FACILITATOR

Amanda Ellis is a dynamic operations and marketing leader with more than 15 years of experience driving performance, profitability, and innovation in the tire and transportation industry. A fourth-generation tire dealer from Washington, she helped lead her family’s business, Tires Inc, through a successful acquisition by Bridgestone in 2019 after 65 years of operations. Ellis now serves as Lead Dealer Operations Manager for Digital Solutions at Bridgestone Americas, championing service event management technology and customer-centric innovation. Recognized for her authentic leadership and commitment to sustainability, Ellis has earned multiple awards for operational excellence and community impact. She is passionate about mentorship, business transformation, and empowering women in transportation.

As Estes’ Vice President of Sustainability, Culture, and Communications, Sara Graf is responsible for brand, marketing, internal and external communications, public relations, reputation management, creative services, sustainability, and corporate philanthropy. Through Graf’s leadership and vision, Estes has transformed the ways it stays connected to its teammates in the digital age, including key employee engagement initiatives such as a mobile communication app and intranet, companywide digital signage displays, and podcasts. She spearheaded Estes’ inaugural carbon footprint reporting and annual sustainability report and played a pivotal role in establishing standardized shipment-level emissions reporting in the U.S. LTL industry through a partnership with SMC3.

Since joining Estes in 2016, Graf's work has helped grow the company’s family-inspired culture, celebrate its employees and customers, lead Estes through pivotal change, and strengthen Estes’ brand and reputation.

For more than 20 years, Erin Mitchell has been delivering transformative results across operations and technology, hiring and developing diverse talent. At Kraft Heinz, Mitchell led multiple large organizations, with responsibilities ranging from business integration (the Kraft-Heinz merger) to leading North America Distribution. In all her roles she’s been able to deliver business results through building and developing high-performing teams and building strong relationships with stakeholders. For the past 18 months, Mitchell has been serving as the COO of YMX Logistics, a rapidly growing leader in the technology-integrated yard management services space.

Kandice Nadeau is Vice President of Dedicated Contract Carriage (DCC) Solutions for Penske Logistics, where she leads the development of customized transportation strategies and has responsibility for backhaul operations.

She began her 18-year career with Penske as a logistics analyst and advanced through engineering and product leadership roles, shaping the growth of the DCC product line and guiding teams through complex logistics challenges. Her leadership has strengthened customer partnerships, driven consistent business growth and delivered greater efficiency in a demanding freight market.

Nadeau champions women in transportation through direct action. She was a founding member of one of Penske’s earliest women’s impact groups and today serves as a mentor and panelist through the Penske Women in Logistics program, sharing her career journey and leadership approach with associates across the company. By focusing on talent development, she has helped women grow into leadership roles.

Nadeau holds a B.S. from The Ohio State University and maintains CSCP, PMP and Six Sigma certifications.

Angelic Perez has 25 years of experience in the transportation and logistics industry working for United Parcel Service. She has built a career defined by expertise, reliability, and commitment to operational excellence.

Throughout her career, Perez has worked across multiple facets of logistics from fleet operations to warehouse management. Known for her problem-solving skills and leadership, Perez has played a key role in improving efficiency, reducing costs, and ensuring compliance with industry regulations.

Dedicated to teamwork and continuous improvement, Perez takes pride in mentoring colleagues and helping her organization adapt to the evolving demands of global transportation. She has a proven track record of delivering results and continues to drive success in an industry where precision, dependability, and innovation are essential.