Driven by Passion: Meet Tom Mullane

Words by Stephanie DiPilla

Editor’s Note: This article originally appeared in the Q4 2025 issue of quattro Magazine. Audi Club members receive both print and digital access to the magazine, with the latest issue now available online. Click here to read the full issue and explore the quattro Magazine archives.

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As Tom Mullane wraps up two consecutive terms on the Audi Club North America Board, we extend our deepest gratitude for his unwavering commit-ment and leadership. He’s been a driving force not only at the national level but also within his beloved Northeast Quattro (NEQ) chapter.

Reflecting on his time with the Club, Tom points to the relationships he’s built and the unique spirit of connection at Audi Club events—where every-one unites around a shared passion.

That connection has fueled his years of service, from organizing events
like the Watkins Glen HPDE to helping guide the Club through transformative change at the national level.

Tom encourages newcomers to simply “show up.” He believes in the strength of the Club’s community and the power of volunteering—principles he’s lived by, whether mentoring new members or navigating leadership transitions. He has always led with humility, humor, and heart.

Though stepping away from the Board, Tom isn’t stepping away from the Club. He looks forward to deepening his involve-ment with NEQ and continuing to build bridges between chap-ters and the national organization. His legacy is one of service, growth, and inspiration—and we’re proud to have had him on the team.

Thank you, Tom, for everything. Your impact will be felt for years to come.

Volunteer Role(s) for Board/Chapter:

• NEQ Board of Directors (on and off between 2009 and 2019), Chapter President for two of those years
• NEQ Watkins Glen HPDE event master since 2012
• ANCA Board since 2020, VP 2024-2025

What Audi(s) do you drive?

Currently driving a 2015 Q7 TDI, and my wife is still squeezing miles out of her 180k-mile 2014 A6… although she has been gently suggesting that a newer Q5 would be a welcome up-grade.
Past Audis are too numerous to count but include a 200 20vt, urS4, urS6, Coupe quattro, ur quattro, etc. We also have several “almost Audis” in our collection of vintage water-cooled Volkswagens, most of which actually run.

How did you become involved in Audi Club, and why did you decide to volunteer?

My first event—and catalyst for joining Audi Club—was a Winter Driving School at Team O’Neil in Dalton, New Hampshire, in 2005, an event that continues each year and is now hosted by NAAC (North Atlantic Audi Club). From there, it was a short hop to HPDE and social events.

NEQ was (and is) instrumental—and quite diabolical in soliciting volunteers. First, they hooked me with fun events and their friendship. Then it progressed to small tasks as they gradually reeled me in, eventually nominating me for their Board and anointing me Registrar, and then co-event master of the annual Watkins Glen event.

Volunteering was an easy decision. So many people in the Club are so generous with their time, and after benefitting from their enthusiasm and energy, I really wanted to pay it forward. And on a more selfish note, the personal gratification I get from contributing to my chapter and to the Club in general”
“is addictive.”

What do you enjoy most about the Audi community?

At the risk of sounding trite, it’s the relationships and bonds I’ve developed. Audi Club events are unique in that they are so singular in purpose that little else outside that immediate activity matters. Janitor or CEO, everyone unites for a day focused on a single shared passion. The immediate shared experience temporarily transcends the real world.

Share a memorable experience or achievement from your time as a volunteer:

The running joke at my local chapter is that once you become an event master, you need to either die or move out of the chapter area to escape the position.

With that in mind, the very first time Yogi Sandberg and I did the Watkins Glen event in 2012, it was completely draining. We were both rookies, and the learning curve was steep. After three days of running ragged, we finally wrapped up and head-ed home. On the drive home, my wife, Robyn, and I were discussing the myriad of rookie mistakes Yogi and I had made as event leaders. At one point, I responded to some error she mentioned by saying, “Well, next year we’ll…” “Next year?” she laughed. “You’re not going to do that again, are you??” I explained, tongue-in-cheek, that I would either have to move or get into the witness protection plan to escape the role for the foreseeable future. Pondering this, she was quiet for several minutes. Then her thoughts drifted in another direction, and she began talking about all the people she had met while working at the event. “Wasn’t this person so nice? Did you know xyz about that person?” After a few minutes of this, I asked, “Now, for all those nice people that you met, if you could take a few days each year and do something really great for all those people, wouldn’t you do it?” That, in a nutshell, is my Audi Club experience. The more I try to give, the more I seem to get in return.

What has been the most rewarding part of volunteering?

My boss at my real-life job and I are both at the more mature end of the age spectrum (read: old), and he has several people on his team who are at the beginning of their careers. In an effort to craft a path for their development, he asked me to name the three most significant experiences that had shaped my own career. With little hesitation, I responded: getting my master’s degree, speaking at conferences, and my volunteer work—particularly Board work with Audi Club.

And perhaps those are in the wrong order. Volunteering at ACNA has inspired personal and professional growth and brought gratification and self-fulfillment that can only come from serving others.

Looking back on your time with the Board, what are you most proud of?

Looking at the national organization five years ago and now, the change has been incredible. Virtualization of the national office. Surviving COVID. Acknowledging and addressing the fi-nancial situation of the Club. Charting a new course for Club growth. Ushering in a whole new staff with reorganized roles. New CRM, new website, new sponsors and relationships. Just incredible. A whirlwind like no other that I’ve witnessed. Yes, there is still plenty of work to be done, but the future is brightening, and I’m proud to be a small part of the team that got us this far.

What lessons have you learned as a Board member and what encouragement do you have for future leaders/volunteers?

The most important lessons I’ve learned are patience and owership. The Club is a big machine with limited resources, and things take time. Progress doesn’t happen on its own—it happens because someone steps up, takes ownership, and drives an idea to completion.

Take your victories where you can find them. Lever-age the Club’s strengths to grow it and enhance the member experience. Work where you have willing partners and can make the most difference.
Above all, don’t ever catch yourself saying, “Why don’t they…” This is your Club. Own it. Be a leader. This Club can transcend club and hobby if you let it.

As I step away from the ACNA Board—no, not for the Ferrari Club — I’m both apprehensive and optimistic. I see a Club that’s swinging back from the brink, and I also see a very different environment for marque clubs today. Social media has made casual, surface-level engagement easier, but it often lacks the depth of community that organizations like ACNA offer.

Despite those challenges, I see a capable and motivated ACNA staff and a seasoned, dedicated Board focused on the two pillars that matter most: member experience and financial stability. Their commitment to sustaining and growing the Audi Club experience gives me real hope for the future.
And to show that belief, I’ve cast my vote—literally—by purchasing a lifetime ACNA membership, which I fully intend to put to good use in the years ahead.