The Detroit Auto Dealers Association (DADA) announced the addition of Michigan native Sam Klemet as Co-Executive Director of the DADA and the North American International Detroit Auto Show. The DADA represents nearly 300 domestic and import new car and truck dealerships in Southeast Michigan and oversees the Detroit Auto Show, which has had an economic impact of $8 billion over the last 25-plus years.
The next iteration of the Detroit Auto Show will return back to its January schedule (Jan. 10-20, 2025), and do away with the summer iteration, as it had lower turnouts than in previous years when it kicked off event season in Detroit.
A career broadcaster and association management professional, Klemet joins the DADA team and will work alongside Rod Alberts, DADA and Detroit Auto Show Executive Director. Alberts will remain in his position, co-directing with Klemet, through the 2025 Detroit Auto Show.
“Sam has a unique skill set blending association management expertise with behind-the-mic experience, both of which are a perfect complement to our organization and its trajectory for the future,” Alberts said. “This is a transformative time in our industry, and my goal is to leave this association in the best possible place as we move forward in this new age of mobility. And, after 34 years with the DADA, it’s an ideal time — especially as we lead up to a new Detroit Auto Show in January — to set the wheels in motion for an eventual hand-off to the next generation.”
Klemet comes to the DADA from the Michigan Association of Broadcasters, where he was President and CEO since 2021. There, he led advocacy initiatives, continuing education, and awards programs on behalf of 285-member commercial TV and radio stations and 30 public TV and radio stations. In this role, he was also responsible for coordinating legislative initiatives in Washington D.C. and Lansing.
Previously, Klemet spent six years with the Indiana Broadcasters Association and Indiana-based Arland Communications, where he was charged with overseeing advocacy and compliance initiatives for more than 270-member TV and radio stations.
Prior to his career in association management, Klemet was a broadcast journalist, producer, and news director at a number of commercial and public stations in Indiana, Minnesota and Illinois.
Alberts came to the Motor City in 1990 and was soon named to the top position at the DADA and the auto show.
“We are grateful for Rod’s continued leadership in assisting with this transition and for his significant contributions over three decades,” said DADA President Todd Szott. “We are confident in our future direction with his support and collaboration with Sam. And, we look forward to evolving our association and auto show as the winds of the industry continue to change in the years to come.”
Klemet graduated in 2007 from Michigan State University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Broadcast Journalism.
“For decades, DADA members and the Detroit Auto Show have been a part of the very fabric of our community, touching generations of families,” Klemet said. “The dealer community and the auto show are part of what makes Detroit the Motor City. And, I’m thrilled to be a part of an incredible team that, for so long, has showcased our industry, its products and our people. Joining the auto industry at this time of dramatic change, and working with our Southeast Michigan auto dealers, is a great opportunity to make a difference.”
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