2025 Leadership Attendee List

A dedicated transportation professional with 23 years of experience in fleet safety, compliance, and operations. Passionate about promoting a strong safety culture, I work closely with drivers and leadership to ensure regulatory compliance and continuous improvement across all areas of our operation.

As an SVP in the Equipment Finance line of business at PNC Bank, I support commercial clients and Relationship Managers in the Greater Georgia and Alabama market. My goal is to help commercial clients acquire business critical equipment using solutions aligned with their unique business strategy. I have worked for Hewlett-Packard, GE Capital, Wells Fargo and now PNC Bank in roles that encompass underwriting, business development, and relationship management. Having spent over twelve years in consultative sales for Fortune 100 companies, my greatest satisfaction comes from building relationships and helping clients obtain the capital needed to grow their business and realize their full potential.

Kimble joined the ATA Comp Fund as its President and Chief Executive Officer in December of 1995.  As CEO, he continues to oversee the expansion of the program from its beginnings to its current annual revenue. 

He graduated from Auburn University’s School of Accountancy and obtained his Certified Public Accountancy Accreditation in the State of Alabama while practicing with the firm of Carr, Riggs and Ingram, LLP.  His primary expertise while practicing were nonprofit entities, trade associations and association-based self-insurance programs.  Prior to the Fund, Kimble was Vice-President of Administration with the Alabama Rural Electric Association and established and administrated their self-insurance program serving their 23 Electric Utility Cooperatives. 

Kimble has served as a Board Director to many various organizations over the years, which include Rotary, Project Share, Trucking Association Insurance Council (TAIC) and the Self Insurance Institute of America (SIIA), where he also served a term as their Chief Financial Officer. He is the 2019 recipient of the H. Chester Webb Award for Distinguished Service to the Alabama trucking industry.

Kimble and his wife, Sandy, have three daughters: Katie and twins Kathryn and Caroline.  As avid sports fans, the entire family attends as many athletic events as possible for their favorite college sports teams at Auburn University.

Dennis Keene is an AV® Preeminent™ rated lawyer who represents corporations and individuals with an emphasis in product liability and trucking law. His diverse client base ranges from international manufacturers and national motor carriers to regional carriers and local businesses. Keene gained extensive trial experience as a judge advocate in the U.S. Army and continues to use these trial skills as a civil practitioner, having litigated and tried a number of lawsuits in Georgia. He is also a registered neutral with the Georgia Office of Dispute Resolution and has mediated a number of personal injury, business, and interpersonal disputes.  He has been selected as a Georgia Super Lawyer® in the areas of transportation law and product liability for over ten years.  

Keene is a member of the State Bars of Florida and Georgia and is admitted to practice in all Florida and Georgia state courts, the U.S. District Courts for the Southern and Northern Districts of Georgia, and the Middle District of Florida, as well as the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit. 

He is a member of the Georgia Motor Trucking Association, where he currently serves on its board of directors.  He is also a member of the Transportation Lawyers Association; the Savannah Bar Association, where he serves on the Bar Grievance Committee; the Defense Research Institute, where he is a member of the Product Liability Committee and previously served on the board of the Mediation Center of the Coastal Empire. 

Keene received his B.A. in economics, magna cum laude, from Syracuse University in 1990 and his J.D., cum laude, from the University of Miami School of Law in 1993. While at Syracuse, Keene was a member of the Army Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC). He was named the recipient of the General Meyer Leadership Award (given to the number one ranked corps cadet) and, upon graduation, was deemed a Distinguished Military Graduate. He was also Phi Beta Kappa. At the University of Miami, Keene served as an articles and comments editor for the school’s Business Law Journal and co-chaired the Student Bar Association’s Law-Related Education Program.

After law school, Keene completed the U.S. Army Judge Advocate General’s (JAG) Corps Officer Basic Course, where he made the Commandant’s List by graduating in the top 12 in his class. He served on active duty in the U.S. Army from 1993 to 1999, holding various legal positions, including government contract attorney, procurement fraud advisor, prosecutor, and criminal defense attorney. As a prosecutor and defense attorney, he served as lead counsel in more than 75 courts-martial.

Keene is married to the lovely Leslie Keene, who is a semi-retired attorney and judge.  They have two grown children - a son practicing law in New York City and a daughter in dental school - both of whom are married. 

Leslie Prince started her career in regulatory compliance in 1990 - the same year the DOT drug testing regulations were implemented.  She started her first business in 1996 and over 20 years ago realized that employers needed assistance with more than drug testing and added full-service regulatory compliance consulting to her firm's service menu.  Today, Compliance Systems provides a wide array of services - everything from business formation to DOT audit preparation and response.  Compliance Systems is involved on the nation level assisting clients with DOT drug and alcohol testing policy development and training.

I am the Logistics Manager at Martin Heavy Transport. We are a small subsidiary trucking company for Martin Concrete Constuction that is looking to grow into a bigger scale heavy hauling trucking company. We not only haul our own equipment, but also 3rd party equipment. 

Jim Standard has been serving as a trusted advisor and advocate for clients for nearly 25 years.  Holding a variety of degrees—including a doctorate in jurisprudence, master of laws in taxation, master of science in finance, and a master of business administration—Jim brings a multidisciplinary and holistic approach to the representation of his clients.

Jim has represented both large and small companies, as well as individuals, in a variety of merger, acquisition, and disposition transactions, including stock and equity acquisitions, asset acquisitions, mergers, tax-free reorganizations, and corporate spin-offs.  In doing so, he routinely works with his clients in an effort to find tax-efficient ways to consummate these transactions.  

Jim regularly works with companies during the formation process by advising on choice-of-entity issues and preparing governing documents, such as operating agreements, shareholder agreements, and corporate bylaws. Jim assists companies in attracting and maintaining key talent by advising on and preparing equity and executive compensation arrangements, key employee agreements, nondisclosure and confidentiality agreements, and other restrictive covenant agreements.  He brings his in-depth knowledge of law, taxation, and finance to all of these engagements. 

Jim assists companies in a variety of business-to-business transactions, including joint ventures, commercial lease agreements, service agreements, and agreements involving the sale of goods.  He has provided representation to clients in a broad range of industries, including transportation and logistics, manufacturing, financial services, nonprofits, and agribusiness.  In addition, Jim often assists clients in resolving tax controversies and other business disputes.

At SouthState Bank, my focus as SVP, Director of Business Development and Strategic Partnerships is on cultivating key relationships and driving initiatives that propel us forward. With a strong background in finance and sales, I bring an analytical mindset to our business strategies, ensuring precision in our growth trajectory.

Our team's dedication to detail and operational excellence forms the backbone of our success. As part of a culture that values continuous improvement, we strive to set new industry standards. By fostering strategic partnerships, we aim to sustain our financial health and lead the way in innovation within the banking sector.

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