Hoffman Estates, Ill. (August 2026) –
The Collision Repair Education Foundation (CREF) is excited to welcome Amanda Valmonte, Business Development Manager for PPG Automotive Refinish, to its Board of Trustees.
“We are honored to welcome Amanda Valmonte to our Board,” shares Brenda Hogen, Chair of CREF’s Board of Trustees. “Her extensive experience and dedication to the collision industry will be invaluable as we continue to advance our mission.”
As a collision industry strategist and business development leader, Valmonte has spent more than 16 years building connections across nearly every corner of the collision industry. From dealership operations and vehicle auctions to global manufacturing, she’s worked alongside repair businesses, distributors, OEM partners and industry organizations to drive strategic growth, advance innovative solutions across the evolving collision repair landscape and help transform relationships into long-term opportunities for growth.
But ask Valmonte what matters most, and the conversation quickly shifts from business strategies to people. “I’m passionate about developing the industry’s future workforce and creating opportunities that strengthen the collision repair profession,” she shares. “The collision industry has given me so much throughout my career. Serving on the CREF Board is an opportunity to give back by helping create stronger pathways for the next generation. If we want this industry to thrive, we have to invest in the students, schools and educators who are preparing tomorrow’s professionals.”
That passion for cultivating future talent extends beyond her day job. An active member of the Women’s Industry Network (WIN), Valmonte is a strong advocate for mentorship, representation and creating more leadership opportunities for women in collision repair. Whether she’s introducing two people who should know each other or helping organizations work toward shared goals, she’s driven by the belief that “building meaningful partnerships and connecting people around a common purpose” move the industry forward.
“Real progress happens when education and industry stop operating in separate lanes,” she emphasizes. “When educators, businesses and industry leaders collaborate, students graduate with more than technical skills – they graduate with confidence, connections and a clearer vision of what’s possible, ensuring a skilled, innovative and sustainable future workforce.”
As a member of the Collision Repair Education Foundation’s Board of Trustees, Valmonte hopes to help strengthen those connections, ensuring students have access to the resources, support and opportunities needed to build rewarding careers while helping secure the future of the collision repair profession.
“I’m honored to be part of an organization that’s making a tangible difference and creating meaningful opportunities for the future of collision repair,” Valmonte expresses. “Every student we support today becomes part of the future workforce our industry depends on tomorrow.”
Industry members interested in getting involved and supporting the Collision Repair Education Foundation’s efforts to assist high school and college collision repair training programs can Contact Us to learn about the many ways to get involved. Monetary donations can be made online, or sign up for The Donation Exchange to easily provide in-kind resources that collision repair schools and students desperately need.
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The Collision Repair Education Foundation, founded in 1991, is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to supporting collision repair educational programs, schools and students to create qualified, entry-level employees and connect them with an array of career opportunities. For information on how to donate to programs supported by the Education Foundation, visit us online at: www.CollisionRepairEducationFoundation.org.
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If you would like more information about this topic or any of CREF’s initiatives, please email info@ed-foundation.org.