ERA STEP 2024 – Speakers List
STEP 2024 speakers are listed below in alphabetical order, by last name.
View the full STEP 2024 agenda and schedule.
Mike Calabria
PEAC, Inc; ERA Expert Access Consultant, Board member — Micro Technologies, Impel, Waldom Electronics
Session: Knowing Your Customer: Why it’s Important and How to Do It
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.
Mike Carroll
Senior Vice President – Global Sales, RFMW
Session: Effective Meeting & Account Call Preparation
Mike is an experienced and professional head of sales with more than 30 years sales management and leadership experience. He has a proven track record of growing sales, creating global teams, defining global and regional strategies and enhancing relationships across the entire supply chain. He is adept at breaking into new territories and markets, appointing, training, managing and leading global teams. More recently, Mike is enjoying mentoring and coaching the next generation of sales leaders within the electronic components industry. He brings a wealth of experience and a strong belief in “How you do anything, is how you do everything.” “Accountability, integrity, honesty and doing the fundamentals well will enable success.”
Steve Cholas
Executive Director, Enterprise Solutions — EE Tech Group
Session: Connecting the Dots: Understanding the Engineering Design Cycle
Steve Cholas is an industry observer and engager with more than 40 years of experience in the electronics field, covering almost every tangential aspect of the industry and its utilization of digital provisions and communities of engagement. He has successfully implemented digital environments of engagement for more than 100 leading electronics manufacturers and distributors. More recently, he’s directed the development of SaaS platforms to assist manufacturers and distributors in managing pricing, inventory, NPI and competitive status of their product, helping them make more efficient business decisions. He’s directed industry-recognized research services such as EETech’s “Engineering Insights”, as well as the Mind of the Engineer Report for EETimes plus other proprietary brand and engagement analyses. In addition, more than 100 global electronics manufacturers and distributors have relied on Cholas’ expertise as a sales and marketing consultant. Cholas directed strategies behind and implementation of some of the industry’s best known engineering communication platforms, including All About Circuits, EET, EDN, EEWeb, PCBWeb.com, Embedded.com, 21ic (China’s largest engineering forum) and many more.
Charlene DeCesare
Senior Consultant, The RAIN Group
Session: Amping Up Your Motivational Mindset: How to Build Your Productivity
Session: Asking the Most Powerful Sales Questions: How to Get to the Heart of Each Customer Opportunity
Charlene DeCesare is a senior consultant for RAIN Group and trusted sales advisor who has been helping teams develop a relationship-based approach to selling high-value services for 25 years.
She co-founded the multi-million-dollar company, EdAssist, now owned by Bright Horizons. Prior to that, DeCesare spent 10 years at Gartner leading an international sales team and helping the most respected technology companies in the world extend their brand message. DeCesare was also a membership growth leader at the Institute for Corporate Productivity (i4cp), and the vice president of sales and marketing at Boardroom Events.
She has a B.S. in communications from Emerson College and an MBA in sales and marketing from Rivier University. DeCesare is also currently pursuing a Doctor of Business Administration degree at Johnson & Wales University.
DeCesare is a professional member of the National Speakers Association and a nationally certified Brain-Based Success coach.
Nancy Garcia
Director of Sales Training, TTI, Inc.
Session: Mastering the Mind Game: The Crucial Role of Sales Psychology
Nancy Garcia is director of sales training for TTI, Inc., leading and overseeing essential training programs such as onboarding for new hires, college development, manager awareness, sales methodology and other professional development programs. She has more than 30+ years of experience in the electronics distribution industry with positions in customer service, sales, product management and general management.
Chris Lins
Vice President and General Manager ‑ Americas, Powerbox USA
Session: Customer Experience Excellence: Building Long-Term Customer Loyalty
“I am a 36-year high-tech industry sales, sales leadership and general management professional. I am also an entrepreneur and a passionate, lifelong student of differentiated excellence. I am one of you, trying to be better every day!” — Chris
Jordan Ledwein
“The AI Sales Guy,” Trainer, Sandler by Ascending Performance
Session: Artificial Intelligence: Real World Applications for Frontline Sales & Marketing
As the son of a Sandler coach, Jordan Ledwein started listening to Sandler sales training CDs by age 15.
At 20, he became one of the youngest Certified Sandler Trainers. Jordan is now known as “The AI Sales Guy” as he champions using AI in sales through his roles as a Sandler Trainer for i10 Solutions and a Co-Founder at Sales Lift.
Daniel Litts
President, Sandler by Ascending Performance
Session: Artificial Intelligence: Real World Applications for Frontline Sales & Marketing
Session: Pipeline Mastery: Process, Progress, Pruning and Prospecting
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.
Cody Miller
Co-Founder and Chief Innovation Officer, EE Tech Group
Session: Connecting the Dots: Understanding the Engineering Design Cycle
Cody Miller is the co-founder of EETech. He kicked off his career as a hardware designer focused on test and measurement equipment in the semiconductor industry. Over time, he shifted gears and started focusing on building digital tools that make life easier for engineers, Some example projects included block diagramming, simulation, schematic, and PCB layout tools. Cody’s all about making the engineering process smoother and more efficient, helping engineers bring their ideas to life.