As promised last month, following our profiles of the 2026 Women Influencers, The Cannata Report continues the conversation with women leaders in the dealer-partner channel. This virtual panel features five of our past Women Influencers who span key roles at vendors and dealerships. These people stand out for the skills and perspectives they offer their companies and customers:
- Jennifer Amatucci of Hytec Solutions
- Laura Blackmer of Konica Minolta
- Chelsey Bode of Pearson-Kelly Technology
- Erica Calise of Sharp
- Kay Fernandez of Katun
This in-depth Q&A draws on their years of industry experience as these accomplished office technology leaders share their perspectives on the trends shaping the channel, the challenges and opportunities facing today’s dealers, and the lessons they’ve learned throughout their careers.
What has changed since you were named among our Women Influencers (WI)?
Jennifer Amatucci, Senior Vice President, Business Development, Hytec Solutions (WI Class of 2021): A lot has changed, professionally and personally. At Hytec, we celebrated our 40th year in business and broadened our repair and sustainability solutions into new industries. While still deeply rooted in imaging and printing, we’ve taken our expertise into the vertical transportation market and other sectors that value repair and lifecycle extension. Those changes led us to rebrand as Hytec Solutions, which better reflects who we are today.
Personally, my youngest child turned 16 and started driving. As any parent knows, that milestone comes with a little more freedom, which has allowed me to focus more on work-life balance. It has been a rewarding chapter both at work and at home.
2021 Women Influencer Jennifer Amatucci of Hytec
Laura Blackmer, President, Dealer Sales, Konica Minolta (WI Class of 2014): One of the biggest changes has been the phenomenal increase in women at every level in our industry: dealership owners, corporate executives, and sales leaders. I love that there is no shortage of amazing women to highlight, and I love hearing their stories. I’ve found great satisfaction in watching this change and supporting the wonderful women of the channel.
Chelsey Bode, CEO, Pearson-Kelly Technology Group, Springfield, Missouri (WI Class of 2023): I’ve gotten older. Ha! One of the biggest changes is making my first acquisition that involved expansion to a new market and a new product line with Toshiba. Our company has long focused primarily on southeast Missouri with a presence in Kansas and Oklahoma. Now we’ve added northwest Arkansas.
Erica Calise, Director of Government & National Account Marketing, Sharp Imaging and Information Company of America (WI Class of 2019): I’ve gained greater visibility and recognition across the industry. This has brought a greater sense of respect and credibility. While I’ve always been passionate about my work, this honor validated the expertise I’ve developed over the years and reinforced the value of the contributions I’ve made to our industry.
Kay Fernandez, Vice President of Global Marketing, Katun Corporation (WI Class of 2014): Being named a Women Influencer was a meaningful milestone, and I was honored to be recognized. It was an incredible honor. Since then, I’ve grown not only as a leader but also as a person.
One of my biggest changes was taking on the new opportunity and moving from a large global company to a smaller, family-owned organization. We’re able to move faster, be more flexible, and embrace new ideas without the layers of larger organizations. This lets me be more innovative and continue learning every day. I like being more hands-on. I’m involved in marketing operations that have a real impact on the business, while still having the ability to think strategically about where we’re headed.
That has shaped how I lead. I’m more involved in the business than ever before and found that leadership isn’t having all the answers but about creating a clear vision that everyone understands and how their individual contributions help move us forward.
This makes peoples’ work more meaningful. I strive to create an environment where people feel comfortable sharing ideas, taking ownership, and knowing what they do has a real impact on the company’s success.
What are the most gratifying parts of being a leader?
Jennifer Amatucci: For me, it’s watching people grow. I enjoy seeing employees gain confidence, develop new skills, and take pride in what they’ve accomplished. Whether it’s reaching a company goal, launching a new service, or solving a difficult challenge, there’s a real sense of satisfaction when the team celebrates a win together.
Laura Blackmer: We have experienced so much the last few years: COVID, supply chain, rebounds, tariffs. For me the most gratifying part of being a leader is watching my team and our entire dealer channel respond and rise to the challenges. The resiliency of our team and our dealers never fails to amaze me and remind me why I love this business!
2014 Women Influencer Laura Blackmer of Konica Minolta
Chelsey Bode: Being able to pick and choose how we build our teams. I look at it as being the head coach of a phenomenal coaching staff. We don’t just look for warm bodies to get the job done but work extremely hard to identify the type of employees we want to work with, represent us and we are determined to drive our culture to exactly how we want to be identified. It takes a lot of work to ensure leadership is aligned, communicating clearly and driving the communication with the same united voice. The simple concepts are what take the most work and we are constantly striving to do better. When you see that effort yield the desired outcomes it makes the work that much more rewarding.
