Autos Drive America’s Board of Directors has selected Jennifer Safavian as its new president and CEO. Safavian is an accomplished government relations professional with two decades of policy experience both in government and in the private sector.
“Jennifer’s strong bipartisan relationships and proven track record navigating complex trade and tax policy issues makes her an outstanding choice to lead this new organization,” said Brian Krinock, senior vice president, Vehicle Plants, for Toyota Motor North America and Autos Drive America’s chairman of the board. “During these unprecedented times for our industry, we are confident she will advance our members’ goals to foster an open and competitive automotive marketplace.”
Safavian was formerly Executive Vice President for Government Affairs at the Retail Industry Leaders Association. Prior to joining the retail industry, she has spent nearly two decades on Capitol Hill. Safavian was Staff Director and General Counsel on the House Ways & Means Committee and held senior positions on other key House Committees, including Energy & Commerce and Oversight & Government Reform. Among her various accolades, Safavian was named one of the “Top Trade Association Lobbyists” by The Hill in 2019, 2018, and 2017. While a member of the congressional staff, she was named by the National Law Journal as one of the “Top 10 Lawyers on Capitol Hill” and one of the “Fabulous 50” top congressional staff members by Roll Call.
“I’m so proud to be associated with the iconic companies that have formed Autos Drive America. The investments made by our members support millions of jobs here in the United States,” said Safavian. “Our #1 priority is to ensure that America remains open for business and investment so we can bring greater prosperity to communities across the country. That can only be done by maintaining a level playing field on taxes, trade, and regulation. And this, in turn, creates good-paying American manufacturing jobs.”
Autos Drive America, a coalition originally created by the Association of Global Automakers, launched as a standalone organization on January 1, 2020. Inaugural members include American Honda Motor Co., Inc., BMW of North America, Hyundai Motor America, Kia Motors America, Inc., Mazda North American Operations, Inc., Mercedes-Benz USA, Mitsubishi Motors, Nissan North America, Inc., Subaru of America, Inc., Toyota Motor North America, Inc., Volkswagen Group of America, and Volvo Cars USA.
The Association represents the U.S. operations of international motor vehicle manufacturers and the interests of original equipment suppliers. Here For America members have invested $88 billion in U.S. based production facilities, produced nearly 5 million vehicles last year, and support more than 2.58 million U.S. jobs. The Association collaborates with policymakers at the federal and state level to educate and advocate for policies that support trade and investment rules to encourage a globally competitive U.S. auto industry. Nearly half of all vehicles produced in the U.S. are built by Americans in the plants of international automakers. Learn more at www.autosdriveamerica.org.
