President & CEO, Kathleen Schmatz
Kathleen Schmatz, MAAP
President and CEO
Automotive Aftermarket Industry Association
Kathleen Schmatz is president and chief executive officer of the Automotive Aftermarket Industry Association (AAIA).
Before being named president and CEO on Jan. 1, 2004, Schmatz served as executive vice president. She joined AAIA after 30 years with Babcox, a leader in aftermarket communication services. Schmatz is a nationally-recognized advocate of the automotive aftermarket and a sought-after speaker and presenter. She is frequently interviewed by the media, appearing on the NBC "Today" Show, MSNBC and in The New York Times.
Schmatz was selected to receive the 2009 Women Who Advance Excellence in Associations Award by the American Society of Association Executives (ASAE) and the Center for Association Leadership’s Greater Washington Network.
In 2007, Schmatz received an honorary doctor of laws, honoris causa, from Northwood University. In 2006 she was named to the prestigious Committee of 100 by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. The Committee is comprised of the leading association chief executives.
In 2006, she received the SEMA Businesswomen’s Network Woman of the Year. Other recent recognitions include: the Martin Fromm “Lifetime Achievement Award” from the Automotive Warehouse Distributors Association, the “Aftermarket Woman of the Year Award” from the Women’s Board of the Car Care Council and the “Distinguished Woman’s Award” from Northwood University.
Schmatz is a Trustee of the Industry Fund; a board member of the Aftermarket Foundation; and a board member of the Coalition for Auto Repair Equality.
Schmatz has served as an officer of the Auto International Association, the Automotive Communication Council and was founding president of the Car Care Council Women’s Board. She has also contributed as a curriculum advisor to Northwood University and as chair of AAIA’s Marketing Communications Committee.
Schmatz received her master’s degree in mass media communications from The University of Akron and her bachelor’s degree from Kent State University.