Kris Burton

The Society of Collision Repair Specialists (SCRS) has announced four nominees for its annual Board of Directors election in April.

Incumbent Kris Burton, of Rosslyn Auto Body in Virginia and current SCRS secretary, along with new nominees Ben Bowman, of Cliff’s Body Repair in New York; Kena Dacus, Dacus, of Auto Body & Collison Repair in Kansas; and Justin Lewis, of Accurate Auto Body in Washington, will be on the ballot. The election will fill four open board seats.

The election will be held April 30 at the Greater Richmond Convention Center in Richmond, Virginia from 5:30-6 p.m. immediately following the first day of the Collision Industry Conference (CIC) meetings. Only current, designated voting representatives of SCRS member businesses can attend.

To change the designated voting representatives for your company, all changes must be completed in writing using this form and received by the SCRS office before 5 p.m. EST on April 25.

During the election meeting, each nominee will address voters and share their background and experience.

Ben Bowman

Burton is the second-generation owner of Rosslyn Auto Body and has been in the collision repair industry for more than 20 years.

He has worked to transform the business into an OEM-certified, customer-focused repair facility, which currently holds over 10 OEM certifications.

Burton is also president of the Washington Metropolitan Auto Body Association (WMABA) and serves on advisory councils for collision repair programs at the local high school and community college.

Bowman told SCRS his interest in cars began at a young age, and he was born and raised in the collision industry.

He spent most of his career at Keeler Motor Car, which specialized in Mercedes-Benz, BMW, and Honda repairs, where he learned what OEMs look for in collision repair.

Bowman recently purchased Cliff’s Body Repair and is “back in the thick of things” training and helping modernize repair techniques and equipment.

Dacus has a background in accounting and a passion for the automotive industry.

Kena Dacus

She earned her bachelor’s in business administration from Wichita State University and spent several years working with numbers before joining her husband full-time at Dacus Auto Body in 2015.

Since then, she has helped manage operations across their automotive companies.

Dacus previously served as president of the Kansas Auto Body Association and remains actively involved in her industry and community.

Outside of work, she enjoys reading and spending time with her husband, Chris, and their three kids.

Lewis has been involved in collision repair since 1994 when his family first established Accurate Auto Body, and he took over operations eight years ago.

Lewis says he is working to improve industry standards and protect consumers in Washington State including as the president of the Washington Independent Collision Repairers Association (WICRA).

Lewis helped establish WICRA “to advocate for independent repair shops and ensure that consumers receive safe, high-quality repairs.”

Justin Lewis

Doing so is following in his father’s footsteps, who was an active member of the former Washington Collision Association, and his dedication inspired Lewis to fight for fair practices, consumer protection, and proper repair standards.

Over the last three years, Lewis has worked with WICRA to push for multiple industry-related bills in the Washington State Congress to protect consumers, particularly through right-to-appraisal legislation.

Per SCRS bylaws, the nomination process closed on March 16. There will be no nominations from the floor when the election is held.

Election results will be announced during the SCRS Board’s open meeting at the Convention Center on May 1 from 2-5 p.m. Non-members can attend the open board meeting.

Read the complete nominee biographies here.

Images

Featured image credit: rrmf13/iStock

All headshots provided by SCRS