UMD Sales Summit 2025

Jenna Johnson

Chief Growth Officer

Northwestern Mutual

https://www.linkedin.com/in/jennarusnacko/

Jenna Johnson, CLF, ACC is the Chief Growth Officer for Northwestern Mutual – Minneapolis. Jenna has been with the firm for 12 years, starting her career as a Marketing Coordinator before advancing into a variety of other roles. During her career journey, Jenna spent three years leading Northwestern Mutual’s Internship program where she spent time on campuses, managed the recruiting team, and ultimately onboarded, trained and developed over 150 college students during her time in the role.

Jenna’s passion for growth, both personally and professionally, landed her in the role she is in today.  As Chief Growth Officer, Jenna and her team strive to help over 140 Financial Advisors think BIG about their vision and help them take action toward their goals. They also support the launch of advisor’s practices, the evolution of their teams, and the growth of their enduring firm.  

As the leader of the firm’s Diversity & Inclusion efforts, Jenna is passionate about fostering an inclusive culture that supports diversity of thought and talent, as well as leading the firm’s philanthropic effort in the fight against childhood cancer and a $1M Pledge to M Health Fairview Masonic Children’s Hospital.

Bill Drazkowski

Executive Vice President Sales

Fastenal

https://www.linkedin.com/in/bill-drazkowski-a1a37386/

Bill Drazkowski has been the executive vice president of Fastenal’s contract and industry specialist sales and support teams since July 2023. In this role, he leads professional sales teams responsible for growing and maintaining the company’s overall contract portfolio. Today, this portfolio represents approximately 74% of Fastenal’s total business. 

The teams he leads are made up of sales professionals and industry experts focused on creating supply chain agreements with both multi-site and single-location customers. The industry sales teams consist of customer solutions specialists, government specialists, safety specialists, and metalworking specialists, as well as multi-location contract specialists. He also oversees support teams responsible for creating, managing, and continuously enhancing tools for sellers to establish and grow customer relationships. 

Under Bill’s leadership, Fastenal’s strategic accounts programs have been a driving force of innovation in the marketplace. The sales and specialist teams consult with organizations to implement supply chain solutions that help them mitigate risk, increase visibility, reduce working capital, optimize labor resources, and gain organizational productivity. These teams work to drive customers’ organizational goals across multiple locations, balancing national or global consistency with flexible local service. 

Prior to his current role, Bill had sales and operational oversight of Fastenal’s Western U.S. business unit (Oct 2019–June 2023). He previously served as a regional vice president, a district manager, and a branch manager, giving him a deep understanding of what’s important to Fastenal’s employees and customers. 

Bill received bachelor’s degrees in economics and business administration from Winona State University, graduating magna cum laude in 1994.  He serves on the dean’s advisory boards at the University of Minnesota Duluth and the University of Wisconsin La Crosse, and also sits on the advisory board for the Strauss Center for Sales Excellence at Winona State University. He is the president of the executive board for the Rush Wisconsin West Soccer Club and a board member of the Winona Area Tennis Association. Bill currently resides in Onalaska, Wisconsin with his wife and three children.

Johnny Peltz

Sr. Director of Business Development

NetSPI

https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnny-peltz/

My passion and drive to the core is working on a team and helping young individuals grow their careers and make better lives for themselves personally and professionally.

My current position is the Sr. Director of Business Development at NetSPI that involves directing and org of 30 plus sales development representatives and 3 managers. We drive meetings, qualified opportunities, and pipeline for the account executive teams for them to close deals.

My journey in sales started as a sales development representative in North Carolina at a hyper growth tech startup. Thousands of dials, emails, and LinkedIn messages later I received the opportunity to start an SDR office in Minneapolis as my wife and I moved to the Twin Cities. Fast forward 8 months and I joined the NetSPI team. NetSPI is a leader in proactive cyber security solutions, helping the most trusted brands on Earth stay secure. At NetSPI I have had the privilege of growing the SDR organization from 14 to 34 SDRs globally.

My favorite quote is by Winston Churchill – “Never, never, never give up.” The best advice I ever heard when I started my professional career was to take smart risks and look at failure as an opportunity to grow and better yourself.

Todd Thiewes

Vice President of Sales

Sandler

https://www.linkedin.com/in/todd-thiewes-a374277/

Todd Thiewes, with over 25 years of successful sales leadership, holds a B.A. degree in Sales and Marketing from the University of Minnesota – Duluth. He has excelled in various roles, from Independent Sales Representative to Vice President of Sales, showcasing his creative and innovative approach to motivate and lead teams.

In a previous international role, Todd trained and managed top sales representatives, achieving remarkable success with the Sandler Selling System. Recognizing sales as a behavioral change, Todd now collaborates with companies globally to instill these principles, resulting in increased productivity and sales growth.

Russel Tanner

Account Executive

SPS Commerce

https://www.linkedin.com/in/russelltanner20/

Former UMD Alum. Background in Med Device and SaaS sales. Passionate about building trust, human connection, and genuine curiosity. 

Part time golfer, snowboarder, and cribbage player. 

Currently an Account Executive at SPS Commerce in MPLS.

Harley Ries

Sales Director

Taylor

https://www.linkedin.com/in/harleyries/

Harley leads the Taylor Sales Academy, which develops Taylor Corporation's future sales talent. Harley started as an intern in 2017 and has progressed through several sales roles, including building Taylor’s sales internship program in 2021. He’s motivated to mentor and elevate others.

Cooper Kapanke

Account Executive at Gartner

Garnter

https://www.linkedin.com/in/cooper-kapanke-285014221/

Born and raised in Eau Claire, Wisconsin, I attended Eau Claire Memorial High School, where I graduated with a 3.98 GPA and a 29 ACT. I was a three-year letter winner in both baseball and basketball and a member of the National Honor Society.

I continued my education at Winona State University, graduating Summa Cum Laude with a 3.97 GPA in 2023. I earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Marketing while minoring in Professional Selling, Finance, and Economics. During my time at Winona State, I worked as a student tutor for the Business School and was a member of Beta Gamma Sigma. I also played Division II baseball, serving as the unanimous team captain in 2023. My academic and athletic achievements were recognized through multiple honors, including the NSIC Elite 18 Award for Baseball, the NSIC Myles Brand Award, and being named the WESPY’s Student-Athlete of the Year Runner-Up for three consecutive years (2022, 2023, 2024). Additionally, I was an NSIC All-Academic honoree from 2021 to 2023.

Professionally, I joined Gartner in Dallas, TX, where I began as a Business Development Coordinator Intern in 2022. I finished in the Top 10 in metrics, earning a return offer. In 2023, I started as an Account Manager and was later promoted to Account Executive within 11 months. I have been actively involved in Gartner’s culture, serving as an Ambassador at the IT Symposium/Xpo Conference in Orlando, participating in the Leadership Cultivation Invitational Event in Fort Myers, and mentoring three Account Managers and one intern. Additionally, I lead as the Captain of the Community Service Culture Committee and serve as a Gartner Greeter for new hires.