The Auto Body Association of Texas (ABAT), formed in 2014, announced that it has named Jill Tuggle as their full-time executive director.

“We are very excited to welcome Jill as the Auto Body Association of Texas Executive Director,” said ABAT President Burl Richards. “We knew we had reached a point where we needed someone to ‘direct’ the operation.”

Tuggle comes to ABAT with a solid background in the automotive/collision industry. She started her automotive career in 2003 as a customer service representative delivering wheels and tires to collision centers in the Dallas/Fort Worth area. After a few years of hard work and “brake dust-covered hands,” she moved into sales and marketing for that company. Her next step was starting her own company working specifically with collision centers, marketing to agents and managing promotional events. She has been an advocate of ABAT since its inception, and was instrumental in the success of the first Texas Auto Body Trade Show.

“Jill is bringing new ideas and enthusiasm to our association,” said Kevin Ellison, ABAT Board member. “She is already in constant communication with the board – she definitely is firing everybody up.”

Added Tuggle, “I am excited to see the momentum continue to grow. One of the most inspirational things I have seen in my career is the way these guys have knocked down their walls of competition and have started to work together and communicate to make our industry better. My vision for ABAT is to grow our association and be a unified voice for Texas. We will bring education, government affairs, communication, industry networking and have fun doing it. I want to bring energy and consistent communication to the table.”

Tuggle and her husband, Ryan, have two children, Reagan 8, and Judd, 4. They enjoy all of the outdoor activities that Texas has to offer. Tuggle also serves on the leadership team for Valiant Hearts, a ministry that combats human trafficking. She can be reached at [email protected].