Howard Green

Journalist, Founding Anchor of BNN & Best-Selling Author of Railroader: The Unfiltered Genius & Controversy of Four-Time CEO Hunter Harrison

Howard Green is one of the founders and builders of Business News Network in Canada, where he anchored from 1999-2014. Green is best known for hosting BNN’s flagship interview show, Headline with Howard Green and for his bestselling books, Banking on America and Distilled, which was a finalist for the National Business Book Award.

Ben Mezrich

Best-Selling Author of Bringing Down the House: The Inside Story of Six MIT Students Who Took Vegas for Millions

New York Times Bestselling Author, Ben Mezrich cracked the Hollywood Reporter’s annual hot list: Hollywood’s 25 Most Powerful Authors. This power list of authors touted to be “the industry’s most sought-after word nerds” is based on stats like Mezrich’s multiple movie deals in production such as Woolly, his newest non-fiction book about the resurrection of the woolly mammoth from frozen DNA, Seven Wonders, Once Upon a Time in Russia, and The 37th Parallel. 

Frank McGuigan

Chief Executive Officer, Transplace

Mr. McGuigan has more than 25 years of experience in executive, operations and commercial leadership, and is currently chief executive officer at Transplace. He most recently served as president and chief operating officer at Transplace, where he led sales and operations for company’s Transportation Management, International and Brokerage businesses. While at Transplace, Mr. McGuigan has helped significantly expand its customer base, increase its geographic presence in the United States, Mexico and Canada, and complete several strategic acquisitions, which has enabled the company to triple its revenue and become one of North America’s leading providers of transportation management solutions and logistics technology.  

Mark Rourke

Chief Executive Officer and President, Schneider

Mark Rourke is the chief executive officer and president of Schneider, a premier provider of transportation, logistics and intermodal services. 

Rourke joined Schneider in 1987 as a service team leader at the company’s Seville, Ohio, location. Prior to assuming his current role, he was Schneider’s executive vice president and chief operating officer. Rourke has held a variety of leadership roles with increasing responsibility, including president of Truckload Services and general manager of Schneider Transportation Management.

He holds a bachelor’s degree in marketing from the University of Akron and has attended programs on corporate governance and strategic leadership at Harvard University. Rourke serves on the board of directors for the United States Chamber of Commerce.

Shelley Simpson

Executive Vice President, Chief Commercial Officer and President of Highway Services, J.B. Hunt

Shelley Simpson began her career at J.B. Hunt in 1994. Since then, she has taken on numerous positions across multiple business units. In 2011, she was appointed Chief Marketing Officer, and her executive leadership role grew to include President of J.B. Hunt’s Truckload business unit in 2014. She was named Chief Commercial Officer in 2017 and was also named President of the newly established Highway Services, which was created to help unify the management of all asset and non-asset J.B. Hunt services. She is devoted to promoting the advancement of women and diversity in the workplace and was honored to receive the Distinguished Woman of the Year award from Women In Trucking in 2016.

Bruce A. Campbell

Former Chairman, President & Chief Executive Officer, Forward Air Corporation

Mr. Campbell retired from Forward Air in May 2019. Prior to that, he served as a director since April 1993, as President since August 1998, as Chief Executive Officer since October 2003, and as Chairman of the Board since May 2007. Mr. Campbell was Chief Operating Officer from April 1990 until October 2003 and Executive Vice President from April 1990 until August 1998. Prior to joining the Company, Mr. Campbell served as vice president of Ryder-Temperature Controlled Carriage in Nashville, Tennessee from September 1985 until December 1989.

Paris Cole

CEO, Truckstop.com

Cole is responsible for all facets of Truckstop.com including leading the executive and management teams, and multiple corporate functions including business growth and financial planning. He also oversees ITS Financial Services, the company’s finance arm. Prior to coming on board at Truckstop.com, Cole was the controller for Cochlear Americas. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration from Idaho State University.

Bill Driegert

Senior Director, Uber Freight

Bill Driegert is the Director of Uber Freight, Uber’s logistics on demand business, connecting shippers and trucking companies across the US and Europe. Prior to joining Uber, he served as Chief Operations Officer at Pillow Homes. He also spent time at Amazon as Director of Planning and Innovation with oversight over new initiatives in final mile delivery and truckload. Bill was a founding team member of Coyote Logistics (acquired by UPS) and the company’s Chief Innovation Officer. He started his career building race-cars in Vermont before joining PepsiCo to start a more glamorous career in logistics. Bill lives in Tiburon, CA with his wife and 2 children and in his limited free-time still enjoys mountain biking and tinkering on old cars and motorcycles.

