LAWRENCEVILLE, Georgia – Black Book, known in the automotive industry for providing timely, independent and precise vehicle pricing information, announced several promotions as a result of the company’s continued expansion and success from key product launches. The announcement was made by Black Book President Tom Cross and the promotions are effective immediately.

Alex Yurchenko, Ph.D., is promoted to Senior Vice President, Data Science with responsibility for the U.S. and Canada.Yurchenko joined Black Book in 2015 and was most recently Vice President of Data Science, leading the company’s data science and analytics team in the U.S. Yurchenko holds a Ph.D. in Mathematics from Georgia Institute of Technology and a master’s degree in Mathematics from Penn State University, both with specializations in Dynamical Systems.

Cross commented: “I am delighted to announce Alex’s promotion and expanded role. Under his leadership, Black Book has developed significant new capabilities in machine learning, data modeling and predictive forecasting. Alex and his team made possible the development of several recent product successes including Black Book’s History Adjusted Values which have received wide industry acclaim and Enhanced Vehicle Matching, a precise VIN-level identification process powered by machine learning.” 

Laura Wehunt is promoted to Vice President, Automotive Valuations with responsibility for setting wholesale and residual values in the U.S. Wehunt was most recently Principal Automotive Analyst. Since joining Black Book eight years ago, she has led in the development of sophisticated tools and methods that are now used daily to establish Black Book’s industry-leading wholesale and residual values. Wehunt holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Applied Economics and Statistics from Clemson University.

“Laura grew up in an automotive family and has a deep understanding of wholesale markets,” Cross said. “Her industry knowledge, analytical background and belief in the power of enhanced decisioning through machine learning makes her the perfect person to lead our valuation team. I am very pleased to announce her well-deserved promotion.” 

Kyle Luck is promoted to Vice President, Product Management with responsibility for the U.S. and Canada. Luck has worked in the automotive industry for almost two decades. He joined Black Book in 2013 and was most recently Director of Product Management in the U.S. He was featured in the 2019 Auto Remarketing “40 Under 40” list. Luck holds a bachelor’s degree in Computer Science from the University of Pittsburgh.

“Kyle has demonstrated the ability to successfully develop and execute against product plans over his time with Black Book and it gives me great pleasure to announce his promotion and expanded role,” Cross said. “His visceral understanding of customer needs has led to the creation of several successful products including History Adjusted Values and Enhanced Vehicle Matching.” 

“We are fortunate to have a deep talent bench at Black Book and I look forward to working closely with Alex, Laura and Kyle to best serve our customers and accelerate our growth,” Cross said.