Linda Toth
Linda Toth, Managing Director
Conexxus
Linda oversees all day-to-day operations of Conexxus. In addition, she advocates on behalf of the convenience industry at organizations including EMVCo, the Secure Technology Alliance, US Payments Forum. Linda is also a facilitator for the Petro SIG at the Merchant Advisory Group (MAG).
Linda graduated from North Carolina State University with a BS in Electrical Engineering. Prior to joining the Conexxus staff in 2011, she worked for 7 years at VeriFone’s Petro division developing POS software and for 15 years at OPW Fuel Management Systems designing automatic tank gauge and leak detection equipment and software. She has been engaged with Conexxus/PCATS since its inception, holding various leadership roles within the Device Integration Committee and its working groups. Linda currently resides in Clearwater, Florida and can be reached at +1 727.631.5536 or ltoth@conexxus.org.
Jose Torre-Bueno
Jose Torre-Bueno, Executive Director
Center for Community Energy
Green technology scientist and campaigner with 14 years of experience creating better solutions for green energy cost-saving measures and lobbying with communities to pursue more sustainable energy programs. As a subject matter expertise level, have in-depth knowledge of battery technology, programming battery control systems to photovoltaic systems, analyzing utility rates, and modeling future energy demand.
Highly active in the community to support green measures and CCAs (Community Choice Aggregations) and connected to community leaders and influencers.
Derek Thurston
Derek Thurston, Director of Foodservice
Cliffs Local Market
Serving as Director of Food Service Operations, Derek, a seasoned QSR professional, has played a key role in enhancing food operations and driving significant growth for a well-established CNY convenience store chain.
Starting early in age within the restaurant industry, Thurston joined the Subway brand in high school. He worked at multiple Subway Sandwich Shops while earning an Associate degree in Restaurant Management from Morrisville State College and later a Bachelor's Degree in Broadcasting Mass Communication at Oswego State University.
Upon graduation, Thurston joined Subway Development of CNY as a Field Consultant, providing operational and profitability support to over 200 Subway locations in the region. During this time, he also worked with Auntie Anne’s and Taco Del Mar franchises, assisting with store openings and ongoing operational support.
In 2015, Thurston joined a franchise of the growing local company Nice and Easy Grocery Shoppes, which later rebranded as Cliffs Local Market. His deep expertise in the quick service restaurant industry has been instrumental in the growth of Cliffs’ food service operations. Under his leadership, Cliffs launched Recipe Based Inventory, refined its menu offerings, and launched several successful local LTOs. The company is known for its commitment to in-house food preparation and advanced industry practices.
Passionate about his community, Thurston enjoys volunteering his time to coach youth sports. In his free time, he enjoys outdoor adventures with his wife and two children: Darren and Alaina.
Tim Tang
Tim Tang, Director
Hughes Network Systems
With over 25 years of professional experience developing enterprise solutions, Tim Tang offers a broad scope of technology expertise in cybersecurity, AI/ML, digital signage, SD-WAN, and more. As a director at Hughes, Tang analyzes and anticipates industry trends, engages with organizations to understand their needs, and collaborates with ecosystem partners to design solutions. He actively participates in various standards and trade organizations, such as Conexxus, RTN, NACS, and IFBTA, to help make technology more accessible.
His industry insights may be found at https://www.hughes.com/timtang.
Jonathan Tang
Jonathan Tang, President
Tang Mart, LLC
Jonathan Tang is the owner and operator of Tang Mart. Tang Mart founded in 2013, operates 5 stores in Northeast Alabama. Jonathan also works with Ira Phillips, Inc a small fuel distributor/wholesaler founded in 1938 that serves customers in the commercial, agricultural and cardlock space.
Jonathan is married to his lovely wife Kate since 2007 and has one teenage son Xavier. He enjoys coaching soccer, grilling on the Big Green Egg, Craft Beer (Possibly while Grilling) and watching Auburn / Atlanta Sports Teams.
Cheryl Szczesniak
Cheryl Szczesniak, EVP Human Resources
The Spinx Company
Cheryl Szczesniak is the Executive Vice President of Human Resources with the Spinx Company. Cheryl has spent over 25 years in the Retail Industry, half of those in the convenience store industry. She has held various management positions in Accounting, Finance Management,
and Technology. In her current role, she is responsible for talent acquisition and development for over 1600 team members, along with employee relations, Human Resource Information Systems, and internal communication.
Before joining The Spinx Company in 2005, she was Manager of Store Accounting for Wawa in Pennsylvania.
Cheryl holds a Bachelor of Arts in Business Administration from Widener University in Pennsylvania, and a master’s in science degree in Human Resources from Villanova University. In addition, she holds a SHRM-CP certification.
She resides with her husband in Greenville and has two children and two stepchildren.