Jett McCandless

Founder & CEO, project44

Jett has two decades of experience working in the transportation and logistics space. In that time, he has become a recognized thought leader with a track record of innovation and success. Jett’s leadership has guided multiple startups from ideation stages through expansion.

Lee Klaskow

Senior Analyst, Transportation & Logistics, Bloomberg Industries

Lee has been analyzing the freight markets for decision makers since 2006. His current coverage spans global marine shipping, air freight and logistics sectors as well as the North American trucking and railroad industries. In addition to his industry work, Lee provides coverage on 20 freight transportation and logistics companies¹ Bloomberg Intelligence. He is focused on providing differentiated research through channel checks and collaborating with colleagues in adjacent industries. Lee is an articulate public speaker and frequent contributor on Bloomberg television and radio as well as other media outlets. He also speaks at industry conferences as well as company and academic events. 

Eric Rempel

Chief Innovation Officer, Redwood Logistics

Joining Redwood in 2004 as its Chief Technology Officer, Rempel played a key role in the creation of a Redwood’s proprietary TMS. He led its design by integrating powerful transportation automation into customer supply chains. Rempel became Redwood Logistics’ Chief Innovation Officer in 2017. He founded 3PLogic in 2009, (now Redwood Supply Chain Solutions, or SCS), whose technology was the catalyst for RedwoodConnectSM , a supply-chain integration platform.

Ryan Rusnak

CTO & Co-Founder, Airspace Technologies

Ryan Rusnak is the CTO and co-founder of Airspace Technologies. He has a Masters in Human Computer Interaction from Carnegie Mellon University. Ryan’s projects have been featured in Popular Science, on the Discovery Channel, NBC, BBC, WIRED, Gizmodo and other media outlets. Some of the projects in his portfolio include the White House iOS application, web applications for the Office of Management and Budget and the Office of Financial Research. Five ladder trucks were once called when his home made electric skateboard caught on fire and he has only electrocuted his wife once.

Adam Robinson

Marketing Manager, Cerasis

Adam Robinson is marketing manager for third-party logistics provider Cerasis. He has been researching, writing, and marketing in the supply chain space for seven years. During that time, he has started an award-winning, high-traffic blog, podcast, whitepaper, and e-book platform, two video series, several webinars, and held speaking engagements, all with the goal to educate and add value to the lives of shippers so that they may work toward problem-free shipping as possible. He holds a degree in government with a concentration in business from the University of Texas.

Graham Parker

Chief Executive Officer, Kontainers

Graham is a born entrepreneur founding his first freight company aged 22, achieving $1m in revenue year one and doubling every year to $20m. An MBA and Maserati 100 Entrepreneur he is CEO and Co founder at award winning Enterprise SAAS company Kontainers who will power more than one million bookings this year for 5 top 20 global shipping brands.

Sarah Barnes-Humphrey, CITP

Host for Lets Talk Supply Chain Podcast (LTSC), blog & The Trade Squad

Sarah is a logistician turned supply chain marketer, passionate about bringing stories to life in an industry that has traditionally been about stats and numbers. As the host of the popular Lets Talk Supply Chain Podcast (LTSC), blog and The Trade Squad on YouTube, Sarah helps tell the stories and bring awareness to brands and hot topics in the industry which includes her infamous Women in Supply Chain series.

Jenny Xu

CEO, Carggo

Jenny Xu is the CEO of Carggo, with a mission to make freight transportation fair and efficient. She is a seasoned strategist and builder with over 15 years’ experience in the  of logistics and tech. Prior to Carggo, Jenny was the COO and CSO at FreightWaves, the Bloomberg for the Transportation industry. Jenny has a balanced deep strategic and operational insights to shippers, carriers and intermediaries. A graduate of University of Chicago Booth School of Business in Finance, Strategic Management, and Marketing.

Scott Auslund

Chief Operating Officer, Gulf Relay Logistics

Scott Auslund is the Chief Operating Officer for Gulf Relay Logistics. As a member of the executive team, Scott oversees the strategic development of the non-asset portion of the company, including technology solutions, freight brokerage, and managed transportation. 

Scott has led high-performing teams across multiple disciplines in the supply chain and logistics space. With hands-on experience in sales, operations, business intelligence, and strategic planning, Scott has produced outsized results for the companies he has partnered with to date. 

Scott has a passion for the supply chain industry and has worked alongside world-class educators to develop curriculum aimed at accelerating working professional’s knowledge of logistics. 

Ryan Rogers

Chief Transformation Officer, Covenant

As Chief Transformation Officer, Rogers holds responsibility for technology, continuous improvement, mergers and acquisitions, innovation, and strategic planning across seven individual business units within Covenant. He comes most recently from Amazon, where he served as a transportation executive, leading procurement and carrier development. Prior to Amazon, he served in multiple roles at U.S. Xpress Enterprises, including Corporate Treasurer and Chief Operating Officer. He currently serves as a mentor at Dynamo, is a member of the Chattanooga Technology Council, is a Leadership Chattanooga graduate, and was named in the “Top 20 Under 40” in Chatter magazine in 2015. He earned his MBA and undergraduate degrees from the University of Tennessee in Chattanooga.

