EVENTS

2022 Virtual Hill Day

Mar 29-31, 2022

Over three days, CVTA members from across the country participated in the 2022 CVTA Hill Day. The CVTA Hill Day team held nearly three dozen meetings with Representatives and Senators from both sides of the aisle.

CVTA members made their voice (albeit virtually) loud and clear to press for common sense solutions to fix the truck driver shortage, address state testing delays and to push back against a proposal that would exclude our training providers from participating in the WIOA program that was in H.R. 7309, the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act of 2022.

We were privileged to share our concerns with Rep. Virginia Foxx, the Ranking Member of the House Education and Labor Committee, and her colleagues on the committee along with her counterparts in the Senate that students who attend CVTA schools (and other proprietary vocational programs) have the right to receive tuition assistance under the WIOA program.

Thanks again to our Hill Day team that took the time out of their busy schedules to be our advocacy champions. CVTA will have more member-oriented advocacy programs throughout the year.

Andrew Poliakoff

Andy Poliakoff is the Executive Director for CVTA. In this role, he promotes the mission of the membership organization and implements goals set by the Board of Directors. This includes forming partnerships with external stakeholders, providing guidance and direction to the CVTA staff team, and engaging with state and federal government agencies to advance CVTA’s mission of safety and career opportunities in the truck driver training industry.

In 2021 and 2022, Andy acted as federal affairs lead for Electrify America, interacting at high levels within Congress, the U.S. Department of Transportation, the Department of Energy, and the White House. In that capacity, he played a pivotal role in the optimization of large-scale infrastructure funding at the Federal Highway Administration as part of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law

From 2019 to 2021 Andy served as Director of Gov't Affairs for CVTA and formed a strong bond with members, engaging on advocacy related to Entry-Level Driver Training, Skills Testing Delays, and Workforce funding. During the pandemic, Andy fought at the state and federal level to treat CDL training and testing as the essential services they are. He is personally invested in the important mission of CVTA's members to deliver safe training and to transform people's lives through truck driving careers.

Andy holds a bachelor's degree from Georgetown University and a law degree from the Columbus School of Law at Catholic University.

Cindy Atwood

Cindy Atwood is the Vice President at CVTA. An experienced association professional, Cindy handles all activities related to membership retention, financial accounting and committee engagement. Cindy artfully produces CVTA’s off-site biannual conferences, Hill Day operations and Board meetings, ensuring that the general membership and leadership’s necessities and wishes are met with the highest response.

An essential fixture in the truck driver training association space, Cindy manages CVTA’s Instructor Certification Program and provides critical counsel to new entrants into the truck driver training industry.

Kyle Hayes

Kyle Hayes is the Director of Government Relations at CVTA. In this role, he leads the implementation of the Association’s legislative and regulatory strategy. He is also the primary point of contact between CVTA Members and federal agencies, Congress, and state governments.

Hayes most recently led research projects that supported federal and state advocacy on healthcare and economic issues at the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, a nationally recognized research and policy institute based in Washington D.C. He received a master’s degree in public policy from American University in 2015 and graduated from the University of Georgia in 2012.