MEET OUR MAIN STAGE SPEAKERS

Friday, January 24 at 9am

Ryan Leak

BEST-SELLING AUTHOR AND EXECUTIVE COACH

Leveling Up
Discover six powerful tools you can use to lead yourself effectively, fostering a high-performing team and dealership success. Learn how to answer critical questions like "What's it like to follow me?" and "Why am I doing this?" Gain strategies for self-awareness, team empowerment and building a lasting legacy in your business. 

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Ryan Leak is a best-selling author, esteemed executive coach and highly sought transformational speaker. His words have the power to transform lives, and he dedicates his expertise to leaders, from Fortune 100 corporations to elite professional sports teams and, now, to franchised new-car dealers. 

 

Ryan was catapulted into the limelight when his viral Surprise Wedding story was featured on Good Morning America and the Today Show. He is the creative mind behind the USA Today best-selling book, "Chasing Failure: How Falling Short Sets You Up for Success." This transformative work has guided countless individuals to turn setbacks into stepping-stones toward success — a lesson sure to resonate deeply with the challenges faced by dealers and managers. His latest release, "Leveling Up: 12 Questions to Elevate Your Personal and Professional Development," a Wall Street Journal Best Seller, offers valuable insights for personal and professional growth within the auto industry.

 

Learn more at https://www.ryanleak.com/.  Follow Ryan Leak on Instagram.

Sunday, January 26 at 9am

Mike Krzyzewski (Coach K)

HEAD MEN'S BASKETBALL COACH, DUKE UNIVERSITY (1980-2022)

 

Victory Through Teamwork and Leadership 
Get ready to elevate your game and lead your team to victory! The legendary Mike Krzyzewski shares insights, inspirations and proven principles learned throughout his unparalleled coaching career. Discover the secrets behind Coach K’s success on and off the basketball court, as he unveils powerful strategies for motivating individuals, fostering strong team dynamics and cultivating unwavering confidence. 

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Mike Krzyzewski (known by fans as “Coach K”), renowned coach of Duke University men’s basketball — who also led Team USA to three Olympic gold medals — is a master motivator, not only of teams but of individuals and organizations, spurring them to succeed beyond even their own expectations. 

A member of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, Coach K shows how attendees, too, can compile winning numbers in their professional and personal lives. Perhaps the most accomplished basketball coach in history, Coach K has achieved unparalleled milestones, including: 

  • Most NCAA Division I Victories (1,202) 
  • Most Final Fours (13; five NCAA Championships, second all-time) 
  • Most NCAA Tournament Victories (101) 
  • Most Olympic Gold Medals as a Head Coach (3; 2008, 2012 and 2016) 

He co-founded the Coach K Center on Leadership and Ethics, and is a professor of the practice of leadership at Duke. Coach K also founded and serves as board chair of the Emily Krzyzewski Center, whose mission is empowering students “to successfully complete higher education, connect to promising careers and become agents of change within their communities.” Coach K has been on the board of directors at the V Foundation since its inception in 1993. He and his wife Mickie annually host the V Foundation Wine Celebration, which has raised tens of millions of dollars in the fight against cancer. 

The author of two New York Times best-sellers, Coach K maps a gameplan for achieving success — motivating, leading and providing powerful strategies for building confidence, trust, communication and teamwork.

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NADA Show 2025 Main Stage Speaker Coach K headshot
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NADA Show 2025 main stage speaker Gary Gilchrist headshot

Friday, January 24, 2025 at 9am

Gary Gilchrist

2024 NADA CHAIRMAN

 

Gary Gilchrist is president of Gilchrist Chevrolet Buick GMC, Inc. in Tacoma, Wash. He started in the automotive business in 1977 selling cars in Tacoma after graduating from college. Gilchrist is 2024 chairman of the National Automobile Dealers Association and represents Washington's franchised new-car dealers on the board of directors. (Term: January 2017-February 2026)

Saturday, January 25, 2025 at 9am

Tom Castriota

2024 NADA VICE CHAIRMAN

 

Tom Castriota (along with his wife, Anita) are owners and dealers of Castriota Chevrolet, Inc. in Hudson, Fla. He started in the automotive business in 1979 working in his family's dealership in Pittsburgh, PA. Castriota is 2024 vice chairman of the National Automobile Dealers Association and represents Florida's franchised new-car dealers on the board of directors. (Term: January 2016 - January 2025)

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NADA Show 2025 main stage speaker Tom Castriota headshot