Matt McLelland

Innovation Strategist, Covenant

Matt McLelland has more than 20 years of experience in IT and brings a fresh perspective to the supply chain industry. He serves as the Innovation Strategist for Covenant Transport, where his team works to ensure a more affordable, safer delivery of products to customers. He previously served as the Innovation Research Manager for Kenco Innovation Labs. During his IT career, McLelland served as Director of Enterprise Systems for Kenco Group and Director of Technology for the Maclellan Foundation. He holds a bachelor’s degree in management information systems from the University of Georgia.

Lori Ann LaRocco

Senior Editor of Guests, CNBC Business News

Lori Ann LaRocco is senior editor of guests for CNBC business news. She coordinates high profile interviews and special multi-million dollar on-location productions for all shows on the network. Her specialty is in politics, working with titans of industry. LaRocco is the author of “Trade War and Navigating the Bluster: Containers Don’t Lie” (Marine Money, Inc. 2019), “Dynasties of the Sea: The Untold Stories of the Postwar Shipping Pioneers” (Marine Money, Inc. 2018), “Opportunity Knocking” (Agate Publishing 2014), “Dynasties of the Sea: The Ships and Entrepreneurs Who Ushered in the Era of Free Trade” (Marine Money 2012), and “Thriving in the New Economy: Lessons from Today’s Top Business Minds” (Wiley 2010).

Matt Silver

CEO & Co-Founder, Forager

Matt Silver is the CEO and Co-Founder of Forager, a technology focused solution provider in the cross-border logistics industry. Prior to founding Forager, Matt was a rising star and key leader for one of the top freight brokerages in North America, effectively leading the expansion of their business in both Mexico and Canada.

He brings over a decade of industry experience, and invaluable expertise having worked in roles spanning every aspect of the logistics business. Under his leadership and vision Forager is working to innovate and automate the movement of freight across The United States, Mexico and Canada by developing ground-breaking technology that will transform the cross-border logistics industry and offer customers a fast and seamless solution for international shipping. 

Andrew Silver

CEO, MoLo Solutions

Andrew Silver has played an integral part in establishing what it means to be a values-driven freight broker. Three things have shaped his vision for this industry – respect for drivers, long term partnerships, and people. Drivers deserve to have a champion who looks out for their interests. Andrew believes in customer partnerships that transcend short term gains – MoLo takes a deliberate long-term perspective on customer relationships to build successful futures not just the profitable present. Most importantly, when it comes to his people, the goal is to create the best work environment in the industry.

MoLo is driven by values because values are what drive MoLo’s leaders. 

Dave Broering

President, Non-Asset Solutions, NFI

Dave Broering has over two decades of experience within the non-asset based logistics space. Through that time he has developed an expertise in creating fast-growing and efficient operations focused on customer service and execution. Dave leads the Brokerage, Intermodal and 4PL services at NFI, one of the largest privately held 3PL’s in the US. By combining his upbringing at both American Backhaulers and CH Robinson with his blend of technological focus and operational execution, Dave’s Non-Asset division has propelled into the fastest growing division within NFI.

Ty Findley

Vice President, Pritzker Group Venture Capital

Ty is a Vice President at Pritzker Group Venture Capital. He joined PGVC in 2017 where he is responsible for early stage and growth enterprise investments with a particular focus on supply chain & logistics. Prior to joining Pritzker Group, he worked for two years as a Senior Associate at GE Ventures, General Electric’s venture capital investment team. He was responsible for investment sourcing, execution and board responsibilities for companies focused on Industry4.0. Ty also spent a year as a Venture Fellow analyst with Austin-based early stage investment fund G51 Capital. Previously, he worked as a product development engineer for Boeing developing new airplane studies.

Ty graduated from Baylor University with a B.S. in mechanical engineering, where he was also a letterman member of the football team and a senior captain. He earned his M.B.A. from the Kellogg School of Management.

Rachel Premack

Transportation Reporter, Business Insider

Rachel Premack is a transportation reporter at Business Insider. She covers logistics and how it’s changing with the advent of e-commerce. She was previously a journalist in Seoul, South Korea, where she wrote about business and culture for publications like The Washington Post, Time, and Foreign Policy.

Rob Wiesenthal

Founder & Chief Executive Officer, Blade Urban Air Mobility, Inc.

