2024 FALL ROUND-UP SPEAKERS
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Presenting the Best in Show Speakers for this event!
Artie Crawford, CISSP, CISM
Director of Cybersecurity, National Motor Freight Traffic Association, Inc. (NMFTA)™
Artie is a seasoned professional with extensive experience in cybersecurity strategy and deep technical expertise in addressing complex cybersecurity challenges. He possesses a thorough understanding of the tools, techniques, procedures, and attack vectors employed by cyber adversaries.
Artie has a proven track record of providing strategic guidance, collaboration, and engineering support to a wide range of organizations, including state and local governments, educational institutions, intelligence agencies, transportation authorities, and the Department of Defense, all in support of their cybersecurity missions.
Throughout his distinguished career, Artie has held pivotal roles at organizations such as the Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), Microsoft, MITRE, and others. His work has been centered on developing advanced techniques and tools for real-world operations.
A 27-year veteran of the U.S. Marine Corps, Artie retired in 2011 as the Cybersecurity Chief of the Marine Corps, where he served as the Senior Technical Advisor to the CIO and Director of C4.
Joe Ohr
Chief Operating Officer, National Motor Freight Traffic Association, Inc. (NMFTA)™
Joe Ohr has more than two decades of experience in technical operations, customer success management, IT, customer support, and product support.
Currently serving as the Chief Operating Officer for the National Motor Freight Traffic Association, Inc. (NMFTA)™, Joe plays a pivotal role in helping to advance the industry through digitization, classification, and cybersecurity.
Prior to his role at NMFTA, Joe served as in numerous IT, engineering, and operations positions at Qualcomm and Eaton, and most recently held the position of Senior Vice President of Operations/Customer Experience at Omnitracs.
Throughout his career, Joe has provided strategic guidance, vision, and a roadmap for addressing long-term customer challenges. He has played a key role in accelerating revenue growth and has collaborated closely with IT, product, and engineering teams to foster stronger partnerships with strategic customers and peers. Additionally, Joe has overseen post sales customer support and service teams, as well as operations, managing a workforce of over 400 individuals.
Joe holds multiple certifications such as CCNA from Cisco and MCSE from Microsoft and earned his Bachelor of Science in Education from the Ohio State University. Due to his contributions to the industry, he earned a spot in the Inner Circle in 2015 and 2018 from Qualcomm and Omnitracs.
Ben Wilkens, CISSP, CISM
Cybersecurity Principal Engineer at the National Motor Freight Traffic Association, Inc. (NMFTA)™
In his role at NMFTA, Ben spearheads research initiatives and leads teams dedicated to developing cutting-edge cybersecurity technologies, methodologies, and strategies to safeguard information systems and networks. He collaborates extensively with academic institutions, industry partners, and government agencies to advance cybersecurity practices and knowledge.
Ben provides expert insights and recommendations to organizations, enhancing their security posture and helping them navigate the constantly evolving landscape of cyber threats.
Before joining NMFTA, Ben was a key executive at a third-generation family-owned trucking and logistics company. There, he focused on the strategic integration of technology to improve operational efficiency while ensuring adherence to cybersecurity best practices.
With a rare combination of CISSP and CISM certifications alongside an active Class A CDL, Ben brings a unique perspective to the intersection of cybersecurity and transportation. In addition to his extensive experience as an over-the-road driver, he has held roles in dispatch operations, driver management, and brokerage sales. Ben later transitioned to IT and operations support, where he honed his expertise in cybersecurity.
Marilyn Surber
VP of Sales and Marketing, Drivers Legal Plan/ Principal and Co-Founder, Candela Professional Group
VP of Sales and Marketing, Marilyn Surber joined Drivers Legal plan in April 2024. Marilyn is also Principal and Co-Founder of Candela Professional Group. Marilyn has been a part of the transportation industry since 2008. She is passionate about serving the transportation industry and is an advocate for the transportation community. She has over 15 years’ experience in corporate communication, industry relations, recruiting, safety and driver training. Before joining Drivers Legal Plan Marilyn served in several roles with Tenstreet, Melton Truck Lines, and Hilti, Inc. Marilyn holds a bachelor's degree in communication from The University of Tulsa. She served on the Board of Directors for the Commercial Vehicle Training Association, where she was named Member of the Year in 2019 and was selected by Oklahoma Magazine as a Top 40 under 40 for the state of Oklahoma in 2019. In addition, Marilyn was named a Woman To Watch In Transportation in 2023 by the Women In Trucking Association. Marilyn is an active member of American Trucking Association, Truckload Carriers Association, Florida Trucking Association, North Carolina Trucking Association, Commercial Vehicle Training Association, and the National Association of Publicly Funded Truck Driving Schools. Additionally, Marilyn serves on the Women In Motion Advisory Board for ATA, the Women Executive Council and Network for the Florida Trucking Association, and the North Carolina Trucking Association Women In Trucking Advisory Board.
