NAAA announced that Abigail Balk has been selected as the inaugural recipient of the Ron Hope Memorial Scholarship for Auction Academy. Balk is marketing/communications manager for Greater Rockford Auto Auction and Great Lakes Auto Auction. The scholarship is for Auction Academy Class 9, which kicks off in February 2025. 

NAAA established the scholarship in October to honor the legacy of Ron Hope, who passed away in June. Hope, who worked in the auto auction industry for over 50 years and founded CARS Recon, was passionate about NAAA and its mission to give back to its members. Throughout his entire career, he was an advocate for NAAA and was a strong supporter of Auction Academy right from the time it was founded more than a decade ago. 

Auction Academy is a two-year continuing career training program designed for auto auction and auto remarketing leaders. Class groups meet quarterly at various locations around the country for in-class presentations, hands-on instruction, auction and/or vendor site visits, and networking sessions (8 sessions total). Virtual sessions (1.5 hours) are held in between the in-person sessions.

Balk joined the GRAA team in December 2016 as marketing coordinator. From the time she started at GRAA, Balk has made an impact by expanding GRAA’s digital marketing reach on multiple social media platforms through use of multimedia, growing and coordinating large promo sales throughout the year, and continuing to evolve GRAA’s marketing strategy to serve its customers and the industry. 

In 2022, after graduating with her master’s in business administration, she was promoted to marketing/communications manager. Since then, she has continued to work to meet customers’ needs and mentor others in her organization. In 2023, she helped establish a partnership with the Automotive Remarketing Alliance (ARA) to host and produce the “Hearing Voices Podcast” with the goal of having a positive impact on the industry and helping others stay up to date on market trends, leadership, safety, education, and more. In 2022, Balk also took on the role of Marketing/Communications Manager at Great Lakes Auto Auction (GLAA). 

“We are so proud that Abbi is the first recipient of the Ron Hope Memorial Scholarship. She is incredibly deserving of this honor,” said Ryan Clark, President of Greater Rockford Auto Auction and Great Lakes Auto Auction. “Abbi has truly taken our marketing to the next level and is always there to take on any projects that come up. It’s been exciting to watch her take on a larger role in the industry through the podcast, and I know she will be a great contributor to her Auction Academy class.”