Since July 2015, Mr. Wiesenthal has served as founder and Chief Executive Officer of Blade Urban Air Mobility, Inc., a technology enabled short-distance aviation company and the largest arranger of helicopter flights in and out of city centers in the United States.   From January 2013 to July 2015, Mr. Wiesenthal served as Chief Operating Officer of Warner Music Group Corp., a leading global music conglomerate. From 2000 to 2012, Mr. Wiesenthal served in various senior executive capacities with Sony Corporation, most recently as Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Sony Corporation of America.  Prior to joining Sony, from 1988 to 2000, Mr. Wiesenthal served in various capacities with Credit Suisse First Boston, most recently as Managing Director, Head of Digital Media and Entertainment.  Mr. Wiesenthal previously served on the Board of Directors of Starz. Mr. Wiesenthal has a B.A. from the University of Rochester.

Wally Devereaux

Managing Director, Cargo & Charters, Southwest Airlines

Wally Devereaux is the Managing Director of Cargo and Charters for Southwest Airlines.  He started his career with Southwest in February, 1992 as a Customer Service Agent at Dallas Love Field.  Since that time, he has served in various roles at Southwest Airlines in the Ground Operations, Corporate Communications, and Marketing Departments.  

Wally joined the Cargo and Charters Management team in 1999 as the Cargo National Account Manager where he spent seven years working with Southwest’s largest Cargo Customers.  He held a variety of positions in the department before being promoted to his current role 2018.

Wally serves on the board of directors for the Center for Logistics Education and Research at the University of North Texas, and is the proud recipient of the Airforwarders Association’s 2007 James Foster Memorial Award.

He’s a 1991 graduate of the University of Texas at Arlington, and currently resides in Colleyville, Texas with his wife and two daughters.

Michelle Halkerston

CEO, President & Owner, Hassett Express & Logistics

Hassett Express is a full-service transportation and logistics provider specializing in time-definite services. Hassett Logistics was founded in 2017 to bring the same level of quality and reliability to the third-party ground services market. Michelle is involved in all facets of the business and enjoys building partnerships that provide value to all parties.

Michelle has more than 25 years of logistics and technology experience including Vice President of Product Strategy for a transportation software firm. She was also Director of eCommerce Strategy for Caliber Logistics, now FedEx SupplyChain, and Director of Logistics Systems for Penske Logistics. Michelle began her career as a computer specialist at NASA Lewis (Glenn) Research Center. 

Michelle has a BS in Computer Science from Mount Union and an MBA from Baldwin-Wallace. She is Chairperson of the Board of Directors for the Airforwarders Association (AfA), a member of the AWESOME Advisory Board, and also a member of CSCMP.

Stephen Dedola

Co-Owner and CIO, Dedola Global Logistics (DGL)

Stephen Dedola is the co-owner and CIO of Dedola Global Logistics (DGL), a Southern California-based international freight management company founded in 1976.  He is the architect of DGL’s global shipment tracking and management system, TrakIt.   

Laura Ann Howell

Chief Operating Officer, Reliance Partners

As COO of Reliance Partners, Laura Ann Howell (LA) is responsible for the day-to-day management of the nation’s fastest-growing commercial insurance agency serving the transportation and logistics sector. Guided by positive client outcomes and dynamic team development, LA ensures that the agency’s work not only supports the insurance needs of the transportation and logistics industry but also contributes to the overall performance and well-being of the Reliance tribe. LA actively cultivates a corporate culture where diversity and inclusion are aligned with the company’s corporate strategies and values. Before Reliance, she led risk management for an integrated forest products manufacturer and founded an internal flatbed trucking fleet and brokerage division, building a depth of expertise in the transportation and logistics industry.

Chris Thomas

Co-Founder, Detroit Mobility Lab

Chris Thomas is a Co-Founder of the Detroit Mobility Lab, an entity dedicated to helping Detroit become one of the world’s foremost future mobility ecosystems. Prior to the Detroit Mobility Lab he Co-Founded Fontinalis Partners and worked to build it into one of the premier investment firms in next-generation mobility. While at Fontinalis Chris served as a Board Member for nuTonomy (acquired by Aptiv in October 2017) and Karamba Security and as a Board Observer at Ouster, Life360, and SmartKargo. Prior to Fontinalis Chris served in the U.S. Army as a Communications Officer in the U.S. and Iraq. Before joining the military, Chris worked as an Investment Banker at UBS within its Technology and Energy groups in New York and San Francisco.

Additionally, Chris advises a number of mobility startups around the globe, serves as an Executive in Residence for Mobility at the Quicken Loans Community Fund, acts as a Senior Advisor to the COMMIT Foundation, and is a member of the Global Cleantech 100 expert panel. He is also a Co-Owner of Buddy’s Pizza, the birthplace of original Detroit-style pizza, and an avid angel investor. Chris has previously served as the Chairman of Read to a Child, a national children’s literacy and mentoring nonprofit, and as a member of the World Economic Forum’s Global Agenda Council on Personal Transportation Systems.