Erica Calise: One of the most gratifying parts is helping others grow and succeed. I love training, mentoring, and working alongside people as they build confidence and develop their skills. Watching others succeed and knowing I played a small role in their journey is what makes leadership so fulfilling.
Kay Fernandez: I’ve found the best outcomes come from a team working toward a shared goal. When people feel empowered to contribute, take ownership, and build on each other’s ideas and strengths is when real innovation and progress happen.
One of the most rewarding parts of leadership is creating an environment where collaboration thrives. I love seeing people challenge each other in positive ways, celebrate wins together, and grow as a team. Watching someone gain confidence, develop new skills, or achieve something they didn’t think was possible isn’t just rewarding, it’s a win for the entire organization. Those moments reinforce that the strongest results come from what we accomplish together, not individually.
What do you do to help and encourage others in the workplace?
Jennifer Amatucci: People spend a lot of their time at work, so it’s important that they feel valued and part of something bigger than themselves. I think it starts with creating an environment where people enjoy coming to work. We focus on employee recognition, team events, company pride, and building a workplace culture that feels supportive and connected.
I also believe in explaining the “why” behind what we do. When employees understand the purpose of a process, they become more engaged and more confident in their decisions. Instead of saying, “Do it this way, “I encourage people to understand the objective and think about how it could be improved. That’s often where innovation comes from.
Laura Blackmer: I mentor several people here at KM and in our dealer channel. I love helping others find and exceed their potential and am always looking for ways to recognize and highlight what might usually be “unsung heroes” in our industry through programs like The Cannata Report’s veterans’ recognition.
Chelsey Bode: We work extremely hard setting annual targets and budgets for each coming year and pairing them with the year’s theme. Every employee is responsible for one or more KPIs (Key Performance Indicators) and can receive a bonus for achieving those targets. We also give a lot of shoutouts, have a quarterly MVP voted on by their peers, and do fun rewards/events. I think employees want to know how we win, how we lose, how they can contribute, and what’s in it for them if they help us achieve the goal by going an extra mile. It’s also very important for managers to understand each team member’s growth plan and have a roadmap for helping a member achieve those goals or understand the realities of the business so they’re not filling voids with misinformation. I believe this gets our team more yardage than team-building activities—but we still do it all.
2023 Women Influencer Chelsey Bode of Pearson-Kelly Technology
Erica Calise: I believe the best way to help and encourage others is leading by example and sharing the experience I’ve gained throughout my career. By rolling up my sleeves and working alongside my staff and colleagues I demonstrate a strong work ethic, a positive attitude, and a commitment to doing well. I’m passionate about mentoring, training, and supporting others by helping them build confidence, develop new skills, and navigate challenges
Kay Fernandez: People do their best work when they feel connected to one another so I try to create opportunities for teams to build relationships outside of work. Whether it’s a holiday bowling event, team building, or annual summits, colleagues from different groups can learn from one another and build relationships that help strengthen collaboration and trust. These moments create connections that carry over into how we work together every day.
Even during COVID, we found creative ways to stay connected. One of my favorite memories was hosting a virtual farm tour where the team met llamas, goats, pigs, and chickens. It gave everyone a chance to step away from work for a little while, laugh together, and reconnect during a time when we all needed it.
It’s the little moments like these that make the biggest difference in building a positive, supportive workplace.
How have developments such as AI and robotics presented challenges and how have you addressed them? Are there other technologies you see coming that may pose a challenge?
Jennifer Amatucci: One of the biggest challenges with AI isn’t the technology itself—it’s helping people get comfortable with it. When something is new, there’s often uncertainty around how it will impact jobs and day-to-day responsibilities. We’re exploring ways AI can help us become more efficient by streamlining processes, leveraging repair data, improving technical support, and identifying patterns that help us reduce troubleshooting and repair times. The goal isn’t to replace people but to give our team better tools and allow them to focus on work that requires experience, critical thinking, and problem-solving.
Looking ahead, one of the biggest challenges continues to be finding and developing skilled technical talent. As technology continues to evolve, companies will need to balance automation with human expertise. AI can help, but there will always be tremendous value in knowledgeable technicians who can diagnose problems and think creatively.
Laura Blackmer: AI has been its own unique challenge: it offers such amazing productivity gains and yet the security risks are very real. My team and I have embraced the opportunity but are proceeding with caution. I like the challenge AI poses in asking us how to do our jobs better and improve our engagement with dealers. No idea is a bad idea—but they all need to be run through a risk filter.
