Speakers

 Speaker details will be updated as the conference nears.

Alan Ahern, Crowley Associates, Independent Manufacturer Rep Council Chair and ECIA Board of Directors

  

Alan joined Crowley Associates, a Manufacturer’s Representative, in 1992 to establish the company into the Metro NY region. Three years later, he purchased Crowley Associates and became President. Through organic growth and acquisitions, Alan has expanded the company operations into multiple ERA territories and dramatically increased sales, while realizing efficiencies through advanced automated sales tools and creative marketing. As a pioneer in Fusion Splice SMPTE Interconnect, Alan developed associated business in the Broadcast Industry.

Alan is Chairman of 4 Rep Councils, Associative Member of 2 Rep Councils, and Member of the ECIA Board of Directors. He is the winner of the 2013 Manufacturers Representative Leadership Award, and the Design For Manufacturing PCB Association Award.

Ross Bernstein, Ross Bernstein Speaking

  

The best-selling author of nearly 50 sports books, Ross Bernstein is an award-winning peak performance hall of fame business speaker who's keynoted conferences for Fortune 500 companies on all seven continents and has been featured on many major television networks and publications.

Frank Flynn, Sager Electronics & Chairman ECIA Board of Directors

   As president of Sager Electronics, Frank Flynn is responsible for the execution of the company's strategic growth plans. He works closely with his team to drive sales growth and to promote operational excellence.

Frank joined Sager Electronics in 1983 and was appointed president in 1999. Prior to assuming the position of president, Frank served as COO, CFO, and director of corporate development. Since becoming president, Frank has led the company through a period of unprecedented change, bringing focus and structure to Sager's market position, customer base and sales strategy. Frank is credited with the acquisition of West Coast distributor CalSwitch, which solidified Sager as a national distributor. He drove the company’s implementation of a new ERP system and its move to build a new state-of-the-art distribution center.

Frank holds a B.A. in Economics from Harvard University and a MBA in Finance and Marketing from UCLA's Anderson School of Management.

Dale Ford, ECIA

   Dale Ford is a highly respected industry analyst with extensive experience producing award winning market research. He brings expertise in technology trends, competitive analysis, forecasting and supply/demand research of the electronics, semiconductor and electronics components industries. Mr. Ford has been researching the electronics and electronics components industries for over 25 years. His focused research delivers enhanced visibility on the products, technologies, and players shaping the electronics value chain.

Monica Highfill, Women in Electronics

  

Monica Highfill serves as a Founding Executive Director of Women in Electronics, a non-profit organization that empowers women with leadership and development skills in the Electronics Industry.  She is also serves as the Managing Director of the Mentorship Program for Women in Electronics.  Most recently, Monica was the Vice President of Sales for the Americas with KEMET/YAGEO.   Prior to her almost 14-year career at KEMET/YAGEO, Monica held management positions Kent Electronics, Avnet, and Heilind.  She graduated with a Bachelors Degree from Saint Mary’s College of California and obtained her MBA at Santa Clara University. Monica lives in California and Mexico and in her spare time likes to travel, hike with her dogs, and hunt for old things to make new again.

Dean Kamen, DEKA Research & Development Corporation, FIRST®

   Dean Kamen is the founder and president of DEKA Research & Development Corporation. Examples of technologies developed by DEKA include the HomeChoice™ portable dialysis machine, the iBOT™ Mobility System, the Segway™ Human Transporter, a DARPA-funded robotic arm, a new and improved Stirling engine, and the Slingshot water purifier. Kamen has received many awards for his efforts, including the National Medal of Technology in 2000 and the Lemelson-MIT Prize in 2002. He was inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame in 2005 and has been a member of the National Academy of Engineering since 1997.

Robert Kirch, Vishay Americas, Manufacturer Council Chair and ECIA Board of Directors

  

Robert Kirch is a 30 year Industry Executive who has worked both in Distribution and in Manufacturing all the time in a Sales, Marketing and Sales Operations capacity. He is currently the VP of Global Distribution for Vishay where he has been for over 2 years. Prior to Vishay he was with Fairchild Semiconductor in a variety of roles including Sr. Director of  Global Distribution and WW Sales Operations. He got his start in this industry working for Future Electronics in Sales on Long Island New York where he currently resides. He graduated from Binghamton University with a degree in Business Administration with a focus on Marketing & Finance.

David Loftus, ECIA

   Over a 35 year career in high tech, David Loftus has served in a broad range of senior executive positions, including Vice President of Worldwide Sales and Marketing for Maxim Integrated, Executive Vice President Worldwide Sales and Applications for Cypress Semiconductor, Senior Vice President Worldwide Sales and Corporate Marketing for Intersil Corporation, Vice President & General Manager for Spartan Products for Xilinx Inc. In addition, Mr. Loftus served in Hong Kong from 2002 to 2005 as Vice President & Managing Director - Xilinx Asia Pacific.

Steve McClatchy, Alleer Training & Consulting

  

Steve McClatchy is a keynote speaker, workshop leader and author of the New York Times Bestseller Decide: Work Smarter, Reduce Your Stress & Lead by Example. Steve has spoken before thousands of audiences on the topics of leadership, performance, personal growth, and work/life engagement. His client list includes the NFL, Google, Pfizer, Microsoft, Disney, NBC Universal, Accenture, John Deere, Under Armour, Wells Fargo and Campbell’s Soup. He is a frequent guest lecturer at Harvard and Wharton. He has appeared on ABC, CBS, Fox News, NBC’s Today Show and has been quoted in The Wall Street Journal, Fast Company, Entrepreneur and Investor’s Business Daily. Steve’s passion is for continual improvement and believes that when we stop learning, gaining experience and achieving goals we stop living. Steve is best known for his passion, sense of humor and energetic personality. You will be captivated, motivated and truly inspired by his unique and practical approach to effectiveness and success.

Mike Morton, TTI, Inc., Distributor Council Chair and ECIA Board of Directors

   Mike Morton serves as Chief Operating Officer for TTI. His esteemed career in the industry began in 1978 when he was introduced to TTI and took his first job as a product trainee. Throughout his tenure at TTI, he has held many management positions within product marketing including positions as buyer, director passive product marketing and senior vice president global product marketing. Prior to his current leadership role, Mike was at the helm as President, Global Sales and Marketing. For more than thirty years he has been involved in all aspects of operations and supplier relations at TTI.