Chris earned his Master’s degree in Business Administration from the Yale School of Management. While at Yale he served on the Honor Committee and graduated with distinction in former Prime Minister Tony Blair’s seminar on Faith and Globalization. He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in both Economics and International Relations from Michigan State University. Chris is a resident of the City of Detroit where he lives with his wife and sons. He is a staunch advocate of connected communities, early childhood literacy, and the doctrine of the strenuous life.

Brandon Fried

Executive Director, Airforwarders Association

Brandon Fried, executive director of the Airforwarders Association is one of the country’s leading experts on air freight and cargo security.  With more than 38 years of experience, Brandon represents the industry and the association by serving on several Federal Advisory Committees including: The TSA Aviation Security Advisory Committee, The U.S. Department of Commerce Committee on Supply Chain Competitiveness, and the CBP Commercial Operations Advisory Committee.    

While still a forwarder, Brandon joined the Airforwarders Association and was soon elected Chairperson in 2001.  He served two consecutive terms as Chair and remained an active member of the Board of Directors. In 2005, he sold his forwarding company and was appointed Executive Director of the Association.

Matthew A. Waller

Dean, Sam M. Walton College of Business

Matthew A. Waller, is the Dean of the Sam M. Walton College of Business, Sam M. Walton Leadership Chair, and Professor of Supply Chain Management. He is an inventor on the following patent: Waller, M.A. and Dulaney, E.F. System, Method and Article of Manufacture to Optimize Inventory and Merchandising Shelf Space Utilization, Patent No. US 6,341,269 B1. Date of Patent: January 22, 2002. His opinion pieces have appeared in Wall Street Journal Asia and Financial Times. Dr. Waller is an SEC Academic Leadership Fellow. He is coauthor of “The Definitive Guide to Inventory Management: Principles and Strategies for the Efficient Flow of Inventory across the Supply Chain” published by Pearson Education; “Integrating Blockchain into Supply Chain Management: A Toolkit for Practical Implementation,” published by Kogan Page; and “Purple on the Inside: How J.B. Hunt Transport Set Itself Apart in a Field Full of Brown Cows,” published by Epic Books. He received a B.S.B.A. summa cum laude from the University of Missouri, and a M.S. and Ph.D. from The Pennsylvania State University. He is the former Co-Editor-In-Chief of Journal of Business Logistics.

Lidia Yan

CEO and Co-Founder, NEXT Trucking

Lidia Yan is changing the way shippers and carriers connect in order to meet today’s growing transportation demands. As the CEO and Co-Founder of NEXT Trucking, Yan runs the world’s first trucker-centric, tech-enabled marketplace that efficiently matches freight with available truck capacity, easing the logistics bottleneck. With smart-matching and predictive load technologies, the NEXT platform provides enhanced supply chain visibility for shippers, as well as a better experience for truckers, who gain more control over their schedules, routes, and rates. Prior to founding NEXT Trucking in 2015, she served as a marketing executive at Newegg, where she managed a $22 million marketing budget while keeping the cost of overall sales under 1 percent. Before Newegg, she founded 9luxe, a leading flash sale site in China.

Ruthie Amaru

Chief Marketplace Officer, Freightos Marketplace

Ruthie has held product leadership positions at multiple global B2B start-ups, including Tradeum and Unicorn Solutions, resulting in successful exits. Prior to Freightos, she was responsible for architecture and strategy for a global IBM software division. Ruthie has led the Freightos Marketplace since launch, guiding strategy and execution of the world’s largest global freight marketplace.

Bill Pescatello

Founder & Managing Partner, Evolv Ventures

Managing Partner Bill Pescatello brings over 10 years of venture experience, where he has helped build multiple top quartile funds for both strategic and independent funds.

Prior to Evolv, Bill was a partner at Lightbank, $180m venture fund started by serial entrepreneurs Eric Lefkofsky and Brad Keywell. While at Lightbank, Bill led and/or served on the boards of industry leading companies such as, Udemy, Fooda, Locu, Perblue, Ionic, Hireology, CoffeeMeetsBagel, Ovia Health, and Snaptravel.

Bill was a founding member of the Peacock Equity Fund, a top quartile $250m venture fund for NBCUniversal, where he sat on the boards of Greystipe (Acquired by ValueClick), Ramp and Vivox. Bill also worked at GE Capital, where he helped finance early stage life science companies and was a Financial Analyst at Morgan Stanley.

