Tim Alessi is head of Product Marketing for Home Entertainment Products at LG Electronics USA in Englewood Cliffs, NJ. In this role, Alessi is responsible for working with LG’s global engineering and product planning teams to bring advanced home entertainment technologies to the U.S. market. Products include OLED and LCD televisions, BluRay disc players and smart audio systems. He also heads LG’s training department and works closely with brand marketing and PR to develop and deliver LG’s compelling technology messages to the retail floor and consumers.

Tim Bajarin is recognized as one of the leading industry consultants, analysts and futurists, covering the field of personal computers and consumer technology. Mr. Bajarin has been with Creative Strategies since 1981 and has served as a consultant to most of the leading hardware and software vendors in the industry including IBM, Apple, Xerox, Hewlett Packard/Compaq, Dell, AT&T, Microsoft, Sony, Panasonic, Intel, Qualcomm, AMD, nVidia, Polaroid, Lotus, Epson, Toshiba and numerous others.

Ms. Baker-Branstetter serves as Manager, Cars & Energy Policy for Consumers Reports’ Washington, D.C. office, where she leads the policy team’s work on energy efficiency, clean energy, utility policy, clean vehicles, fuel economy, and other transportation and environmental topics.  Ms. Baker-Branstetter provides oral testimony and written comments for EPA, DOE, DOT, and CARB rulemakings, analyzes pending bills and regulations, and briefs Congress and state legislators on CU’s position on pending legislation.

Jason Barry is a market analyst for the Tablets and Wearables segments for Gap Intelligence.

Aparna Behari is Head of US Retail and Telco Distribution for Google Devices and Services. During her tenure at Google, she’s been singularly focused on getting the best and most innovative products into the hands of consumers.  Her key accomplishments include launching the Google Store and Heading up the Global Go-To-Market Strategy launching Google’s assistant products worldwide. Most recently, as the Head of US Distribution, she has driven scale and growth for Google’s full portfolio of hardware products.

Bryan Biniak is the CEO and founder of Connected Travel, a connected vehicle platform and application services company that, together with Honda Innovations, recently launched a first-of-its-kind mobile infotainment, commerce, and rewards platform and the automotive industry’s first consumer application system to gamify the driving and riding experience.

28 years into his career with BrandsMart USA, Bryan has seen his title change numerous times with BrandsSmart USA, going from sales, to merchandising, and settling into his current role as the Senior Vice President of Merchandising for the retailer. And in that time, the operation has expanded from just two locations in south Florida to 10 locations in two states.

Darius is currently the Sr. Business Manager for Extended Service Agreements (ESA) for Electrolux Major Appliances – North America, based in Charlotte, North Carolina. He is responsible for ESA direct marketing, pricing, and profitability strategies to differentiate the ownership solution experience for Electrolux and Frigidaire major appliances consumers. Darius also leads a team that ensures consistent year-over-year growth performance, new customer acquisitions, and business development enhancements. He is an Advisory Board member of the Global Warranty Service Contract Association and has served in multiple service contract program leadership positions since 2004 including at Electrolux, and at big-box retailer organizations such as Circuit City Stores, Inc. Darius has a Bachelor’s of Science degree in Business Administration from Walden University, and also attended the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, majoring in Actuarial Science.

Mr. Cannella started his career at the age of 15 working in the entertainment business, start his first firm at the age of 16. By the age of 18, Mr. Cannella had formed a company that was recognized as the east coast’s premier live event videography and visual design firm. With this early springboard into the entertainment market, Mr. Cannella became a fulltime member of the motion picture industry, where he was employed as a chief lighting technician on commercials, TV shows and major motion pictures. Working in film gave Mr. Cannella a unique view on lighting design which is the hallmark of his design portfolio. During the years Mr. Cannella was involved in the entertainment industry he acquired many industry credentials and certifications. He is proud to be a former member of the industry’s leading union, the International Alliance of Theatrical and Stage Employees (IATSE). Mr. Cannella continues to take part in continuing education opportunities and is a recent recipient of the NCQLP’s Lighting Certified (LC) credential. Mr. Cannella is affiliated with many of the industry’s most recognized working groups and has lectured extensively including visits to Columbia University, NYU, and The Art Institute of Philadelphia to share his unique views on technology and lighting design.

Nick is a Founder and CEO of ThirdEye Gen, Inc.  ThirdEye is a leader in Mixed Reality Smart Glasses with its X2 MR Glasses.  Previously, Nick he developed AR/VR & Mobile applications that were successfully deployed in commercial/consumer App stores that earned thousands of users.  He earned his Bachelors Degree from the University of Pennsylvania where he was a founding member of the Penn AR/VR club.

