Peter K. Welch

President and CEO

National Automobile Dealers Association

Peter Welch is the President and CEO of the National Automobile Dealers Association (NADA) and has held that position since February 2013.  NADA is a national trade association that represents the interests of over 16,500 franchised new car and truck dealer members that employ over 1.1 million Americans.  Last year, NADA members sold 17.8 million new cars and trucks and 14.9 million used vehicles.  They also completed 315 million repair orders, 75 million warranty repairs and generated total revenue of $995 billion.  Mr. Welch also heads up the American Truck Division (ATD) of NADA, whose 1,800 members sell and service commercial trucks.

Prior to joining NADA, Mr. Welch was the President and CEO of the California New Car Dealers Association (CNCDA), the nation’s largest state association of franchised new car and truck dealers.   During his tenure at CNCDA, Mr. Welch oversaw and influenced the enactment and promulgation of a myriad of California statutes and regulations affecting consumer protection rights, greenhouse gas and environmental issues, motor vehicle franchising, and licensing issues related to vehicle manufacturers, distributors and dealers.  In 2004, Mr. Welch served as the chief financial officer of an initiative committee that successfully passed Proposition 204, a ballot initiative that reformed California’s unfair competition laws.

Prior to joining CNCDA, Mr. Welch was a partner with a Los Angeles law firm and concentrated his practice on litigation matters involving automotive financing, commercial transactions and insolvency.

A native of Detroit, Michigan, Mr. Welch holds a bachelor degree from the University of Michigan, a master degree from the University of Durham, England, and a juris doctor degree from Loyola Marymount University of Law, Los Angeles.  Mr. Welch is a member of numerous industry trade organizations and is a member of the board of directors of the Automotive Hall of Fame.