Bill is a Chartered Financial Analyst, holds a Bachelor Degree from Northwestern University and graduated with honors from The University of Chicago Booth School of Business.  Bill is on the Advisory Board for Northwestern’s NUvention program and is an active member of the Chicago Booth entrepreneurial community.

Matt Bernstein

CEO and Founder, HubTran

Matt Bernstein is CEO and founder of HubTran, the leader in back-office automation for transportation companies.  Prior to HubTran, Matt held leadership roles at GE, RR Donnelley Logistics, ArcelorMittal and Helix Logistics. Matt began his career at Booz, Allen & Hamilton where he advised clients on supply chain strategy. He earned an MBA with honors from the Harvard Business School and a BA from Duke University.

Sune Stilling

Head of Growth, Maersk Group

Sune Stilling was appointed head of Growth in January 2017 reporting to Group CEO, Søren Skou. Following an early career in the IT industry, Sune joined the Maersk Group in 1999 as a trainee and has gained 20 years of experience within a broad spectrum of corporate disciplines in the group’s transportation, logistics and energy divisions. Sune has held MD/CEO and senior leadership roles focused on radical turnaround, transformation, divestment and profitable growth in emerging-and developed markets across a number of regions and countries. Prior to assuming the position as Head of Growth, Sune was the CEO of Egyptian Drilling Company (EDC), a leading joint stock oil field services company in the MENA region. Sune holds a Graduate Diploma in Economics (HD/U) from Copenhagen Business School, an MA in Information and Communications Technology from AAU, an MSc in Applied Finance from Singapore Management University (SMU) and an MBA (honors) from IMD. Married to Elsa, Programme Manager at World Diabetes Foundation with two children, Noam born in Senegal, and Maya born in Singapore. 

Shawn Cole

Vice President, Cargo at Delta Air Lines

Shawn Cole is Vice President – Cargo at Delta Air Lines, driving the division’s growth and continuous improvement. Before Cargo, he served as Vice President – Finance and Corporate Planning. Prior to joining Delta in 2008, he was Director of Supply Chain Value Management and Strategy for Coca-Cola Enterprises. He is an alumna of North Carolina Agricultural & Technical State University and holds an M.B.A. from Northwestern University. Shawn is well known for his dedication to servant leadership, diversity, inclusion and support for community partners such as the Atlanta Children’s Shelter and Atlanta Public Schools. He and his wife have two sons and reside in Buckhead.

Mike Powell

Chief Technology Officer, SEKO Logistics

Mike previously spent four years on SEKO Logistics’ leadership team, serving as Vice President, Information Technology before leaving in 2010 to become co-founder of a cloud-based logistics software company used by global and domestic third-party logistics companies, trucking companies, and brokers. In 2014, he joined RIM Logistics as Vice President, Technology Solutions, where he was responsible for crafting and executing the company’s corporate technology strategy and streamlining operations to increase productivity. At SEKO, he has oversight and leadership of all matters relating to technology strategy, products, solutions and operations, as well as, the development of the next generation of the MySEKO platform.

Mike Zayonc

Founder, Supply Chain & Logistics

Mike is responsible for founding Plug and Play’s Supply Chain & Logistics vertical. The program is based in Silicon Valley and is in partnership with industry leading corporate partners such as TJX, DHL, PVH, Yamato, Panasonic, Union Pacific Railroad, and Ryder. This program is responsible for accelerating and investing in startups in the areas of analytics, AI, machine learning, Augmented Reality, smart warehousing, blockchain for supply chain, customer support solutions, inventory management, IoT sensors, drones, last mile delivery, disruption of the freight brokerage model, end-to-end supply chain optimization, autonomous driving, predictive analytics for demand planning, and transportation management systems.

Plug and Play is a seed investor in companies like Dropbox, Lending Club, Paypal, Rappi, and over 1000 startups across all verticals.

Alden Woodrow

Co-Founder and CEO, Ike

Alden Woodrow is the co-founder and CEO of Ike, a developer of automated trucking technology. He has over a decade of experience building industrial technologies in energy, aerospace, and logistics. Alden most recently held senior product management roles at Uber’s Advanced Technologies Group and Google’s X lab, and previously was an economic and environmental consultant on projects ranging from coral reef conservation to dog house manufacturing. Alden is a graduate of Middlebury College, and holds an MBA from UC Berkeley’s Haas School of Business with a focus on new product development.

Brian Laung Aoaeh

Co-Founder and General Partner, REFASHIOND Ventures

Brian is a co-founder and general partner of REFASHIOND Ventures — an NYC-based, early-stage supply chain technology venture firm that is being built to invest in startups refashioning global supply chains.

Prior to co-founding REFASHIOND, Brian gained 10 years of experience in investment research and management. He spent 8 of those years building an early-stage venture firm, KEC Ventures, from scratch. The firm grew to $98M of assets under management distributed across, 2 funds, and 51 investments, with a team of 9 people.

