TTA Meeting Speakers

 Summary  Hotel  Speakers  Sponsorship  Attendance Fees  Policies

Todd Buchholz

Presentation

Prosperity Ahead – or Not?

The economy never sleeps, and neither can your business. As the U.S. navigates new policies of the Trump White House, and the U.S., E.U. and Asia wrangle over tariffs, energy, and immigration, former White House Director of Economic Policy Todd Buchholz shows you the forces that will determine whether the economy and financial markets climb higher, and what it means for the transformer industry.

• Discover how demographics, technology, and globalization are reshaping the economy and our future
• Pinpoint the signs of stock market rallies, and the warning signs of slumps
• Identify the political pressures on trade, debt, and interest rates from the U.S. to the E.U. to China

Biography

Todd G. Buchholz is an economist and has served as a White House director of economic policy and a managing director of the eminent Tiger hedge fund, where he helped lead the macro team’s investments in global bonds and foreign exchange. He has also been a consultant to some of the leading investment groups in the world. In the White House of President George H.W. Bush, Buchholz coordinated decision-making in tax, finance, energy, and technology; organized presidential briefings by the Federal Reserve chairman; and drafted decision memos for the President on fiscal and regulatory policy.

Buchholz was founding president of the G7 Group, and has advised central banks, including the Bundesbank, Bank of Japan, and Bank of England, as well as investment banks such as Goldman Sachs and HSBC, where he managed a foreign exchange portfolio. He has debated fiscal and monetary policy with such officials as Nobel Laureate Joseph Stiglitz and former chairs of the Council of Economic Advisers Jason Furman and Austan Goolsbee.

Buchholz holds advanced degrees in economics and law from Cambridge University and Harvard.  Harvard’s Department of Economics awarded him the Allyn Young Teaching Prize and he served as a Fellow at Cambridge University in 2009 and is currently a fellow of Branford College, Yale University.  He was named “One of the Top 21 Speakers of the 21^st Century” by Successful Meetings magazine and has delivered keynote presentations at the U.K. Parliament, White House library, U.S. Treasury, and the Abu Dhabi and Mexico City stock exchanges. 

Buchholz contributes commentaries on finance and trade to the New York Times, Wall Street Journal and Washington Post, and professional articles to the Brookings Institution’s Policy Matters, Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis, IMF Finance & Development; Journal of Law & Religion; Review of Economic Conditions (Italy), et al. 

His books have been translated into 15 languages. New Ideas from Dead Economists, featuring a foreword by Martin Feldstein and endorsed by Milton Friedman, is listed as a “classic” by the American Economic Association and has been on the recommended reading list of Goldman Sachs, as well as the Coalition Provisional Authority in Iraq. His most recent book, The Price of Prosperity, was praised by such diverse voices as Alan Blinder, Lawrence Summers, Glenn Hubbard, and Michael Boskin, and was named a “must-read” by The Wall Street Journal.

Buchholz’s other books include Rush, named a top ten book by Publishers Weekly; New Ideas from Dead CEOs; From Here to Economy; Market Shock; Bringing the Jobs Home; and a novel about a boxer and hedge funds, called The Castro Gene, which won a USA Best Books prize. Buchholz has appeared on the BBC, The Bill Maher Show, Bloomberg, PBS, has hosted his own special on CNBC, and is the only person to guest-host CNBC’s Squawk Box two days in a row.

Buchholz is a founding producer of Jersey Boys on Broadway and co-writer of the new musical  Glory Ride, which premiered in London in 2023, was named a Critic’s Choice by The Times, and will have its US premiere at the Delaware Theatre Company in February 2026.

Buchholz holds engineering and design patents. He is co-founder of Sproglit, LLC, which develops educational software to teach mathematics to children. Sproglit’s games are based on Buchholz’s invention, the Math Arrow, a mathematical matrix that has been called “ingenious” by Martin Cooper, inventor of the cellphone and “exciting” by Joel Klein, former Chancellor of New York City Schools. 

