Gabe Klein
Gabe Klein, Former Executive Director
U.S. Joint Office of Energy & Transportation
Gabe Klein is a government official, urban planner, entrepreneur, and an investor specializing in sustainability and transportation.
Klein currently serves in the Biden Administration as the head of the Joint Office of Energy and Transportation. In this role, he has worked to enable the roll-out of a national electric vehicle charging network and electric school and transit busses in the U.S. Klein–who supports a $19 billion budget in this position–is the first-ever Executive Director of the Joint Office, also the first office in the federal government to span multiple agencies.
Previously, Klein co-founded Cityfi, a consultancy that works with local governments, foundations, and venture-backed startups. He was also the Commissioner of the Chicago Department of Transportation (CDOT), and the Director of the District of Columbia Department of Transportation (DDOT). Before those roles, Klein was an Executive with Boston-based Zipcar. He authored the book Start-Up City: Inspiring Private and Public Entrepreneurship, Getting Projects Done, and Having Fun.
Christian King
Christian King, President - Owner
KNC Holdings, Inc.
Christian P. King is a New York–based business owner, real estate investor, and executive, best known as the President and CEO of KNC Holdings, Inc., headquartered in Albany, New York.
With a career spanning more than three decades, King has played a central role in building KNC Holdings into a diversified holding and operating company with interests in retail, real estate, and automotive services. Under his leadership, the company has developed and operates a network of convenience retail locations and service businesses across New York’s Capital Region, including partnerships with major national brands such as Mobil, Subway, Dunkin’, and Pizza Hut. The company also owns and operates its proprietary Clean2o Touch-Free Car Wash brand and maintains a wholesale distribution operation focused on car wash products and related supplies.
In addition to his corporate leadership, King has been actively involved in real estate investment, with a portfolio focused primarily on commercial and industrial properties throughout the Albany–Schenectady–Troy region. Public records indicate long-standing activity in property acquisition, development, and financing, often through affiliated entities.
King’s business footprint extends across multiple corporations and ventures, many headquartered at KNC’s Albany offices, reflecting a vertically integrated approach to operations, real estate, and retail services.
Known for his entrepreneurial approach and regional focus, Christian P. King has established a strong presence in the Capital Region’s retail and service economy, combining operational management with strategic investment to drive long-term growth.
Barbara Kessler
Barbara Kessler, Marketing Director
CrossAmerica Partners
Barbara Kessler brings decades of expertise in the food, beverage, and convenience retail sectors, with a proven track record of driving innovation and growth in foodservice. As Senior Director of Food and Beverage for The Wills Group, Barbara oversees the strategic development of Dash In's foodservice offerings across the Mid-Atlantic region. Her leadership has been instrumental in elevating the brand's culinary program, crafting modern menus, and redesigning retail concepts to meet evolving customer expectations.
Barbara's passion for innovation aligns with the mission of CFVG to reimagine the role of foodservice in the convenience channel. She is deeply committed to knowledge sharing and collaboration, believing that cross-functional partnerships and bold ideas are essential to shaping the future of convenience foodservice. A recognized industry leader, Barbara was honored as a 2022 Top Women in Convenience, Senior Leader Level.
Through her work, Barbara continues to champion excellence in foodservice, creating memorable guest experiences while delivering measurable results for her organization and the industry at large.
Daniel Kaddik
Daniel Kaddik, CEO
Bundesverband freier Tankstellen
Daniel Kaddik is Chief Executive Officer of bft – Bundesverband freier Tankstellen, the German Association of Independent Petrol Stations, which represents a network of 530 companies in the fuels sector. This segment of Germany’s Mittelstand comprises more than 2,800 petrol stations and over 27,000 jobs. In addition, he leads the eFuel Today project, which advocates for CO₂-neutral mobility. From 2023 to 2024, he also served as a member of the management board of MEW Mittelständische Energiewirtschaft Deutschland e.V., the German Association of Medium-Sized Energy Companies.
