The National Automobile Dealers Association has elected Ohio dealer Rhett Ricart as its next vice chairman, meaning Ricart is in line to become chairman in 2020.

Ricart, 61, president and CEO of Ricart Automotive Group in Groveport, Ohio, near Columbus, and who represents new-car dealers in Ohio on NADA's board, will be vice chairman in 2019.

"I am deeply honored to serve as NADA vice chairman and look forward to working with our accomplished NADA board and the extremely talented NADA staff," said Ricart, whose dealership group includes Ford, Hyundai, Kia, Mazda, Mitsubishi and Nissan franchises.

FROM OUR ARCHIVE: Ohio dealer Rhett Ricart put staff first, taught them to make the most of opportunities

Texas dealer Charlie Gilchrist, 62, was elected chairman for 2019 during the association's board meeting Tuesday in Newport Beach, Calif.

The 2019 terms begin in late January at the NADA Show 2019 in San Francisco.

Ricart chairs the NADA Regulatory Affairs Committee. His father, Paul Ricart, founded Ricart Ford in 1955, and Rhett Ricart and his brother Fred took over ownership of the dealership in 1982. Today, the dealership group employs more than 560 people and sells more than 16,000 new and used vehicles a year.

Gilchrist, currently NADA vice chairman who represents dealers from North Texas on NADA's board, will take over for Wes Lutz, president of Extreme Dodge-Chrysler-Jeep-Ram in Jackson, Mich. Gilchrist is president of SouthWest Ford in Weatherford, Texas, and of Gilchrist Automotive, which includes Buick-GMC, Chevrolet, Chrysler-Dodge-Jeep-Ram, Ford, Nissan, Mitsubishi and Volkswagen franchises in the Dallas-Fort Worth market.

Gilchrist said he is looking forward to advocating for all new-car dealerships.

"We are facing many challenges, but we will also have many opportunities as we journey throughout the year," Gilchrist said. "With each dealer's involvement and the great NADA team, we can navigate and adapt to any challenge in our industry."

Bill Willis and Bob Shuman were re-elected to their posts as secretary and treasurer, respectively. Willis is president of Willis Chevrolet-Buick and Willis Ford in Smyrna, Del., while Shuman is president of Shuman Chrysler-Dodge-Jeep-Ram in Walled Lake, Mich.