Bernd Heinze
President and CEO, Sequent Insurance Group
Besides serving as president and chief executive officer of Sequent Insurance Group, Bernd Heinze is a widely respected lawyer and expert in product liability for the electrical industry. Since 1983, he has been an equity trial partner in the nation’s largest insurance defense firm, and previously served as general counsel to the claims and litigation management division of a Fortune 50 insurance company.Heinze has won the International Association of Defense Counsel Award for Excellence and been named as one of the “Top 100 Most Powerful People in the North American Insurance Industry” since 2001 by the Insurance Distribution Magazine.

Pat Grace, CPBA, CBVA, CAIA
Managing Director, Performance Excellence
Pat Grace has a Masters degree in social work and a Bachelor of Science in psychology and is licensed for clinical work. Grace works with organizations in hiring and developing both individuals and teams with the goal of achieving Performance Excellence. Utilizing a unique assessment and analysis process, Grace coaches employees and managers to help them adapt to change, improve communications, decrease conflict, improve morale, and increase productivity. Grace has 20 years of experience with clients at all stages of personal and career development and is a founding Board Member of Comfort Foundation, USA and a member of the National Career Development Association.

Bob Gaylord
President and Chief Executive Officer, IDEA
Brigadier General Robert Gaylord (retired) heads the Industry Data Exchange Association (IDEA), an eCommerce business-to-business solutions provider. Previously, he was President and CEO of the Leader-to-Leader Institute in New York City. Gaylord retired from the United States Army in 2005 after a long and distinguished career culminating in his assignment as senior Public Affairs Officer, responsible for strategic communications.  

John Kiso
NAED Educational Program Manager
John Kiso is the NAED Educational Program Manager. Kiso directs current and future educational programs for the electrical industry including the Electrical Products Education Course (EPEC), NAED’s new HR & Training conference, NAED’s upcoming industry certification, plus NAED’s participation in the University of Industrial Distribution (UID) and Association Education Alliance (AEA).  He is the staff liaison for NAED’s Education and Development Council and the EPEC Reviewer group. Kiso has a Masters in Management and brings more than 20 years experience in project management, adult education, course development, and process engineering to NAED.  

Michael Marks
Managing Partner, Indian River Consulting
Marks began his consulting practice after working in distribution management for more than 20 years and co-founded the Indian River Consulting Group in 1987. He is co-author of the books, Working at Cross-Purposes: How Distributors and Manufacturers Can Manage Conflict Successfully and What’s Your Plan? – Smart Salesforce Compensation in Wholesale Distribution. Marks is currently serving his second 4-year term as a fellow of NAW’s Distribution Research and Education Foundation. The Fellows program recognizes individuals who have made and continue to make significant intellectual contributions to the field of wholesale distribution. Prior to forming IRCG, Mike held the position of Executive Vice President at Lex Electronics, an $800 million vertically integrated electronics distributor in Stamford, CT. Before joining Lex, he was Director of Corporate Training and Development at Ducommon Inc., Los Angeles, a $400 million industrial distribution company. Prior to his distribution career, Mike did a tour of duty as a manufacturer’s representative in the automotive aftermarket.

Fred Paris
Independent Contractor
Fred Paris develops business and organizational programs to help companies take advantage of new renewable energy market opportunities. Prior to his role as an independent contractor, Paris held sales and marketing positions with technology firms including Motorola and AT&T. He lectures on strategic planning at Northeastern University and is working with firms now positioning for renewable energy markets.

Bethany Sullivan
President, Profitability Analytics Unlimited
Once named one of Pennsylvania’s Top 50 Women in Business, Bethany Sullivan serves as Lead Topic Champion for NAED and is president of Profitability Analytics Unlimited. She offers strategic direction and marketing leadership to a variety of organizations. Most recently, at Promistar Financial Corporation, Sullivan was executive vice president and chief marketing officer. She has published more than 50 articles on strategic marketing. In 2001 and 2003, she served as an executive-in-residence for the University of Tennessee’s Master’s of Business Administration’s Honors Marketing Program.

Jerry Yudelson
Principal, Yudelson Associates
Jerry Yudelson is one of the country’s leading experts on green buildings and green building marketing. He has served on the national board of the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) and co-founded the first regional chapter in the Pacific Northwest. A registered professional engineer, he is an expert in the LEED green building rating system, and consults with clients on creating, developing, designing and marketing green building projects. Jerry is the author of six books on green buildings, including Green Building: A to Z, The Green Building Revolution, and Marketing Green Building Services: Strategies for Success.

Stuart Varney
Business and Financial Journalist, FOX News
Stuart Varney is an anchor on FOX Business News and is credited by many for changing the way television reports on financial and economic news worldwide. Previously he hosted CNBC’s broadcast of The Wall Street Journal Editorial Board with Stuart Varney and co-hosted CNN’s MoneyLine News Hour. An economist educated at the London School of Economics, Varney is uniquely qualified to address the rapidly shifting domestic and global economic trends, and the implications for business, institutional investors, and individuals. His exceptional coverage and analysis of the stock market crash of 1987 earned him a Peabody Award for excellence in journalism.