STEP 2025 – Speaker List
STEP 2025 speakers are listed below in alphabetical order, by last name.
View the full STEP 2025 agenda and schedule.
Leighton Burgess
General Manager, Arrow Electronics
Session: Navigating Block Diagrams for Sales & Marketing Teams
Leighton Burgess is the general manager at Arrow Electronics, with more than 15 years of experience in the electronics engineering industry. With a strong background in electrical and electronics engineering, Leighton holds a Bachelor of Science degree from Purdue University. Known for a strategic mindset and deep technical expertise, Leighton has led teams through innovative solutions and complex challenges, helping drive growth and success across the industry.
Mike Calabria
PEAC, Inc; ERA Expert Access Consultant
Session: From Now to Next: Planning Your Career in an Aging Industry
Calabria has had a long and successful career, spanning 45 years. He started his career in 1976 at IRIS Electronics in New York, and spent time at Kierulff Electronics before joining Arrow Electronics in field sales in 1978, covering the Long Island/New York City market.
After seven years in sales and sales management, Calabria progressed to the roles of vice president of headquarters, sales and customer marketing, as well as vice president of military semiconductors. In 1990, he transferred to Colorado as Arrow established a new company, Capstone, which focused on IP&E product. There, he held the roles of senior vice president of product marketing and senior vice president of sales.
Calabria retired from Arrow in 2013, but later came out of retirement in 2015, joining Abracon as chief operating officer and assuming the role of president and CEO in 2016. He retired from Abracon in 2023. He serves on the Board of Directors for MicroTechnologies, a precision manufacturer headquartered in San Jose, Costa Rica, and also serves on the Board of Directors for Impel, a distributor and system integrator of industrial pumps and valves headquartered in Bellevue, Wash. In addition, he continues to serve as an executive advisor supporting Abracon. Calabria lives in Austin, Texas, with his wife Rosa and near his son, daughter and five grandchildren.
Michael Knight
Former President, Endres International
Former President, TTI Exponential Technology Group
Session: The Electronics Components Industry: Challenges and Opportunities Ahead
Michael Knight has been in the electronics industry for more than 30 years during which time he has predominantly worked for private and public electronic component manufacturers and distributors. His longest stint has been with TTI Inc., which is owned by Berkshire Hathaway. There his roles have included vice president of product and marketing, president of the Exponential Technology Group, and currently corporate senior vice president of strategy. He has also served as president and CEO of Endries International, a private equity-owned industrial distributor, and was president and COO for a semiconductor materials company he helped found in the late 1990s.
Knight also has long history of service and leadership on the boards of directors of for-profit and not-for-profit organizations and is a frequent guest on a wide range of podcasts, and regular keynote speaker at many industry conferences.
Daniel Litts
President, Sandler by Ascending Performance
Session: Qualify Hard, Close Easy
Daniel Litts has been successfully selling and leading sales professionals for over 30 years. His career includes a successful track record in business development, channel sales and executive management in the industrial manufacturing sector. This experience has allowed him to exercise creative and innovative ways to motivate, lead and inspire many sales professionals and clients.
Today, Daniel is president of Sandler by Ascending Performance in North Carolina. A hands-on leader with a passion for personal development and unifying an organization with a common vision, Daniel works with professionals to elevate their skills, improve their attitudes, and implement successful behaviors.
Daniel believes that sales growth propels companies and has dedicated his career to helping teams and individuals grow. He has a passion for developing team environments, engaging those members who focus on problem-solving and meeting their objectives, and increasing top-line revenue for clients.
Annelise McCarthy
Professional Speaking Coach, Founder of ‘Her’ Speaking Coach
Session: Speak with Authority
Meet Annelise – a professional speaker, passionate coach and modern voice in the world of communication and leadership.
With over five years of experience coaching speakers, a decade of formal training through the Australian Speech Communication Association (ASCA), and a Diploma in Teaching Public Speaking, Annelise brings both deep expertise and vibrant energy to every stage. She holds a double Bachelor in Law and Languages & Culture (majoring in Mandarin), and was a finalist at the World Individual Debating and Public Speaking Championships in Pittsburgh, 2016.
Formerly the “cool” public speaking teacher in schools, Annelise has since coached thousands of professionals to speak with more confidence, clarity and authenticity, especially in high-pressure environments. With a combined online audience of over 250,000, she is known for blending practical tools with a dynamic, unapologetically modern approach to communication.
Annelise is determined to rewrite the rules of public speaking, ditching the dull and the pretentious for something far more powerful: real, confident, authentic communication. With a bold, no-fear approach, she helps others embrace imperfection, challenge tradition and discover that strong speaking skills aren’t just for the few. They’re for life.
Sam Richter
Founder and CEO of SBR Worldwide/KnowMore, Creator of Intel Engine and ERA’s SearchLink.ai
Session: The AI Advantage: Hands-On Strategies for Everyday Impact
Considered a leading authority on sales intelligence and digital reputation management, bestselling author and Hall of Fame speaker Sam Richter, CSP, CPAE, delivers his top-rated, incredibly dynamic, highly entertaining and extremely high-content keynote presentations and workshop sessions to audiences worldwide. Sam was named one of the World’s Top 50 Sales Keynote Speakers, one of the Top 15 Virtual Presenters, and one of the Top 25 Most Influential Sales Leaders. Sam is the creator of the Intel Engine and ERA’s AI search tool, SearchLink.ai.
Eddie Smith
Executive Chairman of SMTC, and as of Sept. 2025, new ERA CEO
Session: The Four “I”s of Selling
Ed Smith is currently the executive chairman of SMTC, but as of Sept. 2025, will be the new CEO of ERA. He is also former president, EM, Americas at Avnet. Smith has many years under his belt as a sales and marketing leader in the electronics components industry.
Ed Wallace
Co-Founder and Chief Innovation Officer, EE Tech Group
Session: Speak the Language of the Customer
Session: Accelerating New Business Relationships
Ed consults with and speaks for corporations and associations across the globe with a client list that is a Who’s Who of Fortune 500 companies. He is the author of Fares to Friends, Creating Relational Capital, Business Relationships That Last and his most recent book is the#1 best seller: The Relationship Engine. Ed was recently published in the Harvard Business Review.
In addition, Ed speaks annually for the The Strategic Account Management Association, and is on the Executive Education faculty of Drexel’s LeBow College of Business and Villanova University’s Human Resources Master’s program.