Brian is also the co-founder of The New York Supply Chain Meetup, and The Worldwide Supply Chain Federation. The Worldwide Supply Chain Federation is a network of grassroots driven communities of people who are obsessively enthusiastic about supply chain, innovation, and technology. The community has nearly 2,000 members in its New York City chapter, and more than 2,600 members globally.

Scott Susich

Director, Data Analytics and Advisory Services, DTN

J. Scott Susich is Director, Data Analytics and Advisory Services at DTN, LLC.  DTN focuses on empowering customers worldwide with decision-support solutions in agriculture, energy, commodity and financial analytics, and weather-sensitive industries through continuous, leading-edge innovation. DTN is based in Minneapolis with offices globally.

Paige Cox

SVP & Head of Digital Supply Chain Networks, SAP SE

Paige Wei Cox is the Senior Vice President and head of Digital Supply Chain Networks development at SAP SE, with responsibility for the overall supply chain business networks strategy across Design, Manufacturing, Asset Intelligence, and Logistics.  In addition, Paige leads the development of SAP Logistics Business Network solution, driving E2E logistics optimization and supply chain visibility with Freight Collaboration, Track and Trace, and Material Traceability. With proven track record of executive leadership in digital supply chain spanning diverse industries, she works with customers, thought leaders, and partners to deliver business values and innovations.

Matt Pyatt

CEO, Arrive Logistics

Matt Pyatt is the co-founder and chief executive officer of Arrive Logistics. He is responsible for the financial health, strategic vision, company culture and the scalable leadership team at Arrive Logistics.  Launched in 2014, Pyatt led the company to early, tremendous and continued success through a robust carrier division, best-in-class technology and a passion for people. Under his direction, Arrive Logistics has invested heavily in hiring, training and retaining the best talent in the industry. By prioritizing saving customers time and money as well as allowing customers to focus on their core business, Arrive Logistics has become one of the fastest-growing freight brokerages in the country.   

Jon Bradford

Partner, Dynamo Ventures

Jon Bradford is a Partner at Dynamo Ventures, a seed-stage venture fund targeting supply chain and mobility startups.  Jon was previously a Founding Partner of Motive Partners, a late stage FInancial Services growth fund and MD of Techstars London, as well as the co-founder of F6S and tech.eu. Jon is the Director of the Bradfield Centre based in Cambridge, UK.

George Abernathy

President

George Abernathy has responsibility for all revenue and commercial efforts at FreightWaves, including SaaS, Trucking Freight Futures and membership engagements. He is the former President of Transplace, a leading provider of non-asset based third-party logistics and truck brokerage services. He also held the COO role and was a key contributor in the company’s sale to Greenbriar Equity Partners in 2013. George has more than 30 years of supply chain and transportation industry leadership experience with carrier, broker and technology companies. Previously, he held senior management positions at J.B. Hunt, Logistics.com, Sabre, Transflo and North American Van Lines.

Dean Croke

Chief Insights Officer

At FreightWaves, Dean Croke is active in vehicle telematics, data analytics, data science and standards development at BiTA. Prior to joining FreightWaves, Dean was Vice President of Data Products at Spireon, where he led the development of high-frequency telematics data products. He also ran Lancer’s long-haul truck insurance business after years as Vice President of Omnitracs Analytics, where he developed data science technologies for transportation companies. Dean was one of the founders of FleetRisk Advisors (which became Omnitracs Analytics) and has 35 years of experience in data analytics, transportation, supply chain management, data mining and insurance risk management.

Tim Dooner

FreightCaster

Dooner is currently creating new podcast, radio, video, and multimedia content for FreightWaves. He is hard at work on developing the next greatest podcast known to man. Dooner is a 14-year supply chain industry veteran who has held positions in operations, sales, consulting, and marketing, having worked with FedEx, Reebok, Adidas, L.L. Bean, Hasbro, Louis Vuitton, and many more high level clients across the full spectrum of the field. He is a co-host and producer on What The Truck?!? as well as FreightWaves Insiders, The Morning Minute, and the American Shipper Morning Report.  

John Engstrom

Chief Strategy Officer

John “JT” Engstrom serves as FreightWaves’ Chief Strategy Officer, overseeing the Market Expert team of analysts, FreightWaves’ proprietary research group Freight Intel, and the commercial engagement team. Engstrom will also help with corporate strategy, partnerships, and prepare the company for the next stage of growth. Prior to joining FreightWaves, JT was a top Transportation & Logistics analyst and Wall Street investment banker at STIFEL. Prior to that in Oliver Wyman’s Transportation & Logistics management consulting practice. Engstrom’s first job out of college was writing route optimization models and algorithms for truckload carriers.