He is also a member of the Advisory Board of Automechanika, the world’s leading trade fair for the automotive aftermarket, and serves as a jury member for the “Petrol Station of the Year” award. In addition, he is a member of the Steering Committee of the Working Group on Monitoring Methodologies for CO₂-Neutral Fuels (WGMM), a cross-sector industry initiative that develops technical approaches for proving and monitoring the use of CO₂-neutral fuels in road transport.
Daniel Kaddik has 15 years of experience in politics, association work, think tanks and NGOs. During this time, he has worked with national and local governments, politicians and numerous NGOs in Germany, India, Russia, Central Asia, Southeastern Europe and at EU level. He is active as a political and strategic consultant for political parties, candidates and NGOs, and is co-founder and Managing Director of EZYcloud.org, a Salesforce implementation agency specializing in CRM solutions for NGOs.
From 2018 to 2022, Daniel Kaddik was Executive Director of the European Liberal Forum (ELF), the political foundation of the European Liberal Party, the ALDE Party. Together with its member organizations, ELF works across Europe to introduce new ideas into political debates, create platforms for discussion and encourage citizens to make their voices heard.
From 2012 to 2019, he headed the Southeastern Europe office of the Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom, a non-profit organization that promotes liberal values, the rule of law and economic freedom. The foundation is active in more than 60 countries and provides political consulting and educational programs.
Prior to that, Daniel Kaddik worked for the foundation in Germany, India and Russia. He is actively committed to entrepreneurship as well as personal and political responsibility. His focus lies on liberal policy solutions, economics and the social sciences, as well as citizen participation in policymaking.
He holds degrees in Governmental Studies from the University of Erfurt, European Studies from the University of Hamburg and International Studies from the University of Birmingham.
Peter Juzenas
Peter Juzenas, Vice President
fireside MARKET
I’m a proven leader that is known in the industry as a Customer, Strategy, Loyalty, Marketing, Operations and Change Management Expert. In all previous roles I’ve shown a consistent track record of great results by making data-led decisions and using my ability to creatively and dynamically solve problems. My entire career has been based around understanding and elevating the customer experience (internal & external) to drive KPIs. A key to those results has been my ability to develop top talent, leverage strong cross functional partnerships and influence across various levels of leadership.
In my role with fireside MARKET at Potawatomi Ventures I am leading their newest business. Fireside MARKET is the newest convenience store brand in the WI area, and it's ready to rapidly grow. We opened our first location in Slinger, WI in Fall, 2025, and now we are preparing to open other locations. Fireside MARKET is a food first convenience store that provides the ultimate guest experience while making everything easier for your busy life. From the premium, made to order food, to the "best in class" guest service to an incredible building to the best team members around...you will love the experience at fireside. I'm beyond honored to be leading this business and can't wait to see where we take it!
Prior to this role I was with Kohl's for 15 years. I loved my time at Kohl's and the career challenges it always presented. In my last role, I successfully led the acquisition and execution of the Kohl’s Card and Rewards programs, ensuring alignment and consistent communication across all levels of Store, Marketing, and Corporate leadership. I spearheaded the testing and launch of several new versions of the Loyalty program. This included launching the latest version of the Rewards program, Loyalty in Sephora shops, a new value prop of the private label credit card, and launching the co-branded credit card. Since 2021, I increased loyalty enrollments by over 400% year over year and increased Rewards transactions at POC from 55% to 80%. This was testament to my strategic vision and execution capability. All this was accomplished while always meeting financial goals and budgets.
I was able to accomplish all this because of the way I built and developed my teams. From 2021-2024, my org had the top engagement results in the company because I always delivered an experience for my teams where development, inclusion, idea sharing, fun and diversity were always paramount. Nobody builds and engages teams better than I do.
Koko Jones
Koko Jones, Director
Jacksons Food Stores
- BS in Food Science and Toxicology
- 20 years in food manufacturing
- Five years in retail
- Six Sigma Black Belt
- Lean Expert
