Nine fleet professionals have been nominated for the 2026 Edward J. Bobit Professional Fleet Manager of the Year Award, Automotive Fleet's annual recognition honoring fleet leaders who demonstrate excellence in leadership, innovation, operational performance, and service to the profession.

Now in its 24th year, the award recognizes fleet managers who have made significant contributions to their organizations and the fleet industry through measurable business results, strategic leadership, and a commitment to advancing the profession.

The 2026 nominees represent organizations spanning financial services, healthcare, pharmaceuticals, facilities management, home services, and distribution. Together, they oversee tens of thousands of vehicles and have led initiatives ranging from fleet electrification and safety improvements to lifecycle management, vehicle standardization, and operational transformation.

Amy McAdams, Diebold Nixdorf

Amy McAdams serves as fleet manager at Diebold Nixdorf, where she oversees a fleet of approximately 2,700 vehicles supporting the company's field service operations. With more than 18 years of fleet experience, she has led initiatives focused on supply chain planning, fleet standardization, and routing optimization. In 2025, McAdams helped the company avoid approximately $500,000 in upfitting costs by accelerating procurement ahead of anticipated tariffs while redesigning the company's upfit specifications to improve remarketing and residual values. She also serves on the NAFA Board of Directors and is a founding member of the Work Truck Editorial Advisory Board.

David Hayward, ABM Industries

David Hayward, CAFM, is director of fleet management at ABM Industries, where he oversees enterprise fleet strategy, governance, safety initiatives, supplier management, and lifecycle planning for one of the industry's largest decentralized commercial fleets. Since joining ABM in 2022, Hayward has led initiatives that improved collision performance, expanded telematics and AI camera deployment, automated fleet workflows, and strengthened vehicle replacement planning. He also helped transition the company toward a factory-order acquisition strategy and vehicle pool model designed to improve fleet availability while reducing acquisition costs.

Dominika Leja, AstraZeneca

Dominika Leja is associate director of fleet at AstraZeneca and has more than 20 years of fleet leadership experience across procurement, supplier management, and strategic fleet operations. She has led one of the pharmaceutical industry's largest fleet electrification initiatives, overseeing the transition of more than 6,000 U.S. fleet vehicles to battery-electric models. Under her leadership, AstraZeneca achieved full fleet electrification by the end of 2025 while supporting charging infrastructure deployment, driver adoption, and cross-functional collaboration. The initiative has reduced fuel consumption, lowered emissions, and established a framework for large-scale EV adoption.

Jason Grubbs, Apex Service Partners

Jason Grubbs has led fleet initiatives at Apex Service Partners focused on improving vehicle acquisition, deployment, and standardization across the company's growing network of HVAC, plumbing, and electrical businesses. He developed a national bailment program that shifted a significant portion of vehicle purchases from stock inventory to factory orders while creating a geographically distributed inventory of pre-upfitted vehicles. The strategy reduced acquisition costs, improved fleet readiness, and accelerated vehicle deployment while supporting continued organizational growth.

Jen VrMeer, Becton, Dickinson and Company

Jen VrMeer is senior manager of sales operations at Becton, Dickinson and Company (BD), where she oversees a fleet of more than 2,500 vehicles serving sales and service professionals across the United States and Canada. With more than 18 years of fleet experience, she has led initiatives that improved safety, driver satisfaction, operational efficiency, and fleet governance. Under her leadership, BD's fleet has consistently reduced accident rates while generating millions of dollars in savings and cost avoidance through process improvements, lease optimization, maintenance automation, and supplier management.

Linda Ellis, UCB

Linda Ellis serves as fleet lead for the Americas within Global Procurement at UCB, overseeing nearly 1,000 vehicles across North and South America. She has more than 20 years of experience in fleet management, procurement, and strategic sourcing. Ellis has led UCB's fleet sustainability strategy, helping the organization reach a green powertrain mix exceeding 95% while reducing fleet carbon emissions and improving fuel efficiency. She has also implemented fleet rightsizing initiatives, strengthened supplier partnerships, and expanded driver engagement programs to support the company's long-term electrification goals.

Mikhaila Baldwin, Fleet Manager, GE Vernova North America | Element Fleet Management

Mikhaila Baldwin, currently with Element Fleet Management, was nominated for her work leading fleet operations at CoolSys, where she managed a fleet of approximately 2,300 vehicles. During her tenure, Baldwin implemented initiatives that reduced fuel spending, improved vehicle availability, and strengthened collaboration between vendors, fleet partners, and field teams. She also contributed to sourcing strategy, lease optimization, and planning while supporting leadership development through industry mentorship and service on the Work Truck Editorial Advisory Board. Baldwin received three separate nominations for the award.

Ron McGuigan, TurnPoint Services

Ron McGuigan is director of fleet at TurnPoint Services, overseeing a fleet of more than 5,250 vehicles supporting residential HVAC, plumbing, and electrical businesses across more than 30 states. Since joining the company, he has helped standardize vehicle specifications, upfits, safety equipment, and fleet processes while supporting rapid growth through acquisitions. McGuigan has also strengthened supplier partnerships and factory-order planning to improve fleet scalability and operational consistency, while sharing best practices as a speaker at industry events.

Thurman Register, Breakthru Beverage Group

Thurman Register leads enterprise fleet strategy for Breakthru Beverage Group, where he oversees approximately 1,500 vehicles across a multi-state distribution network. Drawing on more than 30 years of fleet experience, Register has focused on centralizing fleet operations, improving lifecycle planning, strengthening maintenance governance, and implementing standardized vehicle specifications. He is also leading efforts to integrate fleet data, telematics, fuel, and maintenance information into a unified platform to improve operational visibility and decision-making.

The recipient of the 2026 Edward J. Bobit Professional Fleet Manager of the Year Award will be announced during the AFLA Corporate Fleet Conference, taking place Sept. 27-30 in Las Vegas.

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