JW Taylor
Managing Member, Taylor Nelson PL
J.W. Taylor is a business law and commercial litigation attorney specializing in the transportation and logistics industry. He founded Taylor Nelson, a national full-service transportation law firm, in 2011. Taylor represents clients in claims litigation, including personal injury litigation and ADR, cargo claims, and contract disputes. He is also skilled in corporate restructuring and regulatory compliance matters such as insurance design, equipment financing, and risk management.
Taylor has developed strong relationships within the insurance industry and is a consistent speaker at MCIEF. He assists insurance agents in communicating risk management to potential underwriters and helps insurers write policies that align with industry realities. Taylor's expertise extends to the emerging industry of autonomous vehicles. He served on the Board of Directors of the Florida Trucking Association from 2019-2022, representing the trucking industry's interests to state and federal regulatory bodies and lobbying for tort reform.
Taylor has earned respect in the transportation industry for both his success in mediation and court battles concerning catastrophic claims and his ability to structure companies to minimize legal exposure. He is known for creating widely-used "sample" contracts, including the most referenced Independent Contractor Driver agreement in Motor Carrier operations. Taylor's reputation for minimizing liability exposure while considering industry business realities has led to numerous referrals from insurance agents who trust him to set their clients up for both legal protection and financial success.
Spencer Tenney
President & CEO, The Tenny Group
Spencer Tenney is President and CEO of the Tenney Group, an industry-specialized merger and acquisition advisory firm that has been dedicated to transportation and logistics since 1973. Tenney Group’s primary service is sell-side representation for trucking and logistics companies with annual revenues ranging from 20M to 300M. Spencer graduated from The University of Texas. He is a sought-after speaker at national industry events and is a regular contributor to Transport Topics, FleetOwner, Transport Dive, FreightWaves, and other media outlets. He also hosts the industry M&A podcast “In the Hot Seat with the Tenney Group.” On a personal note, Spencer, his wife Lauren, and their three children reside in Franklin, TN. He enjoys songwriting, fitness, reading presidential biographies, and serving Franktown Open Hearts – a faith-based non-profit dedicated to inspiring and empowering inner-city youth.
Jason Chepenik, CFP®
Senior Vice President, OneDigital Retirement + Wealth
Jason Chepenik currently serves as senior vice president of the Retirement + Wealth division. Jason is focused on providing fiduciary guidance to corporate retirement plans. Jason’s unbridled energy and passion is what his clients and team love most. Whether he’s advocating for stronger fiduciary responsibility, lending his financial knowledge to a local non-profit, or championing financial literacy for the next generation, Jason keeps a strong sense of “the why” within his work.
Jason is also the founder of the 4.01k Race for Financial Fitness ™ helping to raise more than $1 million to support community based financial literacy programs. Jason has earned a degree in Management with a concentration in Finance from Tulane University.
Kim Beck
Senior Vice President, Cottingham & Butler Benefits Consulting
Kim specializes in benefit program design and re-structuring, cost reduction strategies, compliance services, onboarding/enrollment technology and health & wellness management solutions, specific to the transportation industry.
She has over 30 years of insurance and benefit industry experience, including 21 years at Cottingham & Butler working exclusively in the transportation industry with large motor carriers, truck dealerships, warehousing/storage, freight forwarding and logistics companies. During this time, she facilitated the development of what is now a nationally recognized annual benchmark report on compensation and benefits exclusively for the transportation industry.
With her industry expertise and over a decade of data from this annual survey, her team has also developed analytic tools and deeper level benchmarking resources to assist trucking companies and truck dealerships with recruiting, retention, strategies for containing costs and making important benefit program decisions each year.
Peter Schorsch
President, Extensive Enterprises Media & Publisher, Florida Politics, INFLUENCE Magazine
Peter Schorsch is the President of Extensive Enterprises and is the publisher of some of Florida’s most influential new media websites, including Florida Politics, and newsletters, such as Sunburn, the morning read of what’s hot in Florida politics. Schorsch is also the publisher of INFLUENCE Magazine. For several years, Peter’s blog was ranked by the Washington Post as the best state-based blog in Florida. In addition to his publishing efforts, Peter is a political consultant to several of the state’s largest governmental affairs and public relations firms. Peter lives in St. Petersburg with his wife, Michelle, and their daughter, Ella.