ASA Executive Director Ray Fisher has resigned, numerous industry sources confirmed to Ratchet+Wrench. Fisher has served in his role as executive director and president of ASA since January 2019.
ASA Vice President of Regional Service Blair Calvo will serve as the Interim Executive Director, an ASA spokesperson confirmed Thursday. Calvo could not immediately be reached for comment.
Fisher could also not be reached for comment, despite numerous attempts for confirmation over the last week. According to Fisher’s LinkedIn page, his tenure ended in November.
The reasons for Fisher’s resignation remain unknown. However he said the following on his LinkedIn page:
“Accomplished what I had hoped and I am grateful to the staff I led for their tireless dedication through so much—we did a great deal together to move forward,” Fisher’s LinkedIn reads. “I hired my replacement in October of 2019, she will definitely do well with a consistent direction without distractions—ASA is in good hands! Me, I continue to be blessed and I am looking forward to the next chapter in life and will take a little time at our house in Michigan.”
This news comes just shortly after senior executive, ASA Vice President Tony Molla, announced his retirement from the organization. Molla was briefly honored during the organization’s annual MSO Symposium, which was held November 1 at Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas.
Molla has spent the last six years in his current role with ASA. Prior to that, he spent 15 years as the vice president of communication for the National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence.
In a previous conversation with Ratchet+Wrench, Molla emphasized that he made the decision during the summer, independent of ASA’s recent changes and announcements. He also praised Calvo, who he felt was equipped to help begin the process of modernizing ASA in his absence.
In September, ASA announced a change to its membership model that would dissolve the current regional structure. It was met with scrutiny and caused some shakeups within the association, including several regional affiliates to disaffiliate and join the Midwest Auto Care Alliance group.
Fisher spoke with Ratchet+Wrench’s sister publication, FenderBender, in September after the membership model change was announced.
“We’re at a spot where we need to look at not just a year or five years from now, but well beyond that and what’s going to be the best way to represent our members,” he said.
In the interview, Fisher also revealed membership has decreased over the last three years but has stabilized over the past 18 months. At the time of the interview, ASA had just under 2,200 members, Fisher said.