Akshay Singh, US Automotive Advisory PwC

Presentation

        Growth of Vehicle Electrification in the US - Opportunities and Challenges 

Battery Vehicle penetration is driven by multiple factors including vehicle economics, regulations, consumer choices, charging infrastructure etc. The session will focus on how each driver is trending and the expected tipping point in the US, and opportunities for the stakeholders within the BEV ecosystem including associated risks.

Akshay Singh is a partner in PwC’s US Automotive Advisory practice. He has 24+ years of consulting and automotive industry experience, including helping automotive OEMs, Tier 1 and Tier 2 suppliers and private equity clients on issues related to portfolio rationalization, large-scale cost transformations, M&A and connected, autonomous, shared and electric technologies.

Curt Tueffert

Presentation

AI-Powered Productivity Tools for Modern Sales and Operations Teams

In today’s fast-paced business environment, sales teams in small and mid-sized companies must move quickly, work smarter, and deliver results consistently. Artificial intelligence is no longer a futuristic concept, it’s a practical tool that’s transforming how sales and operations leaders prospect, engage, and close deals. This session provides a strategic look at how AI-powered productivity tools are driving measurable improvements in sales performance, customer engagement, and team leadership. Attendees will explore how AI is streamlining workflows, enhancing decision-making, and enabling sales teams to do more with less. 

Key Takeaways: Demystifying AI Tools: A clear introduction to the most impactful AI productivity tools available today. Reducing Workplace Friction: How AI automates routine tasks, streamlines workflows, and frees up time for high-value activities. Real-World Success Stories: Examples showing how AI has boosted sales performance, improved customer satisfaction, and enhanced employee engagement. Seamless Integration: Practical guidance on how to align AI tools with existing systems and processes without disruption. This session is designed for forward-thinking leaders who want to harness AI to drive measurable results and future-proof their organizations.

Biography

With over 3 decades of Sales Leadership, Curt Tueffert is the consummate professional in all things Sales and Sales Leadership.  From his humble roots of selling newspaper subscriptions door to door at age 14 to developing sales programs for a $2.0 billion-dollar industrial distributor, Curt’s passion for selling and teaching sales has provided value to thousands.

Curt is the VP of Sales Development for DXP, a large industrial distributor located in Houston Texas.  In his 20+ years at DXP, Curt has managed the Houston sales team with revenue targets of $100 million and developed a complete line of sales training programs under the DXP University and DXP Sales Gym suite of sales training.  Using the Brooks Group IMPACT training for over 20 years, Curt has hosted over 100 IMPACT programs both in formal classroom settings and virtual during the recent pandemic.  Curt was awarded the Sales and Marketing Stevie award for his excellence in Sales Development. Curt is also a top facilitator for The Brooks Group’s sales programs.

Curt is an adjunct professor at the University of Houston where he has been teaching Sales and Marketing for over 25 years.  During his tenure at the University of Houston, Curt taught in the Bauer College of Business at the graduate level.  A bucket list event for him.  He continues to guest lecture at Texas A&M in the Industrial Distribution and the Agricultural School of Selling. 

Prior to joining DXP, Curt held the position of President of Brick Wall Motivation, a sales training company.  His clients included PricewaterhouseCoopers, Halliburton, UPS, Johnston Space Center, and various National and Regional associations.  Speaking and training on Sales, Customer Service, Leadership, and Motivation, Curt authored 201 Sales Motivators as a handy tool for sales professionals.  His second book, 5 Stones For Slaying Giants allowed him to extend his credibility as an author.

Curt is a Certified Professional Behavioral Analyst with Target Training International, allowing him the skill and insight to coach using the DISC, and Motivators. Recently, Curt was certified for DISC  with Assessments 24x7. Curt’s passion for using Behavioral Styles for Sales and Sales Leadership had set him apart and allowed him over 30 years of mastering the Art and Science of Selling.

