The National Auto Auction Association announced the appointment of Frank Hackett as the association’s new executive director, effective Oct. 22. The announcement was made at the association’s 56th Annual Convention and Expo held on Sept. 29-Oct. 3, in Nashville. Frank is the current executive director for the American Society of Law Enforcement Training. He was selected from a list of eight finalists. The search to fill the open executive director position was conducted by Korn/Ferry International and members of NAAA’s executive director search team.

The 2004 Annual Convention and Expo, which was held at the Opryland Hotel, attracted almost 1,400 attendees and the Expo featured 52 exhibitors, of which 21 were first-time exhibitors.

The new officers and board members for NAAA are:

President: Jim DesRochers

President-Elect: Tom Caruso

Vice President: Gregg Kobell

Secretary: Jake Hershey

Treasurer: Patty Stanley

Chairman of the Board: Tony Long

Board member: Dave Angelicchio

Board member: Tammy Sullivan

Board member: Bob Hubregsen

Board member: Jerry Hinton

The NAAA also featured a series of silent auctions at its annual convention to initially fund its Scholastic Foundation, which offers scholarships to students whose families are associated with the NAAA and its members. Eligible scholarship recipients are full-time employees of corporate offices and member auctions, their children, and grandchildren who have completed high school or are high school seniors or full-time undergraduate students. Only the first 200 applications received, postmarked Feb. 1, 2005 or earlier, will be accepted. Scholarship applications are available through the NAAA office and on the organization’s Web site - www.naaa.com/.

Charles Nicholls of Frederickburg, Vir., was awarded the 2004 recipient of the Bernie Hart Auctioneer of the Year Award. Nicholls received his training at the Reish School of Auctioneering (now the World Wide College of Auctioneering) in Mason City, Iowa. He established the Nicholls Auction Company in Fredericksburg in 1970, and auctioneers weekly for several auto auctions.

Tom Bruce was awarded the Pioneer of the Year Award. He started in business in 1938 with his father P.L. Bruce to found P.L. Bruce & Company. He took over the business in 1964 when his father passed away. Bruce retired in 1987.

The 2005 Annual Convention and Expo will be held in Scottsdale, Ariz., at the J.W. Marriott Desert Ridge Hotel on Sept. 21-25, 2005.