FT. MYERS, FL – Marilyn Rawlings, CEM, director of fleet management for Lee County has become the first female president for the Association of Equipment Management Professionals (AEMP). Rawlings was inducted into office at the AEMP Management Conference & 24th Annual Meeting March 5. AEMP, founded in 1983, is a membership organization comprised primarily of professional equipment managers. Its members are responsible for fleet asset preventive maintenance, shop safety, lifecycle costing, human resources, and technologies for leading construction corporations and government entities that utilize heavy, off-road equipment, and a variety of heavy-duty trucks and equipment. AEMP’s membership is comprised of major equipment manufacturers, dealers, and suppliers of the heavy equipment industry as well as end users. Rawlings’ Lee County team oversees the management of 1,850 pieces of equipment with a value of about $65 million. Rawlings noted, “We manage Lee County’s equipment from cradle to grave. When a piece of equipment is requested, we oversee writing the specifications, ordering the equipment, and maintaining the equipment until it is disposed of.” During hurricane season, Rawlings coordinates the county’s fuel supply and distribution. Rawlings began her tenure at Lee County Fleet Management as a trouble-shooter charged with correcting problem areas. At that time the Lee County fleet was preparing to transition to private management. Lee County ultimately decided not to privatize, and Rawlings has since led the department to recognition as a “Top 100 Fleet in America” and the “Most Efficient Fleet in North America” for 2003.