Curt’s most recent development is integrating the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) into workforce productivity.  Sales, Customer Service and Operations all benefit from these new technological advancements and Curt is on the front lines developing real world applications for AI and Large Language Modeling (LLM).

                      Zhicheng Guo, Assistant Professor, Arizona State University

          Presentation

Magnetic Components Design for Solid State Transformers

For next-gen power architecture of AI date centers and EV fast charging infrastructure, Solid‑state transformers (SSTs) is a promising solution. Solid‑state transformers (SSTs) are advanced power semiconductor electronic converters that replace century-old line-frequency transformers. Enabled by high frequency magnetics, and high voltage wide bandgap semiconductors, SST significantly enhances performance due to higher switching frequencies, lower losses, and smaller footprint.

Magnetic components are the core enablers of solid-state transformer (SST) technology, determining efficiency, size, and reliability. This session provides an in-depth exploration of design principles, modeling methods, and fabrication strategies for medium-frequency/high-frequency magnetic components used in SSTs. The topic will cover magnetic materials cores, winding technologies, encapsulation materials, thermal management, insulation design/test IEEE standards. The efforts to achieve partial discharge free MFT design will also be discussed.

          Biography

Dr. Zhicheng Guo is an assistant professor at Arizona State University, director of Power Electronics and Energy Conversion (PEEC) Lab. Zhicheng Guo received his Ph.D. degree in power electronics and power systems from the University of Texas at Austin in 2023. His research interests include high-frequency magnetic, WBG intelligent power modules, solid-state transformers, 60 Hz/HF partial discharge, and insulation design of modern power electronics systems. Dr. Zhicheng Guo is the recipient of U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) 2023 Electricity / Large Power Transformers Bonus Prize Winner, the 2022 Transformer Association (TTA) Award, Cockrell School of Engineering fellowship. He serves as founding chair of IEEE Power Electronics Society Phoenix chapter and member of the IEEE standard committee P3105 working group for solid-state transformers. 

Alex Chausovsky, The Bundy Group

          Presentation

Economic and Policy Update – What to Expect in 2026 and Beyond

Despite all the uncertainty and volatility around US trade and tax policy, the economy weathered the first half of 2025 relatively well. Now that the One Big Beautiful Bill Act has been signed into law and President Trump’s reciprocal tariffs on America’s trade partners are in effect, can a similar performance be expected for the second half of the year?

The latest economic data suggests growth, and the labor market, are decelerating while inflation continues to ramp up as we enter the third quarter. What does this mean for the FED’s policy on interest rates?  Will we see a boost to investment and a rebound in confidence, or will the malaise intensify into the year-end? What about our prospects for 2026?

This presentation will assess the current macroeconomic landscape and deliver practical and actionable advice designed to help industry leaders plan for future operating conditions.

Attendees will walk away from the session with the following insights:

• An objective assessment of time-sensitive economic indicators such as consumer spending, business investment, inflation, interest rates, and tariffs
• Concrete advice on how to navigate the current macroeconomic climate and plan for the future, with a particular focus on tactical advice
• Tools that leaders can leverage to be data-driven decision makers for their organizations

        Biography

In his investment banking advisory role as the Director of Analytics and Consulting for Bundy Group, Alex Chausovsky is a trusted resource and advisor for owners and executives of privately held firms and industry trade associations on analytical, economic, and business-oriented topics.

Alex is a highly experienced market researcher and analyst with more than two decades of expertise across industries such as automation, industrial technology, healthcare, business services and manufacturing. He has consulted and advised companies throughout the U.S. and Canada, Europe, South America, and Asia.

Alex has delivered more one thousand presentations, webinars, and workshops to small businesses, trade associations, and Fortune 500 companies and is the go-to source of industry data and insights for hundreds of enterprises across a spectrum of industries.

Outside of work, Alex enjoys outdoor activities such as hiking, biking, and skiing, as well as international travel with his family.