Next Gen in Transportation: Recruiting & Retaining Younger Professionals

Transportation Advisor Marilyn Surber joined Tenstreet in 2019. Surber has been a part of the transportation industry since 2008. She is passionate about serving the transportation industry and is an advocate for transportation community. She has more than 12 years’ experience in corporate communication, recruiting, safety and driver training. Prior to joining Tenstreet, Surber served in a number of roles with Melton Truck Lines and Hilti, Inc. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Communication from The University of Tulsa. She served on the Board of Directors for the Commercial Vehicle Training Association, where she was named Member of the Year in 2019 and was selected by Oklahoma Magazine as a Top 40 under 40 for the state of Oklahoma in 2019. Surber is an active member of American Trucking Association, Truckload Carriers Association, Commercial Vehicle Training Association and the National Association of Publicly Funded Truck Driving Schools.

Tammy Bartter is a Senior Regional Human Resources and Development Manager at Old Dominion Freight Line where she currently supports six regions. Bartter grew up in Columbus, Ohio and has lived in the Buckeye state her entire life. She started working in the transportation industry immediately after high school and has held positions in Operations, Industrial Engineering, and Human Resources. She is married and has a 12-year-old son and 14-year-old daughter along with a golden retriever named Kona.

Vanessa Hernandez is Director of Carrier Resources with J.B. Hunt. She has nearly 30 years of transportation and logistics experience with the company in various roles, including Pricing, Marketing, Operations, Sales, Contract Negotiations, Carrier Service Implementation, Staff Managment, Project Management & Department Budgets and last but not least Growing and Promoting others.  Her personal mission statement: “Lead with a servant heart in my faith, my family, my work, and my community while building relationships that allow others to succeed in all the same areas of their lives."

With 30 years experience in Human Resources and Organizational Development, Dee Dee Cox has worked in variety of industries, including textiles, flooring and transportation both in the US and abroad. She is a graduate of North Carolina State University, and holds a B.S. degree in Industrial and Technical Education.  She is currently the VP of Human Resources Development with Old Dominion Freight Line, Inc., where she is responsible talent acquisition, employee relations, leadership training and development, and employee engagement initiatives. 

Tierra Kendrick, CEO and Co-Founder of TAKL Logistics served as an intelligence officer in the United States Army, where she rose to the rank of Captain. A proud Army Veteran, Kendrick chose to continue her desire to serve by focusing on providing viable solutions for our country's logistical needs. She has over 10 years of management experience, which includes the direct oversight of over $42M of equipment with 0 losses. She uses her military expertise to parallel into TAKL’s daily operations, creating a pleasant yet structured and organized environment. It is her ultimate mission to tackle logistics across the globe and change the face of the logistics industry one dispatch at a time. If you have a freight logistics problem, Kendrick will find a solution.