Who We Are
The HERT Foundation — Highway Emergency Responders Training — was built from the ground up by towing industry professionals who understood one simple truth: tow truck drivers and towing companies are highway emergency responders, and they deserve the same level of professional training and support as any other first responder. We exist to promote and fund education, training, and certification programs that make towers safer, more effective, and better equipped for the dangerous work they do every single day. Our foundation operates across six states — Montana, Oregon, Wyoming, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Colorado — reaching operators in rural communities and major corridors alike. We believe that a well-trained tower doesn't just protect themselves — they protect every motorist, first responder, and bystander who passes through an active highway incident. The HERT Foundation was not built in a boardroom. It was built by people with grease on their hands, years on the road, and a deep commitment to raising the standard of highway emergency response across the region. Every program we fund, every training event we support, and every dollar we raise goes directly back into the hands of the towers and towing companies doing the work. When towers are better prepared, roads are safer for everyone.
Executive Director
Don Cerovski - Executive Director
Don Cerovski brings 43 years of hands-on experience as a business owner and operator in the transportation and towing and recovery industry, giving the HERT Foundation a leader who has lived the realities of the profession. For 17 years, Don has served as an active instructor in the towing and recovery industry and currently leads the I-TECC training group as its Executive Director and primary instructor. He holds multiple associate degrees and professional educational certifications that underscore his commitment to raising industry standards through structured training. Throughout his career, Don has served his state towing association, his local Chamber of Commerce, and multiple fraternal organizations — contributing to philanthropic efforts and educational scholarship programs at both the state and local level. Don's depth of experience, his dedication to education, and his genuine belief in the mission of the HERT Foundation make him the right person to lead this organization forward.
Board of Directors
The HERT Foundation is led by a board of working towing industry professionals — each representing one of the six states we serve — who bring decades of real-world experience, industry certifications, and a shared commitment to safer roads.
Mike Wagner - Oregon
Mike Wagner is a lifelong Oregonian with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from Portland State University and more than 35 years as the owner and operator of Santiam Enterprises and Santiam Towing and Recovery. A member of the Oregon Tow Truck Association for 37 years, Mike has served as president, board member, and training director since 1996, and holds certifications as a light and medium duty tow operator and Transportation Incident Management instructor. He has also served his broader community as a member of the North Santiam School District Board of Directors, the Oregon Dealers Advisory Committee, the Lyons City Council, and the Lyons Rural Fire District Budget Committee. Mike joined the HERT Foundation because he believes safety must always be the top priority — and that quality education is the most direct path to getting there.
Rob Mooney - Colorado
Rob Mooney has owned and operated Denver West Towing since 1988 and has been active in the towing industry for approximately 40 years. He has served on the board of the Towing and Recovery Professionals of Colorado since 1998, currently holding the position of First Vice President, and has overseen state association training since 2004. Rob holds WreckMaster Level 6/7, TRAA Level 2, and TIM certifications, and currently sits on the Colorado First Responders Committee. He joined the HERT Foundation because he recognizes the critical need for dedicated funding to train first responders — and is committed to helping meet that need now and into the future.
Warren Moe - North Dakota
Warren Moe has owned and managed Oakes Truck and Trailer Center, LLC for 16 years and brings 40 years of experience as a diesel technician to the HERT Foundation board. He has served eight years as a director for the North Dakota Towing Association, coordinating training events across multiple states and building a regional network of safety-minded professionals throughout the upper Midwest. Warren holds certifications as a Federal DOT inspector trainer, ASE Master Technician in five areas, multiple towing and recovery credentials, and is a lead certified TIMS instructor for the state of North Dakota. He has also completed college-level coursework in nonprofit management, giving him a unique combination of industry expertise and organizational understanding.
David Rose - Wyoming
Dave Rose grew up in the automotive repair and towing industries in Cheyenne, Wyoming, and has been working in and around tow trucks since he was eight years old. He co-founded Big Al's Towing and Recovery in 2006, has trained with WreckMaster, attended first responder seminars annually, and completed TIMS Train the Trainer three times. Dave received the WreckMaster Top 10 award in 2015, has been involved with towing associations in Wyoming, Colorado, Arizona, South Dakota, and Montana, and has worked directly with the Wyoming legislature on abandoned vehicle and titling law reform. He currently serves on the Wyoming Towing Advisory Board and joined the HERT Foundation because he firmly believes that quality, safe roadside assistance starts and ends with proper training.
Andy Wicks - South Dakota
Andy Wicks of Watertown, South Dakota, is a strong supporter of the HERT Foundation's mission to provide funding and emergency roadside training for towers and towing companies across the region. He shares the foundation's core belief that the key to quality, safe roadside assistance begins — and continues — with proper, ongoing training for every responder in the field.
Jim Dusenberry - Montana
Jim Dusenberry brings a lifetime of mechanical expertise, teaching experience, and community service to the HERT Foundation board. After earning a degree in Auto Mechanics from Western Technical College and a second degree in Agriculture Education and Industrial Arts from Montana State University, Jim spent eight years teaching and building the Truck Diesel program at Helena Vocational Technical College before founding J & D Truck Repair in 1981 and J & D Towing and Recovery in 1988. He has been an active member of the Montana Tow Truck Association since 1996 — serving multiple terms as president — and has served on the Towing and Recovery Association of America Executive Board. Jim has also devoted decades to his community through volunteer fire service, county boards, and agricultural organizations, bringing the same level of commitment to the HERT Foundation that has defined his entire career.