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This story appears in the July 21 print edition of Transport Topics.

American Trucking Associations announced it has promoted four current vice presidents to the senior vice president level.

ATA President Bill Graves said those elevated are: Chief Economist Bob Costello; Elisabeth Barna, in charge of communications and public affairs; Controller Rusty Duckworth, and Kay Perkins, in charge of human resources and operations.

“ATA has a talented group of staff dedicated to the priorities and success of our members and the overall trucking industry,” Graves said. “The promotion of these individuals is well-deserved and a reflection of their success in their respective positions and commitment to our vital industry.”

Costello joined ATA 17 years ago this month, after working for economic consulting firm Joel Popkin & Co. He splits his time between ATA’s headquarters in Arlington, Virginia, where he compiles, analyzes and publishes data on trucking, and a rigorous travel schedule making presentations to industry groups.

Meeting with industry executives and suppliers allows him to compile “my own little Beige Book,” Costello said, referring to the Federal Reserve publication.

“I’m a better economist because of meeting with people. First, I’ve got the numbers, but then there is the anecdotal evidence,” he added.

Barna’s second tour with ATA started in 2005, and since then, she has worked in industry image, outreach and advocacy. Her most well-known campaigns are America’s Road Team, Share the Road and Trucking Moves America Forward. She also works on Lead ATA, a program to attract young trucking executives into leadership roles.

She initially joined the federation in 1990 but left for a stint with the now-defunct Motor Freight Carriers Association, which represented large, unionized less-than-truckload carriers.

Duckworth, the controller, has worked for ATA for 15 years. A certified public accountant, he came to ATA from the Association of American Railroads, where he worked for 10 years.

In addition to monitoring cash flow, Duckworth said he has spent more than a decade working on several upgrades to the organization’s use of financial and accounting software, getting it to do more work in a more user-friendly fashion.

Perkins has been at ATA since 1998, specializing in human resources issues for the federation’s employees, about 180 people. Her responsibilities have expanded from human resources to include building operations and oversight for the association’s real estate.

She has more than 30 years of experience in trade associations and serves on several compensation and benefits panels. Perkins is a member of four national associations concerning human resources or trade associations.

“It is my belief that this team will help implement ATA’s strategic plan and continually strive to make ATA stronger in their advocacy, communications and operations efforts on behalf of our members,” Graves said.