Above: Art and Judy Vallely and their daughters. 

Art Vallely, who went through the East Greenwich school system, and graduated from East Greenwich High School in 1977, has been named president of Penske Truck Leasing, a worldwide company with more than 36,000 employees and a fleet of more than 300,000 vehicles.

Art Vallely Jr., from the EGHS 1977 yearbook.

While at EG High, Vallely received both academic and athletic honors. He was especially noted as an outstanding basketball player – EG won the state championship in 1977 – who later took his talents to St. Joseph’s College in Vermont, where he was the leading scorer on several successful teams, was named a Division Three All American and was inducted into the St. Joe’s Hall of Fame in 2003.

Vallely started at Ryder Trucking after a stint as sports information director at Franklin Pierce College. He joined Penske Transportation in 1992 as a rental manager for the mid-Atlantic area. His hard work and talents were recognized and he steadily moved up the ladder with the company. In 2006, Vallely was promoted to senior vice president of Penske Rental and in 2010 was promoted again, this time to senior vice president of rental and fleet management.

The Vallely Family in 2011: Standing from left, Lindsey, Judy, Anne, Arthur Sr., Arthur Jr. Middle row: Paul, Danielle, Abigail, and Nicole. Front row: Sarah, Brandi, MacKenzie, Madison, and Bridget.

Vallely’s march to the top did not stop there. In 2012 he was once again given a promotion, this time to executive vice president of operations. In 2016 he advanced to chief operating officer and had lease sales and maintenance added to his responsibilities. In 2019 Art was promoted to president of Penske Truck Leasing.

Vallely stood out in his career because he impacted the company in numerous ways beyond his roles. He participated in many steering committees related to the advancement of key strategies dealing with the Penske brand and in other ways connected to the fleet and the role of diversity in the company.

He is a founding member of the Diversity Council and the lead sponsor of the company’s inaugural Women in the Field Program.

Vallely is also very active in his community supporting various charitable endeavors and volunteer efforts. 

The Vallelys moved to East Greenwich in 1966 and Art’s dad, Arthur Sr., still lives in town. Art’s mother, Anne, passed away in 2017. Art Jr. is the oldest of four EGHS alumni, including Paul (1985), Sarah (1988), and Bridget (1990). Art Jr. and his wife, Judy, have three daughters, Danielle, Nicole and Brandi. 

Congrats, Art and the whole Vallely family!