Gerry Demple has served in a variety of leadership positions over a 30-year career in the Consumer Electronics industry. With a passion for the customer experience, he is currently focused on fulfillment business development for DISH’s In-Home Services with clients encompassing a broad range of offerings including smart home and IoT, appliance repair, and home security, among others.

Dustin Downs is a Senior Analyst for the Desktop and Notebook Computers markets for Gap Intelligence.

Eden Goldberg is the Vice President of Marketing and Business Development at InMotion, the largest electronics retailer group in the US airport market. Recognized at CES 2018 with The Legacy Award, and by Dealerscope as one of the Most Powerful Women in Consumer Technology (2016), Eden is responsible for conceiving the national chain’s brand through store design, merchandising materials, PR and social media and positioning the company for exclusive partnerships and award-winning recognition. Responsible for developing and launching new vendors, products and product categories in the mass-targeted boutiques have positioned the company as a significant platform for the CE channel. She has conceived and trademarked several verticals of retail stores capitalizing on the growing segment and ever-changing consumer demand. Other former retail innovations include conceiving digital delivery of InMotion TV, actualizing interactive product displays and (in the early 00’s) launching the first digital download kiosks in US airports. She brings more than 15 years of experience in business development, branding, sponsorships, event planning and consumer product marketing in the retail industry. Eden was educated in Strategic Marketing at New York University and holds a B.S. in Journalism from Indiana University.

As director, vendor management for Ingram Micro’s Consumer Technology Solutions business unit, Alexandra Harding provides strategic direction to the distributor’s Scottsdale, Ariz.-based vendor management team, as well as ensuring profitability and managing critical vendor relationships. A 24-year veteran of the consumer electronics industry, Harding joined Ingram Micro in 2009 as senior manager, vendor management and purchasing, before accepting her current role in 2012. Prior to Ingram Micro, Harding worked as a buyer for DBL Distributing, Radio Shack and CompUSA, and previously held positions with Tweeter Home Entertainment Group and Sound Advice. She is a member of the Women in CE industry organization and a Gen U Generous Giver member as well as the Executive Sponsor for the Ingram Micro Scottsdale campus for United Way.

Brad is a creative marketing professional with an obsession for technology and business. His extensive career has primarily focused on building valuable tech products and services through engaging with customers, developers, and partners. Brad currently directs all product marketing efforts and strategy for Control4, the world’s largest smart home automation company which offers connected solutions for Entertainment, Smart Lighting, Comfort and Security.

A global leader in delivering software for intelligent connected systems, Wind River offers a comprehensive, edge-to-cloud software portfolio designed to address the challenges and opportunities critical infrastructure companies face when evolving and modernizing their systems as they work to realize the full potential of IoT. Wind River technology is found in more than 2 billion products and is backed by world-class professional services, award-winning customer support, and a broad partner ecosystem.

Jeremy is Editor in Chief of Digital Trends, responsible for keeping the site awesome. Over nearly two decades working in and with technology he saw the industry explode, from the growth of the Internet to the birth and dominance of smartphones, Facebook, Twitter and more. Before joining DT, he spent nearly five years at FoxNews.com, and over a decade at Ziff Davis Media, publisher of PCMag.com.

Michael Lawder oversees all U.S. customer service operations, including contact centers, field and depot operations, walk-in support locations, parts supply and quality assurance. Michael’s passion at Samsung is to help customers get the most out of their products. The Samsung Customer Care team is committed to making each day simpler, more productive and more enjoyable for customers.

Jim is the CEO and founder of the Aero Wireless Group and Wind Tower Technologies. He’s an experienced innovator and entrepreneur in the fields of infrastructure technology in bridges, telecom, and wind tower structures.

Michele Dupre’ is a group vice president at Verizon Enterprise Solutions and is responsible for Enterprise customers in the Retail, Hospitality/Travel & Distribution Vertical as well as customers headquartered in Canada. In this capacity, she is responsible for maintaining and growing a base of vertical enterprise customers and enterprise customers in Canada. In her role, Michele is charged with driving sales strategy while focusing on acquiring new customers, increasing profitable revenue growth and maintaining the global customer base. Additionally, Michele leads the development and growth of her enterprise leadership and sales team.

Known as one of the best-connected people in the social impact space, Susan McPherson opened McPherson Strategies in 2013 with the core belief that business can—and must—be a force for good.

As Executive Director for Partner Engagement at Smart Cities Council, Jason Nelson engages with companies around the world to encourage them to partner with us to build more livable, workable and sustainable cities.