Craig Fuller

Founder & CEO

Craig Fuller is CEO and Founder of FreightWaves, the only freight-focused organization that delivers a complete and comprehensive view of the freight and logistics market. FreightWaves’ news, content, market data, insights, analytics, innovative engagement and risk management tools are unprecedented and unmatched in the industry.

John Paul Hampstead

Associate Editor

John Paul writes about freight markets, 3PLs, and M&A, and holds a PhD in English literature from the University of Michigan. He covers all durations along the trucking rate curve, including spot, contract, and futures in “Weekly Rate Update,” a TV show with Craig Fuller. John Paul weaves data-driven insights and qualitative industry commentary to understand how trucking, intermodal, and maritime freight markets interact.

John Kingston

Executive Editor and Oil Market Expert

John Kingston works with the editorial team to broaden coverage, content and data that readers need to understand how the freight markets are impacted by regulatory, economic, technology and business developments. John is also a FreightWaves Market Expert covering the oil and energy markets. Much of his career was spent at McGraw-Hill/S&P Global, primarily at the Platts division. He was Platts’ leading “talking head,” appearing on television business shows and presenting at conferences on energy and blockchain issues. In 2015 he joined S&P’s management team, serving as President of the McGraw Hill Financial Institute and Director of Global Market Insights. He launched the S&P Global Task Force on Blockchain to determine how the nascent technology would impact the company.

Anthony Smith

Lead Economist & Director, Market Experts

Before FreightWaves, Anthony received his Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in Economics from New Mexico State University. Anthony started his career off in tech as a Commercialization Associate where he identified and evaluated emerging technologies and innovations. Anthony transitioned to a Corporate Economist & Consultant where he advised CXO leaders and Fortune 500 companies on economic analysis, industry trends and internal strategy. Anthony’s clients varied from construction, trucking, industrial, software, manufacturing and retail industries.

Anthony most recently worked in-house as a Corporate Economist for a building products company. He led analysis around M&A, pricing sensitivity, competitive intelligence and annual sales forecast for the executive team.

Zach Strickland

Director, Freight Market Intelligence

Prior to starting at FreightWaves, Zach received a bachelor’s degree in Finance from the University of Tennessee at Knoxville. His first experience in transportation was 13 years ago in expedited truckload. He then moved on to engineering, pricing, and finally financial analysis at a nationwide LTL carrier.

Zach spent a majority of his career dealing with data and translating it into something both manageable and actionable, whether it is for his own use or for others. He developed dashboards for executive management as well as daily operational management.

Along with his main areas of focus, he has worked in many departments, giving him knowledge of multiple facets of transportation in the areas of billing, receivables, payables, purchased transportation, customer service, claims management, accounting, and information technology. He has also worked closely with operations and has developed designs for freight networks.

Kyle Cunningham

FreightCaster

As a former expedited team driver and experienced load planner, Kyle has seen the trucking industry from both the driver’s seat and the office chair. 

Emily Szink

News Director & Anchor

Emily Szink is an award-winning Anchor/Reporter with close to a decade of on-air experience.  She has done almost every kind of reporting in her career from sports, to being on the homicide and crime beat, to lifestyle reporting.  

Emily’s TV career started in Dayton, Ohio when she was still a senior at the University of Dayton.  She beat out hundreds of hopefuls in an “American Idol” style contest to become the face of the Dayton’s CW Network. 

After Dayton, Emily moved to the Black Hills of South Dakota to be the Morning Anchor for Rapid City’s NBC affiliate.  Emily just couldn’t get enough of her 2 a.m. alarm clock and continued her morning news career in Omaha, Nebraska where she was for almost six years. 

Emily came to FreightWaves in May of 2019 and is the News Director for FreightWavesTV and the station’s anchor. 

Nadeen Vawter

Quality Assurance Engineer 

Previous to working at FreightWaves, Nadeen received her Bachelor’s degree in Marketing from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga in 2013. Nadeen started her transportation journey in 2014 at U.S. Xpress Logistics as a Capacity Buyer I. She quickly learned how to build working relationships with carriers and that helped her grow her book of business. She worked her way up within U.S. Xpress Logistics as a Capacity Buyer II and eventually made it to a Capacity Supervisor. As a Capacity Supervisor she managed anywhere from 7-12 Capacity Buyers at a time, helping them build relationships with their carriers and passed along insights into the freight industry. After 4 years at U.S. Xpress Logistics, she moved to a smaller brokerage that worked heavily in the flatbed market. She has been with FreightWaves for over a year now, starting in sales in September 2018. After becoming an expert in the SaaS platform SONAR, she decided to move into the product development side. She is currently a Quality Assurance Engineer and works closely with the data science and development team.