 Plymouth Scamp.
Craig Hover
CRAIG HOVER has spent his lifetime in-and-around the auto industry. He is the senior editor of the 99-year-old Automobile Red Book, and currently writes articles for Chevy Enthusiast Magazine and the Examiner. Craig was formerly the general manager of Kansas City's I-70 Speedway, where high-profile events including the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, the ASA AC-Delco Challenge Series, and the NASCAR All Pro Series garnered national attention. He belongs to several car clubs, and has served as an ISCA indoor car show judge on multiple occasions. A third-generation car guy, Craig's grandfather was the first used car dealer in Colorado Springs, and his father is a retired district manager with Chevrolet Motor Division. Craig holds a Master's Degree from the University of Kansas in marketing communications, and lives in Kansas City with his wife and six-year old son.
Valerie Menard
VALERIE MENARD is a freelance writer and editor. She established S.A. Esa Enterprises, a freelance writing and editing service, in January of 2000. As a freelancer, she has crafted a diverse portfolio that includes automotive reporting. She is the editor of Latinos on Wheels, a website targeting the Latino car enthusiast. She also contributes a monthly car feature to the Austin American Statesman, the daily newspaper in Austin, Texas. Other clients include Latina Style, Latino Leaders, Estylo, Latina, and Hispanic Enterprise. She also served on the board of the Texas Auto Writers Association.
John F. Paul
With more than 30 years experience in the automotive business, JOHN F. PAUL knows cars. As AAA's Car Doctor and the Manager of Public Affairs for Southern New England for the past 23 years, he writes new car reviews, feature articles and a Q & A column in the AAA monthly publication "Horizons." John has been writing a column for Boston.com for the past 10 years as well as columns for the Providence Journal and Worcester Telegram. Certified as a Master Automobile Technician from the National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence, Paul holds additional certifications in Advanced Engine Performance and Alternative Fuels along with a vocational teaching certificate for the State of Massachusetts.
Patrick Rall
Since he was a young boy, PATRICK RALL has had a passion for all things automotive. He began drag racing with the help of his father as soon as he was old enough to drive, spending time on various IHRA sportsman circuits. Patrick has worked as a mechanic and dealership accountant before becoming an automotive writer and photographer. Since 2003, Patrick has been a pioneer in automotive forums, helping to establish the largest group of automotive communities on the Internet including sites like MustangForums.com, DodgeForum.com, CorvetteForum.com and Ford-Trucks.com. He has written for a handful of magazines along with his regular columns as the national American Autos Examiner and the Detroit Examiner. His spare time is spent working in equine photography and racing/working on his 1972 Dodge Demon 340.
Jeffrey N. Ross
Although JEFFREY N. ROSS got his start in the automotive industry as an ASE-certified technician, his true passion has always been in writing. After graduating from the University of Florida’s College of Journalism in 2006, Jeffrey was able to combine his love of cars and writing as a journalist for the automotive research Web site, Autotropolis.com. In addition to Autotropolis, he has written for various other automotive Web sites and is a regular panelist on the RoundAbout Show, a weekly automotive podcast. One of the highlights of Jeffrey’s extensive automotive background was driving his 1977 Pontiac Trans Am in the inaugural Woodward Dream Cruise in 1995. You can also find him on Twitter @jeffreynross.
Dan Roth
DAN ROTH has had a lifelong passion for automobiles. When other kids were reading "The Dog Next Door," Dan was thumbing through factory service manuals. His musings on cars can be found at Autoblog.com and Examiner.com, and occasionally Dan lets his skills as a video producer loose for those sites, as well. Dan brings a solid understanding of how cars work and an appreciation for the engineering that goes into these complex machines, while also approaching vehicles with the fresh perspective of someone who's formative years were in the 1980s (so station wagons are still cool, while minivans are not so much).
Christopher Sawyer
Three things happened in 1958: there was a recession, the Edsel went into production, and a car-obsessed family in Dearborn, MI, welcomed its sixth male child – me, CHRISTOPHER SAWYER. Dad was a Ford engineer who did everything from industrial sales to working on Ford’s Retractable, turbine truck and CL 9000 programs, and Dearborn in the 1960s was humming to the tune of Ford’s Total Performance racing effort. Eventually, I found my way to AutoWeek as an associate editor, Automotive Industries as senior editor, and Campbell & Co., a PR firm, where I was Communications Director for Lotus Cars USA and helped launch Visteon Automotive Systems. From there it was off to Automotive Design & Production as Executive Editor for eight years before my latest posting as Executive Editor/Associate Partner of Cars In Context.
Richard Truesdell
After getting a degree in history and teaching high school social studies for four years, RICH TRUESDELL opened a car stereo store in his native New Jersey, Kartunes Mobile Electronics, indulging in his twin passions of great cars and great sound (and owning his first Ferrari, a 1980 308GTSi). It was during the Kartunes years that he started writing about and photographing cars, starting with Car Stereo Review, Car and Driver, and later Motor Trend, penning the Autotronics department from 1995 to 1997 when he became the editor of Car Audio and Electronics. Over the last 15 years he's written for more than two dozen automotive, travel, and lifestyle titles around the world. Currently he's the editorial director of automotivetraveler.com and starting October 15, will restart publication of Automotive Traveler, an iPad-friendly, digital-only monthly magazine. You can sample some of Rich's features at Automotive Traveler.com
Frank Washington
FRANK WASHINGTON is managing partner/editor of AboutThatCar and the AboutThatCar blog. He also writes a syndicated product review column that is distributed nationally to African American newspapers. Frank’s career in journalism and communications spans several decades. He has spent a great deal of time covering the auto industry for Advertising Age, African Americans On Wheels, Auto Executive, Automotive News, Automotive News Marketer, Ebony magazine, Ebony Jet.com, Newsweek, Newsweek Japan, Savoy magazine, Ward's Auto World, Ward's Automotive Reports, Ward's Dealer Business, the Detroit News Online and the Detroit News. Frank is an award winning automotive journalist who has numerous awards for his coverage of the auto industry.
