As the National Independent Automobile Dealers Association elevated Steve Jordan to the position of chief executive officer, NIADA also announced Shaun Petersen — who has served as outside regulatory counsel since 2012 — will join the association staff on a full-time basis.

Officials said Petersen will become NIADA’s senior vice president of legal and government affairs effective Jan. 1.

The announcements were made this week during the NIADA National Leadership Conference and Legislative Summit at the Omni Shoreham Hotel in Washington, D.C.

Petersen is a former Ohio deputy attorney general who has done extensive legal work in the automotive industry. He has been working with NIADA on regulatory and compliance issues as a partner with the Ohio law firm of Mac Murray, Petersen & Shuster.

“My obligation to the association is to identify the best talent around and bring those people into the fold,” Jordan said. “Certainly, we appreciate the hard work and progress Shaun has made in helping us grow our voice here in Washington with federal regulators.

“He’s doing a phenomenal job, and I'm excited to have him join the team full time,” Jordan continued.

 Petersen will continue his duties in helping shape NIADA's policies regarding legislative and regulatory issues and establishing relationships with governmental entities, and will add the role of general counsel for the association.

“I’m really excited about the opportunity,” Petersen said. “The regulatory, legislative and public policy aspects of the used car industry are getting more attention than ever, so it’s vital to have a full-time presence to manage those affairs and ensure we’re minding the shop.

“The past four years on a part-time basis have been fantastic. I'm looking forward to doing it as a full-time job,” added Petersen, who along with Jordan will be panelists during the East Coast Conference hosted by the National Alliance of Buy-Here, Pay-Here Dealers. The conference begins on Tuesday in Orlando, Fla.

Meanwhile, the association highlighted Jordan was named CEO by a unanimous vote of the NIADA executive committee at its recent meeting. He joined NIADA in 2011 as chief operating officer and took over the association’s operations as executive vice president in 2013 when Michael Linn retired as CEO to become CEO emeritus.

As CEO, the association indicated Jordan will remain in charge of NIADA's day-to-day operations as well as heading the association's direction and priorities for the future.

“Our intention from the beginning was always to phase Steve into the CEO job,” said NIADA Region II vice president Henry Mullinax, a member of the executive committee. “That process has now come to fruition.

“Steve’s done a fantastic job. He’s the future of NIADA,” Mullinax continued. “He’s made decisions that have moved us forward tremendously, like coming here to Washington. Given where the industry is right now, that is probably the most important decision we’ve made. And that’s because of Steve Jordan. He’s established his leadership and his ability and has been a tremendous asset for us.”

Along with appearing at NABD’s upcoming event, Jordan also will be representing NIADA at Used Car Week, which runs from Nov. 16-20 at the Phoenician in Scottsdale, Ariz. NIADA is one of Used Car Week’s industry partners, and Jordan will be part of the National Remarketing Conference during a session titled, “The National Panel: Opportunities and Hurdles Facing the American Used Car Industry in 2016.”