AutoNation Inc. has added the first academic and second woman to its board, continuing its strategy of having a board composed entirely of outside directors under CEO Mike Jackson.
Jacqueline Travisano, executive vice president for business and finance and COO at the University of Miami, was to the dealership group's at the 2018 annual meeting of stockholders on April 19.
From 2011 to 2017, Travisano, 48, was executive vice president and COO of Nova Southeastern University in Fort Lauderdale.
"I have had the experience of managing a work force with thousands of employees in various different locations with numerous stakeholders," Travisano told Automotive News. The shareholders of AutoNation are different from the shareholders of a university, "but at its core, it's the customers and employees who need to believe in the value of their employer, of their investments. There is a large distinction between the automotive industry and higher education, but operationally there are a lot of ties you can assimilate and bind."
Nova Southeastern ties
Travisano's skill set and strategic vision will help tackle some of the challenges in auto retail, Jackson said.
The business school at Nova Southeastern is named after AutoNation founder Wayne Huizenga. He was also a trustee emeritus of the university. Jackson also is on Nova Southeastern's board of trustees, where he met Travisano.
Outside expertise
Travisano was drawn to the diversity of AutoNation's board, which has been composed of outside directors for at least five years.
"It's a tremendous asset," she said. "You have outside eyes providing input into the strategy of the company. You have various diverse thought leaders coming from different backgrounds."
AutoNation's Drive Pink mission also aligns with Travisano's fundraising efforts. "There has been a tie there for many years," she said.
The University of Miami 's Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center has been one of the beneficiaries of the Drive Pink initiative. Travisano was also involved in Nova Southeastern's Center for Collaborative Research and Nova Southeastern's AutoNation Institute for Breast and Solid Tumor Cancer Research.
AutoNation, of Fort Lauderdale, ranks No. 1 on Automotive News' list of the top 150 dealership groups based in the U.S. with retail sales of 329,116 new vehicles in 2017.
You can reach Hannah Lutz at hlutz@crain.com -- Follow Hannah on Twitter: @hm_lutz