Toshiyuki (Toshi) Ogura is Chief Distinguished Engineer of Sony Visual Products Inc., responsible for R&D strategy for consumer TV products and its ecosystem, specializing and evangelizing new picture quality technologies of 4K/8K and HDR across the industry, impacting everything from content creation and platform technology to client devices such as consumer TV products. Toshi joined Sony in 1983 and experienced several product developments, product design and R&D roles for consumer TVs and digital imaging products. In 2016, Toshi was recognized as one of the “Chief Distinguished Engineers” within the whole Sony group, which is only given to selected Sony engineers with outstanding technical expertise in key technological fields and have made a significant contribution to Sony. In the same year, he received a Sony Outstanding Engineer award for establishing the ecosystem of HDR format, which was loyalty free and later become de fact standard in the industry.

Rob Pegoraro writes about computers, gadgets, telecom, the Internet, apps, and other things that beep or blink. You can find him covering policy issues at Yahoo Finance, answering consumer-tech questions at USA Today, offering telecom guidance at Wirecutter and showing up at various other online and (sometimes) print outlets. He has met most of the founders of the Internet and once received a single-word e-mail reply from Steve Jobs.

Scott Peterson is a Senior Analyst for the Smartphones & Voice Assistant Speakers market for Gap Intelligence.

Tech Up for Women is a collaborative technology hub created for the advancement of women. The organization provide resources, tech products & trends, education, and networking opportunities to take the fear factor out of technology. Their annual  Conference will be held on November 19, 2019, at the Javits Convention Center, NYC. Join the group to stay current on innovative new technology and advance your career through our tools, resources and powerful community.

Marguerite Reardon has been a CNET News reporter since 2004, covering cell phone services, broadband, citywide Wi-Fi, the Net neutrality debate, as well as the ongoing consolidation of the phone companies.

Jim Sanduski is a long-time consumer electronics industry veteran with over 25 years of experience in business-to-consumer marketing, sales, product strategy and finance. In 2017, Sanduski was appointed president of the newly formed Sharp Home Electronics Company of America (SHCA), a division established to integrate the previously separate divisions of SEMCA (Sharp Electronics Marketing Company of America), SMCA (Sharp Manufacturing Company of America) and SSG (Services and Solutions Group).

Andrew Sivori is the Vice President of TV Product Marketing at Samsung Electronics America, where he is responsible for driving the growth of Samsung’s multi-billion dollar US TV business.  A 25+ year veteran of the CE space, Andrew has served in various merchandising and marketing roles with both retailers and manufacturers throughout his career.   Andrew joined Samsung in 2015 and led the Consumer IT division prior to joining the TV team.

With 32 years in the consumer electronics and technology industry, Chris is a seasoned contract, service and CX veteran with experience honed at Samsung, AIG, ServicePower, GE and Montgomery Ward. Chris serves as a board member of Encompass Supply Chain Solutions and was awarded by NESDA as Person of the Year 2019, National Friend of Service in 2017, the Richard Mildenberger Outstanding National Officer in 2017, the National Electronics Servicing Dealers Association, the NESDA Person of the Year 2015 and the General Electric President’s Award for Service in 1999. He is also a certified 6 Sigma Green Belt.

Rob has a lifelong love of technology and enjoys the opportunity to learn from and pick the brains of every professional he meets in this industry. Being able to tell their stories is a passion of his and getting to play with all of their fun and innovative gadgets is just the cherry on top.

With over two decades of experience in the service contract and warranty space, Dawn has never lost sight of the customer. Having held roles in every facet of the industry, Dawn’s extensive experience translates into her unique insights into customer experience, emerging trends and opportunities for her partners to grow top-line sales. As President of Centricity, Dawn has grown the company to become one of Bankers Financial Corporation’s most competitive business lines, while achieving an A+ BBB rating. In 2016, Dawn was named as a Finalist within the Financial Services category for the Tampa Bay Business Journal’s Business Woman of the Year Award. She was also awarded a Bronze level Stevie Award for Female Executive of the Year in Consumer Services for a company with up to 2,500 Employees. Away from the office, you can spot Dawn wearing the red, orange, and pewter to support her Tampa Bay Bucs on NFL Sundays.

John Waraniak leads SEMA’s advanced vehicle technology strategy, programs and initiatives. His role is to help members understand the challenges, develop solutions and capitalize on the business opportunities presented by today’s complex vehicle systems and technologies. Waraniak is a proven industry leader who has worked for automotive, motorsports, aerospace and consumer products companies for more than 20 years. Prior to joining SEMA, Waraniak held executive positions with a range of companies, including TATA Consultancy Services, Johnson Controls, General Motors, Hughes Aircraft, Northrop and No Fear. His visionary and entrepreneurial leadership skills played an integral role in helping these companies develop and implement innovative strategies for adapting best business and technology practices for growth and improved profitability.

Robert Zohn is the founder and President of Value Electronics, an independent a/v retailer in Scarsdale, NY.  He started the company in 1998 with the mission to provide the best products and custom installation work in Westchester County. The store recently moved to a new large location in the downtown shopping village of Scarsdale, NY.