Outgoing GC Jennifer Hall Assumes New Leadership Role at AASHTO
Arlington, Virginia -- Today, American Trucking Associations announced Richard Pianka will become the federation’s new general counsel and executive vice president for legal affairs. He will assume the role previously held by Jennifer Hall, who now heads to the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials to serve as the organization’s general counsel and chief of staff.
“We thank Jennifer for five outstanding years of service to America’s trucking industry,” said ATA President and CEO Chris Spear. “Her tenure has been filled with significant victories – from helping secure federal regulatory preemption for motor carriers engaged in interstate commerce, to spearheading a nationwide lawsuit abuse reform campaign to protect truckers from predatory litigation. We’re grateful her new position will enable her to continue making a positive impact for the hardworking men and women in trucking who keep our economy moving forward.”
Pianka is being promoted after serving as ATA’s deputy general counsel and chief counsel of the ATA Litigation Center, where he currently directs the association’s litigation strategy on critical issues such as truck-only tolling in Rhode Island federal COVID vaccine and testing mandates and state regulatory overreach. He’ll continue to lead the Litigation Center in his new role in addition to overseeing all legal affairs for ATA.
“The legal arena has proven a critically important venue for many of our Tier One priority issues, thanks in large part to the wise counsel of Rich,” said Spear. “He is an accomplished attorney and fierce advocate who will continue to tirelessly fight for our members in this expanded role. We look forward to him building upon that record of success at ATA in the months and years ahead.”
Pianka received his J.D. from the Georgetown University Law Center in 2005. He also holds an M.A. from the University of Texas at Austin and a B.A. from Princeton University. Prior to joining ATA, he practiced general and appellate litigation at national law firms in D.C., and served as clerk to Chief Judge Danny J. Boggs of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit.