Conference Speakers

Back to NWCL Home

Bob Ash  Life Lessons

Bob founded his company, Life Lessons, in 1995. Since then, he has provided training and education to 1200 plus organizations and businesses, numbering over 320,000 individuals. Prior to starting his company, Bob served in several different public education positions. He was a teacher, principal, and superintendent of schools. During this time, Bob gained notable recognition as a speaker, leading him to create his company, Life Lessons. Bob also played a few years of professional baseball with the Cleveland Indians Baseball Organization.

Bob's keynote presentations and seminars, teach, inform, and motivate on a wide variety of management and organizational behavior topics. He adapts any program to an all day, half day, or keynote format. Bob will tailor, combine, adjust, or expand topics into greater detail according to client preferences and needs.
A presentation handout is emailed to clients in advance, so that copies can be reproduced for attendees at the lowest cost possible.

Each presentation includes just the right dose of humor, and depending on length, also includes a movie clip or two to help enhance the instructional format.

Some of Bob’s wide variety of clients include: Bank of America, Jaguar Cars, Westinghouse, IBM, Hewlett-Packard, CIA, Reader’s Digest, The Gap, NASA, The Chicago Cubs, US Holocaust Museum.

Martin Salloum  President & CEO of Edmonton Chamber of Commerce

Martin Salloum was appointed President and C.E.O. of the Edmonton Chamber of Commerce in September 1994. Previous to his position, he was Executive Director and CEO Alberta Chamber of Commerce, economic project manager, Edmonton Economic Development Authority, and manager Business Development Department, Edmonton Chamber of Commerce. When Martin became president of the Edmonton Chamber in 1995, he presented his board with a business plan entitled “rebuilding the umbrella”. Since that time, Martin was instrumental in the formation of the Greater Edmonton Region Chambers of Commerce (10 area chambers of commerce) and the World Trade Centre Edmonton Northern Economic Region (13 cities with 8,000 members). Among other things, the Edmonton Chamber of Commerce is Secretariat to the city’s Consular Corps and the founder of the Local Business Association Alliance.

Martin is the only non American Chamber Executive to have received the Certified Chamber Executive designation from the American Chamber of Commerce Executives.

Martin is an active member of the Board of American Chamber of Commerce Executives, member of the World Trade Centers Association Communications Committee, and sits on the United Way Cabinet. He has previously served as President of the Chamber of Commerce Executives of Canada and, moderator for the Alberta Conference Board.

Renee Sinclair  U.S. Chamber of Commerce

Renee Radcliff Sinclair is Northwest Regional Director of Congressional and Public Affairs for the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. Renee is leading the organization's effort to expand and strengthen relationships with Chamber member businesses, associations, and chambers of commerce throughout the Northwest, including the states of Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Washington and Wyoming.

Prior to joining the U.S. Chamber, Renee spent 14 years as a journalist, followed by four successful elections to the Washington State House of Representatives. While serving in the legislature, she garnered a number of prestigious awards and honors, including being named to the American Council of Young Political Leaders and as a fellow to the George Washington University Elliott School of International Affairs. While serving in the state legislature, Renee was president and CEO of the Everett Area Chamber of Commerce, Everett, Washington.

Since retiring from public office, Renee has served in policy leadership roles with Apple Computer, AeA (formerly the American Electronics Association), and now with the U.S Chamber of Commerce.

Renee has served as a volunteer with a number of local government, humanitarian and workforce efforts over the years and continues to serve her community as vice chairman of the Snohomish County (Washington) Planning Commission and as an active member of the Rotary Club of Lynnwood (Washington).

Renee and her husband, Anthony, reside in Lynnwood, Washington, and are the parents of four children and two grandchildren.

Wayne Williams  Telect, Inc.

A resident of Liberty Lake, Washington, Wayne is President and CEO of Telect, Inc., a global manufacturer of infrastructure equipment for the communications industry. Telect is privately held and family-owned with headquarters in Liberty Lake and manufacturing facilities in Plano, Texas, and Guadalajara, Mexico. The company sells worldwide through direct channels, distributors and OEM partners.

Wayne is the past-Chair of Greater Spokane Incorporated (2007-2008) and took a very active and innovative role with the organization and related community affairs. In addition to serving on the Board of Trustees for Spokane’s Whitworth University, he co-chairs Whitworth’s School of Global Commerce and Management Advisory Board. Recently, he joined the Board of Directors for GreenCupboards.com, a new Spokane-based online company. Wayne is also a member of the International and Pacific Northwest Chapters of the Young Presidents’ Organization.

Throughout Wayne’s 26-year career at Telect, he has earned two patents, and along with his parents, Bill and Judi Williams, was named Ernst & Young’s 1997 Northwest Entrepreneur of the Year. He is a 1996 Graduate of Harvard Business School’s Owner/President Management Program. Wayne and his wife, Terina, have three children and serve together on the Board of Directors for Families Northwest and Living Grace Ministries.