About Shifting Gears USA
A car enthusiast nonprofit rallying behind Marin County students through automotive and career technical education since 2012.
What We Do
The mission of Shifting Gears USA, a car enthusiast organization, is to develop, enhance and support vocational training for young people of Marin County by advancing technical education programs that provide a pathway to successful careers in today's workplace.
Where We're Headed
Shifting Gears USA envisions a community where automobile culture is an important social value, vocational careers are a highly rewarded professional path, and the talent for a variety of trade jobs is available to local businesses.
What We Do & Who We Serve
We direct our charitable giving back into the community, helping to build awareness and respect for skilled trade career choices. Our goal is to fund skilled trade education for Marin students and to develop and establish vocational pathways. We're creating career opportunities for people who want to take an alternate path and we're helping to build a new generation of skilled tradespeople.
We support Marin students seeking skilled trade education as an alternative path to a rewarding career, different from the "college-at-all-costs" approach and help working technicians find apprenticeship placement and achieve a career in the vocational trades, particularly in automotive technology and vocational services.
Our Programs
CAPP
Car Appreciation & Preservation Program
CAPP is a non-profit program dedicated to providing guidance and philanthropic aid to young people for developing appreciation and enjoyment of the automobile, in conjunction with the Marin County Superintendent of Schools.
The Shifting Gears Rally raises funds and awareness for CAPP, bringing local and international car enthusiasts together. Most recently, Novato High School received the CAPP program with a $1M facility buildout.
Previous beneficiary partners have included The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, Hospice by the Bay, the Myotonic Dystrophy Foundation, Beyond Differences, and Roots of Peace.
Support CAPPCTE
Career Technical Education
CTE courses provide technical career training opportunities for local youth, equipping them with the skills needed for today's workforce in trades and vocational employment across Marin County.
Shifting Gears USA awards trade school scholarships to aspiring technicians to help them learn the skills they need to begin their career. Students receive up to $2,500 per school year to help pay tuition costs at an accredited technology school.
Our scholarships are given to deserving students from diverse backgrounds who want to build a career in automotive technology.
Support CTEBoard of Directors
Our board is composed of passionate car enthusiasts, business leaders, and community advocates united by a shared commitment to Marin County students.
Charles Goodman
Founder & Chair
Named one of the "Top 50 Collectors in North America" by Sports Car Market Magazine, Charles Goodman has enjoyed avid participation in the car hobby for over 50 years. The founder and past chairman of the Marin Sonoma Concours d'Elegance, Charlie is also a 40-year member of the Auburn, Cord, Duesenberg Club and serves on the Board of the Auburn Cord Duesenberg Museum in Auburn, Indiana. He founded Shifting Gears in late 2012 and resumed the Chairmanship following the passing of Gary Spratling in March 2025.
Mike Westbrook
Vice Chair
Mike has been a certifiable "car nut" since childhood. Born in Dallas, Texas, to a family that owned a trucking transport company, he learned to maneuver 18-wheelers by age 10. He graduated from the NADA (National Automobile Dealers) academy and is currently General Manager of Ford Lincoln Fairfield. Previously General Manager of Mercedes-Benz of Marin, Mike joined the dealership team of world-class collector Tom Price in 2019.
Mark Essman
Secretary
Mark has over 35 years of automotive event-related experience. He has organized, supervised, and participated in events including Hot Rod Magazine's Annual Americruise car tour, the Car Craft Summer Nationals, Back to the 50's, The Annual Hot Rod Power Tour, and Midwestern Street Rod regional contests. He has also worked as a partner with Motor Media Inc. to represent the organization at SEMA in Las Vegas for over 15 years.
Tamara Hull
Treasurer
Tammi has been in love with cars for as long as she can remember, starting drag racing at Sears Point in high school. She has competed in the Sports Car Olympics, One Lap of America, Targa Newfoundland, BMW Car Club of America's Club Racing series, SCCA races, SVRA races, and the 2016 Great Race. As a CPA, Tammi co-founded the BMW Car Club of America Foundation and has volunteered as treasurer for many local organizations, including the Marin-Sonoma Concours d'Elegance.
