NELA'S Board of Directors
Welcome to our Board of Directors page to see who is running the behind the scenes. We are grateful for all our qualified and expert members to help make NELA run smoothly. Our board is comprised of:
Executive Leadership, Directors, an Advisory Board and Vendor Directors.
Executive Leadership
Brett Barenholtz
President
CEO Above All Transportation/ Maine Limousine/ Boston Car Service/ ETS Int'l. President of the National Limousine Association (NLA). President of the New England Livery Association (NELA). Award winning services. Operator of the Year. Shuttle, sedan, SUV, executive van and bus service in over 1000 cities worldwide.
Tina Benson
2nd Vice President
Tina has been in the limousine industry since 1988, starting as a general manager and then as the owner of L.A. Limousine since 1992. What began as a one-car operation grew through her hands-on roles as chauffeur, dispatcher, and manager. A dedicated member of NELA, Tina has served on its Board of Directors for 19 years, including as 2nd Vice President and Chair of Chauffeur Appreciation Day. Passionate about the industry, she continues to contribute her experience and leadership to support NELA in tackling ongoing challenges and fostering growth.
Phone: 603-654-3899
Email
Website: LA Limousine
Brittni Kirk
Secretary
After college, Brittni left teaching to join her family's business, All Points Limousine, starting as a chauffeur. As the company grew, she transitioned to the office, helping her grandmother with expanding responsibilities and focusing on technological advancements. Brittni eventually became President, and along with her mother, Becky Laramee, grew the fleet from 12 to 27 vehicles, securing a state contract. A lifelong volunteer, Brittni is committed to supporting the black car industry and ensuring its continued relevance in transportation.
Phone: 800-400-1900
Email
Website: All Points Limousine Service
Terry Murtaugh
Treasurer
Terry began his career as a chauffeur in Boston in 1995 and worked at Commonwealth Worldwide for ten years, where he advanced from chauffeur to dispatcher, then Dispatch Manager, and finally General Manager before leaving in 2004. In late 2005, he co-founded United Private Car (formerly UCS Worldwide) with Jason Dornhoffer. He is passionate about the chauffeured transportation industry and has been involved with The New England Livery Association since 2022, serving as a board member and Treasurer since 2023.
Phone: 617-938-6522
Email
Website: United Private Car
Rick Szilagyi
Executive Director
Rick and his wife, Laurie both left Corporate America when the kids were young and they wanted to stop the relocations which came with promotions. Deciding that southern New Hampshire was “the place”, they started Lexian Management, providing services to small nonprofit organizations. The New England Livery Association was one of their early clients back in 2001. Rick has had the honor of serving as NELA’s Executive Director since then. Together with the various Boards of Directors over the years, Rick has created legislation, secured funding for operators, and served as the voice for the industry in New England.
Directors
Keith Ali
Director
Keith has worked in the chauffeured transportation industry since 2008, first working as a part-time chauffeur at BostonCoach then a full-time chauffeur at Farrell’s Limousine Service in New York City. Keith then grew into a dispatcher role in 2013, eventually growing into an Affiliate Director role at London Towncars of New York in 2014. In 2017, Keith moved from New York City to New England and joined Dav El / BostonCoach first as an Affiliate Analyst then an Affiliate Manager. Keith joined the New England Livery Association in September 2023 as a board member serving on the Membership and Quarterly committees and is looking forward to continue working and contributing to the association.
Pat Enxing
Director
Pat is the owner of Pat's Car Service out of Salem, NH. Coming from a family of business owners, he means business! Pat takes a lot of pride in his work and gives it his all in everything he does. When he is not working or serving on any of the committees on our board, he can be found spending time with his family, enjoying time with friends, catching a Bruins game, or spending time at Andover Country Club (which is owned by his grandfather). Also, he knows a guy if you need a Volvo (his father owns Volvo Cars of Exeter)!
Alicia Hayes
Director
Alicia is the second-generation CEO of American Classic Limousine, also known as ACL Transportation of Boston. After growing up in the industry and pursuing a successful 20-year career in retail management, she returned to the company that her parents founded in 1984 upon their retirement. She is an active member of her community, including as a board member of the New England Livery Association, where she serves on several committees.
Brendan McNiff
Director
Brendan has over 30 years of experience in patient/rider logistics, currently serving as COO/CFO for DPV Worldwide Inc., DPV Transportation Inc., DPV Mobile Health, and the Boston CDL School. Previously, he was part of the founding team at Roundtrip, a leading healthcare ride-ordering platform. Brendan also served 25+ years as COO for Falck US, the world’s largest ambulance provider. A Northeastern University graduate, he began his career in Emergency Medical Services and still practices as a part-time paramedic. He champions a philosophy of servant leadership in his professional roles.
Katya portnaya
Director
Katya joined the NELA Board in 2024. She is the President of Boston Carriage, Inc. She is also the Immediate Past President of the Rotary Club of Weston & Wayland, Treasurer of WBG Connects, and a Certified Master Gardener, all of which are volunteer positions. She received two official citations in 2024, one from the Commonwealth House of Representatives and one from the Massachusetts State Senate in recognition of her service and leadership. Katya brings years of Board and Volunteering experience to the NELA Board.
Denis Sema
Director
Denis brings over 10 years of driving and customer service experience to the NELA board. In 2010 he received his bachelor’s degree at a law school in Albania and then moved to the United States. He has been an owner and limousine chauffeur of Prestige Livery Service LLC in Revere, Massachusetts since 2013. He is fluent in English, Albanian and still working on perfecting his Italian. Denis has brought lots of experience to our board over the past year.
