Damon Lester

Damon Lester, Dealer Principal of the Nissan dealership of Bowie, Maryland and President of the National Association of Minority Automobile Dealers (NAMAD), is a respected advocate for ensuring diversity remains a priority within the automotive industry. Lester joined the NAMAD team in 2002 as Vice President of Operations and was named President shortly thereafter. NAMAD is committed to increasing equitable access and meaningful opportunities for minority entrepreneurs and employees in the automotive retail sales, supplier, manufacturing and service sectors. In his current role, Lester’s responsibilities encompass membership outreach and recruitment, industry relations, and dealership development as well as government and media affairs. Lester’s expertise and strategic relationships with major auto manufacturers positions him as one of the nation’s leading authorities on consumer finance, entrepreneurship and economic diversity issues in the industry. He testified before the House Judiciary and Financial Services Committee and Senate Financial Services Committee regarding the Detroit Big Three automobile manufacturers’ request for financial relief. Lester also assisted in negotiations between President Obama’s Administration and the Auto Task Force to secure the Memorandum of Understanding with General Motors for “wind-down” dealers. In addition, Lester appeared before the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regarding development of a single fuel economy standard for automobiles and provided testimony before the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) regarding automobile dealer financing and diversity in the automobile industry.


Appearances