LEESBURG, Va. — The Board of Directors of the National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence (ASE) has announced several staff changes within the organization. The board has named COO/CFO Tim Zilke to succeed Ron Weiner, ASE’s President and CEO for 25 years, effective Jan. 1, 2008. Zilke, the current COO/CFO, is a 15-year veteran of ASE.

“This transition period will ensure that the company has a smooth transfer of leadership, and Ron will continue in a consulting role for a time beyond 2008,” says ASE Board of Directors Chairman Stan Elmore.

Zilke was born in Deerfield, Mich., and has a strong commitment to the automotive industry. He joined ASE in 1991 as VP CFO and has been a key member of the ASE management team since then. He was promoted to Senior VP/CFO in 1997, and named COO/CFO in 2003.

“In addition to Tim’s knowledge and experience, he will inherit a strong senior management team, which includes Trish Serratore, Mike Coley, Chuck Kunce and Tony Molla,” says Elmore.

“Under Ron's leadership, ASE has enjoyed tremendous growth and earned a prestigious reputation within the occupational testing industry,” says Stan Elmore, ASE board chairman. “Ron has developed a great team that will step up to fill his shoes and drive ASE into the future without missing a beat. He has agreed to remain available to assist ASE as a consultant.”

Other changes within the organization include the promotion of Trish Serratore to Senior Vice President and the extension of Bill Kersten’s tenure as President of the National Automotive Technicians Education Foundation (NATEF). Originally set to retire in 2008, Kersten has agreed to remain in his position to continue the work he began in 2005.

Serratore is an 18-year veteran of ASE and works with the various segments of the automotive industry including vehicle manufacturers, parts companies, trade associations and other groups to enhance industry support for ASE’s entire voluntary technician and parts specialist testing certification programs. She also coordinates special industry projects and activities and can be seen at the industry's numerous shows and events. She received the Automotive Hall of Fame’s Young Leadership and Excellence Award in 1994 and Akzo Nobel selected her as one of the most influential women in the collision repair industry in 2000. She is a member of the International Motor Press Association, the Certification Network Group and Association of Women in Communications.

Kersten was appointed NATEF in 2005, and prior to that he served as Senior Vice-President, Operations with ASE. He has been with ASE since June 1979 and in that time oversaw ASE’s growth from 16 exams to 47 tests in 10 different service areas. In addition, he facilitated the development of the task lists and standards for program certification through the NATEF evaluation process.