Tom McGee has stepped down from his role as president and CEO of the Inter-industry Conference on Auto Collision Repair (I-CAR), sparking a reorganization of the responsibilities of I-CAR and the I-CAR Education Foundation.

Although he left for personal reasons, at the request of the Executive Committee of the I-CAR Board of Directors, McGee has agreed to remain with I-CAR to serve as the Director of Industry Relations and Product Operations.

“I have been very fortunate to have had the opportunity to serve the I-CAR organization in many different capacities, most recently as president and CEO. While my personal situation has necessitated the need to step down from my current role, I am very pleased to have been provided by the I-CAR Executive Committee with the opportunity to remain with the organization in a capacity that I believe will allow me to continue to contribute to the organization and its future within the collision industry,” stated McGee.

Following McGee’s decision to step down from the role of president and CEO, the Chairman of the Board of Directors of I-CAR International John Edelen and the Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the I-CAR Education Foundation Chris Evans announced a re-organization which will streamline operations bring increased focus and align resources around industry market segments and activities.

Evans advised, “The  re-focusing of the I-CAR Education Foundation on the philanthropic activities in support of inter-industry technical training and development is consistent with the intent of our founders.

“In addition, having the interests of the education market fully represented in I-CAR International’s content development and training delivery priorities and decisions will ensure that the efficient and effective servicing of the training needs of the Education segment will continue.”

Earlier this year, the I-CAR Education Foundation’s Board of Trustees approved a plan to re-focus the I-CAR Foundation on fundraising, grant activity, and scholarships. As a consequence of this re-positioning, the Education segment, which has long been served by the Education Foundation, is migrating to I-CAR International.

In anticipation of the migration of the Education segment, I-CAR International has undertaken an evaluation of its organization and, as a result, is restructuring to provide more direct alignment and linkage to the industry segments that it serves.

“The rapidly increasing pace of change in vehicle design and manufacture has a direct impact on I-CAR,” noted Edelen. “As vehicle design and materials drive new and more complex repair techniques and technologies, I-CAR needs to be better positioned to identify and address the training needs of the inter-industry that are associated with these developments. The inter-industry needs a more focused, forward-looking, nimble and responsive I-CAR.”