Kendall Rawls
Director of Development, The Rawls Group
Since officially joining the firm in 2004, Kendall has navigated issues that many business owners face, including working effectively with family, building rapport with key management and outside strategic partners, influencing teamwork, and implementing strategic initiatives to drive growth and increase organizational performance. She knows and understands the challenges that impact entrepreneurial-owned businesses’ success and offers a unique perspective derived from her background and experience as a second-generation, family-member employee of The Rawls Group.
Kendall is a frequent contributor to national industry publications in automotive retail, multi-unit franchise, marine, and energy. In her free time, Kendall enjoys spending time with her dog, practicing yoga, playing beach volleyball and volunteering for her local neighborhood association.
Brian Kramer
EVP, Cars.com | General Manager of Accu-Trade
Brian has prior experience as a multi-dealership General Manager specializing in digital transformation with 26+ years of retail dealership experience. He became a dealership General Manager at the age of 24 and has operating experience for AutoNation and the Germain Automotive Group for franchises including Mercedes-Benz, Lexus, Infiniti, Chevrolet, Cadillac, Toyota and Lincoln franchises in Ohio and Florida.
He is the recipient of the inaugural Automotive News “Top 40 under 40” award and a member of the Google Dealer Advisory Board. Brian led the initiative, resulting in the first 100% paperless transaction in 2020. He pioneered and delivered the first automotive transaction in the Metaverse and has been featured in Automotive News, F&I Magazine, Digital Dealer Magazine, Jalopnik, The Wall Street Journal, as well on the PBS documentary Viewpoint with Dennis Quaid.
Michele Wright
Director of Sales, Cox Automotive
Michele is a 20-year sales and marketing expert and has held senior roles in telecom, digital marketing and real estate before finding her home in automotive. She came to Cox Automotive eight years ago and is currently the Director of Sales over the Mountain States region covering eight states. Her team is consistently ranked highest in customer satisfaction and has created an in-store training program to help better partner locally. At Cox, she has been on several councils and pilots benefiting her clients, most recently working with marketing and economic insights to bring regional and state-specific information to the states that she works with.
Michele is passionate about the growth of this part of the country and has expanded the footprint of Cox Automotive by hiring more local consultants to better serve dealers. Michele resides outside of Salt Lake City, Utah, with her two sons. In her free time, she loves to ski, hike, golf and host dinner parties.
Kaye Lynch-Sparks
Associate Director — Legal and Regulatory Affairs,
National Automobile Dealers Association
Kaye (pronounced “Kai”) Lynch-Sparks is an attorney with a decade of experience in policy and compliance with a diverse background in the public and private sectors. As the Associate Director of Legal and Regulatory Affairs at the National Automobile Dealers Association (NADA), she educates NADA members on compliance and represents NADA members before federal executive branch agencies in the issue areas of finance and credit, consumer protection, labor and employment, and the environment.
Kaye came to NADA in 2018 following five years as a regulatory attorney and consultant in Washington, D.C., where she worked with a wide variety of federal agencies to develop and implement regulations. Mrs. Lynch-Sparks is an attorney barred in Virginia and earned her Juris Doctorate from Loyola University New Orleans College of Law.
Gary Gilchrist
President, Gilchrist Chevrolet Buick GMC,
2023 NADA Vice Chairman Industry Relations Chevrolet Liaison
Gary started in the automotive business in 1977, selling cars in Tacoma after graduating from college. He is the 2023 Vice Chairman of the National Automobile Dealers Association (NADA) and represents Washington’s franchised new-car dealers on the Board of Directors.
Sharon Kitzman
President, Dominion DMS
Sharon leads the launch and long-term growth of Dominion DMS. Previously, she managed the strategic direction and product development for Reynolds & Reynolds and Dealertrack. Her experience spans every area of dealership software development, including sales, marketing, product lifecycle management, process re-engineering, OEM management, professional services and customer services.
She is a recognized leader in the automotive industry for her expertise in DMS technology. Sharon received numerous accolades for her leadership, including Automotive News Top 100 Leading Women 2015 and 2020, Auto Remarketing Women in Retail 2021 and AutoSuccess Women at the Wheel 2021. She has a Bachelor of Business Administration from Ohio State University.
Glen Mercer
Independent Automotive Researcher
Glenn has over 35 years of relevant experience, beginning in 1985 at McKinsey, where he was a Firm Partner in the Automotive Practice, participating in hundreds of client studies. His greatest expertise is in “downstream” automotive: beyond the factory gate to distribution, the aftermarket, remarketing of cars, etc.
Since 2006 he has been a sole practitioner. In addition to project work for investment firms (e.g., KKR, Kleiner Perkins, Baillie Gifford), he has been an advisor to industry entities (e.g., Ricardo, NADA, NAAA), a board member for automotive firms (e.g., Rimstock, Stackpole, Grakon), an expert witness in automotive cases, and a lecturer on automotive economics in academia (e.g., Wharton, Coventry University, Case Western). Before beginning his automotive career at McKinsey, he worked at the CIA and British Petroleum. He holds an AB from Dartmouth, an MA from Yale in Soviet Studies (he has been asking for a tuition refund, given that the USSR no longer exists.), and an MBA from the Tuck School. Glen has been President of the Society of Automotive Analysts (USA) and Director of the International Motor Vehicle Program (global). He lives in Ohio with his wife Ida, a cellist.
Ken Rosenfield
CPA, Managing Partner, Founder, Rosenfield & Co.
Since the start of his career in 1980, Ken has provided consulting and compliance services to a wide range of businesses, from start-up companies to some of the world’s largest. Ken founded his firm in 1996, determined to be the best, not the biggest. By developing deep bench strength and passion to work in the industries the firm serves, he believes that not only will the staff be confident and enjoy their careers, but the firm’s clients will directly benefit from that culture.
Ken has provided attestation, tax and consulting services to many companies that began as an idea, and ended up being legends in their industries. That embedded culture has allowed the firm to grow alongside clients and find success. Ken received his Bachelor’s in Business Administration from Old Dominion University and has served on multiple business and community boards. He is a frequent contributor to many national industry publications.
Charles Gallaer
Associate, ArentFox Schiff
Charles has extensive experience in matters involving vehicle manufacturers and dealers. He is an attorney in the Automotive group which has been recognized by Chambers USA as a leader in the category of Transportation: Road (Carriage/Commercial).
Prior to attending law school, Charles worked for Ford Motor Company as a Zone Manager in State College/Western Pennsylvania; Rochester, New York; and Buffalo, New York. As Zone Manager, he was responsible for vehicle sales, market representation actions and dealership profitability within his assigned territories. Charles left Ford to become the General Manager of a Lincoln Mercury dealership in Virginia. He experienced firsthand the daily challenges dealers face, including those involving employees, consumers, regulatory agencies, manufacturers and vendors.
He brings a unique perspective gained from experience both from a manufacturer’s/OEM perspective and a dealer’s perspective. Charles is a member of the National Association of Dealer Counsel. Charles enjoys spending time with his family, photography, and visiting new places.
Evan Riley
National Sales Director, FlickFusion
Evan is passionate about the power of video and works diligently to help retail dealerships provide a better car shopping experience for their existing and future customers. As National Sales Director at FlickFusion his team helps dealer partners utilize video to bring an emotional and personal feel to the digital shopping experience. He believes all customers deserve to have video and interactive content available throughout the buying cycle, and the tools that FlickFusion offers help make that a reality for dealers.
