Auto Dealers | February 2026

Fitzgerald-Angello credits her success not only to her strong work ethic, but also to the leaders who came before her, recognized her potential, and challenged her to grow, beginning with her first mentor and boss, Jack Pohanka.

From the start of her career, Pohanka instilled a simple but powerful principle: Always do the right thing by the customer.

“Jack believed that if you took care of the customer, everything else would take care of itself,” Fitzgerald-Angello said. “That belief has guided every decision I’ve made as a leader.”

He also emphasized the importance of listening. One lesson stayed with her throughout her career: “Fools speak and wise men listen. Don’t interrupt. Wait until the speaker has finished talking, then ask good, sensible questions.”

While Pohanka set the foundation, Scott Crabtree became the most influential mentor of Fitzgerald-Angello’s life, constantly raising the bar and challenging her to be the best version of herself.

“Scott pushed me every day,” she said. “He never lowered expectations and never let me get comfortable. He challenged me to think bigger, work harder, and hold myself to a higher standard than anyone else ever could.”

Crabtree didn’t just believe in her potential, he expected her to live up to it. “That expectation shaped who I am as a leader and changed the trajectory of my career,” Fitzgerald-Angello explained.

Together, those influences formed the backbone of her leadership philosophy—doing the right thing, listening first, and holding herself to uncompromising standards.

Fitzgerald-Angello’s approach to dealership management and civic leadership has been recognized nationally, most recently with her election as NADA’s 2026 Vice Chair.

A staunch believer in giving back, she has long been active in community leadership, serving on numerous boards focused on education, economic development, healthcare, workforce development, and youth programs. She believes business leaders have a responsibility to strengthen the communities they serve—not just through philanthropy, but also through active leadership and engagement.

When the recession hit in late 2007 and many businesses shuttered their doors or cut costs, Fitzgerald-Angello reduced advertising and launched Pohanka’s Pay It Forward program. To date, the initiative has donated more than $5 million and benefited hundreds of charitable organizations across the region.

That same customer-first philosophy has translated into sustained operational excellence. Pohanka Automotive Group of Salisbury has been voted as one of the Best Dealerships on the Eastern Shore for 26 consecutive years, a distinction she credits to strong teams, disciplined leadership, and an unwavering focus on doing the right thing for customers.

Her dedication to service has been recognized with numerous honors, including Maryland’s Top 100 Women’s Circle of Excellence, and the nationally acclaimed Jefferson Award.

Her 7 Cs for leadership excellence—character, courage, conviction, competence, communication, critical thinking, and capacity for change—serve as foundational tenets for her success in business, but also in life.

“As the saying goes, if you have integrity nothing else matters, and if you don’t have integrity, nothing else matters,” said Fitzgerald-Angello. “I always try to do the right thing. Every time. You won’t get anywhere in life if people can’t trust your word.”

In uncomplicated situations, making the right decision can be easy, but it takes character to do the right thing when it’s complicated or inconvenient. “If the dealership is responsible for a customer’s problem, then we fix it. I don’t care what it costs.”

Her values extend to helping others rebuild careers and lives, including mentoring previously incarcerated employees in financial literacy, professional development, and leadership.

“Courage isn’t the absence of fear. It is the power to act despite fear. It’s changing the conversation in your head and moving forward anyway,” Fitzgerald-Angello stated.

Public speaking once terrified her. Rather than avoiding it, she invested in courses, seminars, and practice, eventually earning national leadership roles within NADA.

“If you stay in your comfort zone, you’re going to remain exactly where you are. Whether you think you can, or think you can’t, you’re right.

“Conviction keeps you moving even when the road is steep. Your passion drives your vision, and that vision sets the course for your team.”

Conviction starts with clarity and follow-through. “Write down your goals because as soon as you write a goal down, you start moving in that direction,” she said. “For two years my password was ‘NADAChair2027.’ Every day that I typed those words, I was moving in that direction.”

She believes in visible goals, public scoreboards, and systematic measurement. “You don’t focus on the how as much as the what. The how shows up when your goal is clear.”

“Leadership roles are earned through mastery, not entitlement. Vision without execution is just a dream. You must earn the right to lead,” Fitzgerald-Angello asserted.

“With responsibility goes the credit. You’ll never be respected as a leader if you don’t own the outcome.”

“We don’t have people problems; we have communication problems,” Fitzgerald-Angello explained.

She recalled managers wanting to terminate employees for poor performance—only to discover those employees had never received feedback. “If you don’t tell people how they’re doing, early and often, you fail them.”

“Challenge assumptions, analyze problems and make data-driven decisions. Too many people stop at the first solution. That’s often the wrong one,” she said.

For example, labor shortages led her to establish an in-house technician training academy, building a sustainable pipeline rather than continuing to hire from other companies or waiting for the market to solve the problem.

Quoting Jack Welch, former CEO of General Electric, Fitzgerald-Angello emphasized adaptability: “If the rate of change on the outside is greater than the change on the inside, your end is near.”

“We pivot when conditions change,” she said. “If you aren’t willing to adapt, you will cease to exist.”

“Every day is different. Every customer is different. It’s fast, demanding, and exciting. I don’t know exactly what this industry will look like ten years from now—but I believe leaders who live these principles will still be winning.”

After spending the first chapters of her career building a successful automotive business, Fitzgerald-Angello is now focused on the next chapter—protecting it. Protecting the dealer franchise system, protecting the livelihoods of employees, and protecting the customers and communities that dealers serve.