The Collision Repair Education Foundation (CREF) announced that Christen Battaglia has joined CREF as director of strategic partnerships.

As a member of the leadership team reporting to Clark Plucinski, executive director, Battaglia will assist in growing the organization’s financial supporters, while assisting the organization in ensuring high school and college collision programs are fully engaged with support opportunities.

Over the past several years, CREF has evolved from securing and distributing industry support for high school and college collision programs to connecting students with industry employers. With the addition of Battaglia, CREF can better work towards addressing the industry’s critical issue of recruiting for its pipeline.

“We are thrilled to have Christen on the team,” said Plucinski. “Her automotive industry background and continued work with technical schools across the country will help bring the foundation to another level. As the industry is in high demand of quality entry-level staff, Christen will be working closely with the foundation staff, industry partners and career and technical education to ensure the industry has high caliber collision programs producing career ready employees on day one.”

Before joining the Foundation, Battaglia was most recently with ASE/NATEF as director of Alliance Partner Engagement. Prior to that role, she was corporate development officer with SkillsUSA.

For information on how to donate to programs supported by CREF, visit www.CollisionEducationFoundation.org.