The Piston Foundation Expands Its Board of Directors

GREENWICH, CONN. (OCTOBER 9, 2024) – The Piston Foundation, whose mission is to help more young people become collector car technicians, has expanded its board of directors to add expertise and experience that will help the organization create more education and career opportunities for the next generation of skilled automotive technicians. 

The new directors have joined the board to help expand the resources and scope of the foundation’s programs. As volunteers, their work will focus on fundraising, development, and governance.

Our three new directors are lifelong car enthusiasts and accomplished professionals who bring deep experience in non-profit development, fundraising, and governance.

Clifton Fink, Alexander D. Greene, and Matt Peckham will join Robert Minnick (Chairman), Jerry Charlup (Treasurer), Jeff Mason (Secretary) and Mayo Smith (Director) on the board of the Foundation, which was founded in 2021.

Clifton Fink, of Westport, Connecticut, is a private advisor, team director of corporate retirement and managing director with Rockefeller Capital Management in New York City.

Alexander D. Greene, of Armonk, New York, has more than 40 years of corporate finance experience and presently serves as an independent member and non-executive chair of public and private company boards of directors.

Matt Peckham, of Chatham, New Jersey, is the founder of Vintage Motor Management, LLC, a portfolio management consulting firm serving classic car collectors. Prior to consulting, he started his IT career working for Apple on the Macintosh product launch, then moved to Toshiba Information Systems, and finally Dell Computer Inc. on Wall Street. 

Full bios on each of The Piston Foundation board members may be found on the Piston People page.

“Our three new directors are lifelong car enthusiasts and accomplished professionals who bring deep experience in non-profit development, fundraising, and governance,” said Jeff Mason, president and COO of The Piston Foundation.

“This is an important milestone in the growth of The Piston Foundation and a confirmation of the car community’s commitment to the next generation of skilled trade automotive professionals.”

The expanded board will work together to increase access to auto-tech education opportunities through the Piston scholarship program and connect aspiring technicians with training and job opportunities that will help them jump start rewarding careers.

“I look forward to working with Cliff, Alex, and Matt to deliver on the Piston mission,” said Robert Minnick, founder and chief executive officer of The Piston Foundation. “As a public charity, Piston serves the car community and all the young people interested in exploring careers as skilled technicians. 

“The talent, energy, and experience our new directors bring will help Piston engage every car enthusiast as an active stakeholder in the next generation of technicians, the preservation of car craft skills, and the future of the hobby.”

The Piston Foundation announced earlier this year that 20 Piston Scholarships have been awarded for 2024, for the fall semester. Since the program’s inception in 2022, The Piston Foundation has granted 53 scholarships to 37 aspiring students who are training for careers in automotive restoration, collection management, and vintage motorsports.

About The Piston Foundation

The Piston Foundation, based in Greenwich, Connecticut, is a 501(c)(3) non-profit that helps young car enthusiasts jumpstart a career as classic car technicians. Piston awards tech-school scholarships, connects aspiring technicians with jobs, and champions skilled trade careers in automotive restoration. To shift the classic car workforce from graying into growing, Piston nurtures the passion and talent of the next generation. www.pistonfoundation.org.