Phone: 617-766-1717
Email
Website: Prestige Livery
Richard Tessier
Director
Richard Tessier was a licensed mechanic before he started his limousine business, Great Bay Limousine. Since opening in 1999, Richard’s dedication helped the business grow; GBL is now the largest on the Seacoast, specializing in weddings and corporate events. As a former chauffeur himself, he is devoted to customer service, and making sure his customers leave with a smile on their face. He loves spending time at Lake Winnipesaukee, and going boating with his five daughters, and three grandchildren. When he’s not in the garage, overseeing the fleet, you can find him at a concert, or enjoying a good ribeye. He is dedicated to the limousine industry and helping NELA Affiliate partners.
Phone: 603-431-6490
Email
Website: Great Bay Limousine
Andrew Tighe
Director
Andrew is an energetic and passionate Operations Director with 18 years of experience in the corporate ground transportation industry. Andrew currently serves as the Director of Affiliate Relations & Partner Procurement for RMA Worldwide Chauffeured Transportation As the Director of Affiliate Relations and Partner Procurement, he oversees the sourcing of 600+ global affiliate partnerships worldwide. Andrew is proud to represent the RMA brand on the Board of Directors for the New England Livery Association over the past 11 years. He currently serves as Co-Chair of the Membership Committee. He is a certified training instructor for the Smith System of Defensive Driving and holds a Class B Commercial Driver License with passenger and air brake endorsements. Andrew is an avid soccer fan who enjoys coaching his two daughters and refereeing games at the high school level in his spare time.
Charles Wisniewski
Director
Charles has been at Teddy’s since age 16 when his parents bought the company. Charles was appointed president of the company in 1990. He was president of the National Limousine Association in 1993 and was the founding Executive Director of the trade group, Limousine Operators of Connecticut (LOC), which merged with the New England Livery Association. Charles’ strengths are in strategic management, marketing, and training. He is using those skills to revive interest by Connecticut operators into working together to mutually support each other in building sales, partnerships, and profit margins. The LOC regularly had 30-50 operators attend their quarterly meetings. Charles brought Teddy’s four Operator of the Year awards, UConn Family Business of the Year and seven-consecutive years on the Inc 5000 list of Fastest Growing Companies in America. Teddy’s will celebrate its 100th year in 2032. Charles has a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from the University of Connecticut.
Advisory Board
Tami Saccoccio
Advisory Board
Tami plays an integral role in overall day-to-day operations for Commonwealth Worldwide Executive Transportation. Prior to joining Commonwealth, Tami worked in the corporate travel industry for 13 years as a team leader. Her extensive managerial experience enables her to develop strong relationships and implement best practices and protocol with Commonwealth’s worldwide affiliate network. Tami is a recipient of the National Limousine Association/LCT Magazine Carla Boroday Humanitarian Award for her leadership in many philanthropic activities, both inside and outside of the industry.
Chris Weiss
Advisory Board
Chris Weiss is the Cofounder, President, and Publisher of Chauffeur Driven Magazine. He started his career in the chauffeured ground transportation industry in 1990, and was part of the original team that launched Limo Digest in 1991. Chris works closely with numerous industry organizations, including the National Limousine Association, and is an active Board Member of CTANJ, an Advisory Board Member of the NELA, and Cofounder of the NLA/CD Women’s Leadership Council. He has assisted many industry associations with planning events, membership and fundraising initiatives, and has played an integral role in helping associations grow and thrive. Throughout the years, Chris has attended over 400 association meetings and has visited 500+ chauffeured transportation facilities around the world. He has also conceived, planned, and executed over 35 industry shows and events. He works directly with the Show Education Committee to help design and craft all the educational content at CD/NLA’s various events.
Vendor Directors
Steve Crispo
Vendor Director
Steve has been a part of NELA for the past 20 years. He has thoroughly enjoyed serving all members in the past. Steve has extensive knowledge & expertise regarding the transportation insurance industry and the understanding of the individual New England States in regards to Federal transportation regulations as well as on a nationwide basis. Steve continues to advise and support the Board and our membership on these related issues. He enjoys chairing and contributing as an active member on various NELA committees, events, and board meetings.
James King
Vendor Director
James, born and raised in Belmont, Massachusetts, graduated from Belmont High School and earned a Management degree from Bentley University and a Master’s in Technology Commercialization from Northeastern University. His career spans sales roles in automated equipment, including semiconductor processing and medical devices. As International Sales Manager for a $30M company, James worked across global offices, training teams after its acquisition by Honeywell. For the past 15 years, he’s been a Strategic Account Manager for a $700M division of a $2.5B London-based corporation, focusing on military platform technologies. In 2019, James took over Waverley Insurance Agency following his brother Ted's passing. He also mentors startups through The Clean Tech Open and Mass Challenge.
Jay Pearson
Vendor Director
Jay Pearson brings a diverse business background of over 40 years managing and growing businesses. Jay spent 9 years on the leadership team at Limo Anywhere through the large growth years, and 4+ years as a Director of Strategic Partnerships for EBizCharge by Century Business Solutions. Currently Jay is heading up the launch of a new software operating system for our industry called Onroute. He has relationships with the technology providers and vendors, many of the local associations, and operators around the world. Jay says “I believe as a vendor member with my broad business experience I bring a non-operator view to the board, but with my relationships a strong understanding of the many issues that face the industry. Jay lives in North Louisiana.
