President - Kelly Kussman
Kelly Kussman gained specialized post-secondary education and training in Arizona at Universal Technical Institute as a Diesel Mechanic. After trade school he worked as a Mechanic for Seattle a car dealership for eight years, another six and a half years at the fleet shop for Safeway where he utilized skills to maintain and repair warehouse support equipment, transport refrigeration, semi tractors and their trailers. He then had short stint for a local demolition contractor as an on-site mechanic. In 1997 he started his career with Issaquah where he progressed from being the only swing shift mechanic to a Heavy equipment mechanic, Shop Supervisor and has been the Fleet Manager there since 2012. He has lived in Washington since 1970 and since 1992 has resided in Duvall.
Vice President - Kerry Jones
Kerry started his career with the City of Yakima in 2005 after seven years in the private dealership world. He spent the first six years on the evening shift as a Mechanic before being promoted to evening shift supervisor (Mechanic II). In 2014, Kerry was promoted to Equipment Supervisor and in April of 2020, at the start of COVID times, was promoted to Fleet and Facilities Manager. As a younger Manager looking for advice, wisdom, and Kerry found PFMA to be a valuable resource. The diverse people and backgrounds in this organization are what make it so unique and give it so much strength.
Treasurer - Jason Alvord
Currently I am the Fleet Manger for Yakima County, WA.
The best training experiences and information come from within a group of such knowledgeable and amazing people. The resources, friendships, and insights that PFMA along with Eastern Washington County Fleet Managers has made my professional career an exciting, energized, and engaging position. - and I would love to continue my passion of being a resource, communicator, and engaged learner of such an excellent organization.
The understanding and operations of fleet and how it relates to practical everyday operations come from working in the front lines of the Construction trade; being an excellent listener, understanding financial planning, operating/owning three private businesses that employ over fourteen people, and attending CWU in Construction Management and Business Administration.
From the early 90’s working for Central Pre-Mix, - Oldcastle Corporation (Concrete/Asphalt/Mining); to becoming a Road Supervisor for Yakima County from the early 2000’s then transitioning to Fleet manager in 2015; my past experiences along with being connected to such excellent groups- accelerated my efficiency and aptitude to bring Yakima County to the front lines of technology, communication, and efficiency in fleet operations.
.jpg)
Training Officer - Dan Zenger
Currently I am the Fleet Services Superintendent with the City of Vancouver. I have been in the fleet industry for over 30 years. During these years have been an active member of various fleet organizations, American Public Works Association (APWA), Public Fleet Managers Association (PFMA), Columbia-Willamette Clean Cities and NAFA Fleet Management Association where I served as the Pacific Northwest chapter secretary and chapter chair for 6 years.
As a tenured fleet professional, I’m aware of the many changes facing Technicians/Mechanics as public fleets transition away from traditional fuel sources and address the increased complexity of these vehicle’s systems. One of the large benefits from being a member of PFMA is having access to a variety of training events for both fleet professionals and their staff.
Information Officer - Brent Riffel
Brent is the Maintenance Training Coordinator who manages all training needs, logistics, safety training, technical data and curriculum for 170+ maintenance personnel spanning Fleet, Facilities, Radio, and Warehouse at Pierce Transit in Lakewood, WA. Previously, he spent a full career in the aviation maintenance field with the U.S. Air Force. While he started out turning wrenches and became a Journeyman on various types of aircraft, the latter portion of his Air Force career was in advanced level aircraft systems training which led to a passion for career continuation in training and education in the transit maintenance industry. Brent is married and has three daughters. They’ve lived in the Tacoma area for 23 years.
Secretary - Tanya Taylor
Tanya has been the City of Tukwila’s Fleet & Facility Services Divisions’ sole Administrative Specialist (Analyst) since 2004. She earned a bachelor’s degree in Accounting with a Minor in Public Administration in 2013. Prior to working for the City of Tukwila, Tanya’s work experience spanned industries such as hospitality & travel, electrical utility construction, software support, aerospace/in-flight entertainment and even a brief time working for Dale Chihuly, the glass artist. Born and raised in Southern Arizona, Tanya moved to the area in 1991. She now resides in the East Renton Highlands with her husband and two kids.