N. Gary Cohen
Co-Founder
Gary is co-founder of Shifting Gears (2012) and the Marin Sonoma Concours d'Elegance. Former owner and CEO of Golden Gate Electronics, Digital World, Golden Bay Sports, City Sports, and Okidoke USA. Currently associated with Golden Restoration and Construction in Marin County. He finished the 2016 Great Race in a 1938 DeSoto with Charlie Goodman.
Janet Evans
Board Member
Janet worked at Hospice of Marin as Senior Director of Development, Marketing and Communications, where she partnered with Charlie Goodman to launch the Marin Sonoma Concours d'Elegance. She is especially honored to join the Shifting Gears USA board in support of the reintroduction of the trades in Marin high school curriculums. She and her husband Del enjoy driving their 1969 Chevrolet Camaro convertible on California's backroads.
Pete Herley
Board Member
Pete retired from a 35-year law enforcement career, culminating as a Chief of Police and past-president of the California Police Chiefs Association. He acquired a '67 Corvette just prior to retirement, which has won multiple car shows including "Best of Show" for the Western States Corvette Council. Pete now teaches and consults in various law enforcement specialties.
Ray Kaliski
Board Member
Ray's first experience with fine cars came when he "borrowed" his Dad's brand new '59 Cadillac de Ville in San Francisco at age 16. He has been a car enthusiast ever since, with a passion for classic and exotic automobiles that has spanned decades of collecting and participating in automotive events throughout the Bay Area.
Brian Su
Board Member
Brian Su is a new member of the Shifting Gears USA Board of Directors, bringing fresh energy and perspective to the organization's mission of supporting automotive and career technical education for Marin County students.
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Reviving Marin County's Auto Shops
For decades, Marin County high school auto shops sat closed and forgotten. Shifting Gears is changing that — one school at a time.
CAPP Program ActiveTerra Linda High School
San Rafael, CA
Home of the CAPP program — Terra Linda's auto shop sat dormant for over a decade before Shifting Gears partnered with the school to restore hands-on automotive training. Students now work on real vehicles under certified instructors, earning industry-recognized credentials before graduation.
Revitalization UnderwayNovato High School
Novato, CA
Novato High's auto shop was shuttered for years, leaving students with no pathway into the trades. Shifting Gears is working to revitalize the program, bringing back the equipment, curriculum, and industry connections that once made it a gateway to well-paying careers in automotive and mechanical trades.
Partnership in DevelopmentSan Rafael High School
San Rafael, CA
San Rafael High's once-thriving auto program fell silent as funding dried up and equipment aged out. Shifting Gears is partnering with the school and local trade unions to bring the shop back to life — giving students in one of Marin's most diverse communities a direct path to skilled, well-paying careers.
Why Trades?
Hear from Marin County CAPP and CTE graduates who chose the trades path — and haven't looked back.
"I came into the CAPP class not knowing a carburetor from a crankshaft. By the end of the year I'd rebuilt an engine from scratch. That hands-on confidence is what got me my apprenticeship at a shop in San Rafael — not a four-year degree."
Marcus T.
CAPP Graduate · Now a Journeyman Auto Tech
"Everyone told me college was the only path. The CTE welding program showed me there's a path that pays $75K a year right out of high school. I have zero student debt and I own my own truck. My college friends are still paying off loans."
Destiny R.
CTE Welding Graduate · Union Welder, Local 377
"The Shifting Gears scholarship didn't just pay for school — it told me someone believed in what I was doing. I'm the first in my family to finish a trade program. Now I run a crew of five at a commercial electrical contractor in Novato."
Javier M.
Shifting Gears Scholar · Electrical Crew Lead
* Testimonials are representative of program graduate experiences.
Mike Rowe on Skilled Trades & Hard Work
The host of "Dirty Jobs" shares why skilled trades are the path to economic freedom — and why young people should take them seriously.
Courtesy of The Wall Street Journal
Support Our Students
Thank you for your interest in making a charitable donation to fund our continuing work with CAPP and CTE and related educational programs. Shifting Gears USA is, in fact, a 501(c)(3).