Chelsey Bode: I think AI is amazing … and scary. The main challenge is distraction. it’s important to look at business gaps and find tools to address those issues. And start slow. People can get excited about chasing a shiny new toy. That can be dangerous. It’s a little like when social media first blew up. We are still trying to determine if we have a missing policy and/or seeing where our risk versus reward falls. With AI, do we mandate use of a corporate ChatGPT, Groc or Claude account? What is the risk of a sales rep uploading a proposal saying, ‘make this better’? There are a lot of things to digest and I’m sure we’ll have wins and losses as we figure this out. At the same time, I’m more intrigued than scared with AI’s technology. We’ve created an AI committee with those that are intrigued and that helps feed their desire and keep the company privy to what’s currently hot and what’s not.
Erica Calise: Many perceive AI as the road to working smarter, not harder. I don’t think AI is the “end all, be all solution.” AI is a tool that can aid in the process yet human intelligence and experience remain critical. The challenge is that some people believe AI can do the job better. While this may be true in some cases it’s important to understand that you can’t rely on the answer given. Human review and data confirmation must always be part of using AI.
2019 Women Influencer Erica Calise of Sharp
Kay Fernandez: I’m probably dating myself, but when I started my career I was tasked with building my company’s very first corporate website. Since then, I’ve seen wave after wave of technology transform the way we work, from the internet and mobile devices to cloud computing, automation, and now AI.
Every new technology brings disruption, but I’ve always viewed this as an opportunity rather than a challenge. Embracing new technology helps us work smarter, be more productive, and spend more time on the things that require creativity, strategy, and human connection.
Looking ahead, I think the pace of technological change will be the biggest challenge. AI will continue to evolve, automation will become more sophisticated, and data will play an even bigger role in decision-making. The leaders and organizations that will thrive are the ones that stay curious, embrace change, and never stop learning.
How do you encourage others to push beyond what they think they are capable of?
Jennifer Amatucci: The first thing I do is listen. Many people already know what they need to do—they just need someone to help them work through any uncertainty and build confidence in the next step. Sometimes the biggest difference maker is helping someone see strengths in themselves that they don’t fully recognize yet.
When people feel supported and know it’s okay to learn through challenges, they’re often willing to take on more than they originally thought possible. That’s where a lot of personal and professional growth happens.
Laura Blackmer: I love creating roles around people’s unique strengths and the potential value those strengths can add to KM and our dealers. For example, we added Sales Engagement and Sales Operations roles in the past year. Both are driving gains in dealer engagement. The people in these roles had no idea how valuable their skills were until these roles made their impact real!
Chelsey Bode: That’s kind of our job in being a leader, right? Developing people is one of the reasons I’m drawn to what I do. My personal approach is watching closely and asking a lot of clarifying questions in scenarios where I feel someone could “do better.” Meanwhile, I’m aiming for that self-awareness [for them] because that usually sinks in better. Almost everyone has targets that will get them out of their comfort zone and ideally get them to bet on themselves. Part of this is having [what I think of as] a fail-forward environment. This is extremely important to me. A person can’t repeat the same fail over and over but having a safe environment to learn from is something we’ve worked hard to foster. People tend to take bigger risks with bigger rewards. This tends to outweigh the micromanaged decision-making process that impedes growth. I have used the term “educational expense” a lot.
Erica Calise: I believe in leading by example, offering support and reminding others that confidence is often built through action, not before it. I encourage people to push beyond what they think they’re capable of by helping them see that growth rarely happens inside their comfort zone. Some of the biggest opportunities and most rewarding accomplishments come from saying yes to challenges that felt a little intimidating. I encourage people to take calculated risks, embrace new experiences, and view mistakes as part of the learning process.
My philosophy is simple: no risk, no reward. When we’re willing to step outside our comfort zones, we often discover strengths, skills, and potential we never knew we had.
Kay Fernandez: One of the most important things is to create opportunities for people to grow. I look for ways to put people on projects or cross-functional teams where they’ll be challenged to learn new skills, gain new experiences, and build confidence. That sometimes means asking someone to take on something they’ve never done before because they’re capable of more than they realize.
2014 Women Influencer Kay Fernandez of Katun
Growth should not happen without support. Whether it’s connecting someone with learning and development resources, coaching them through a project, or simply spending more time working alongside them, I want people to know they’re not expected to figure it out on their own.
When people are given the opportunity to stretch their skills while knowing someone believes in them, they often exceed their own expectations. Creating opportunities for growth not only builds confidence but also prepares them for the next opportunity.
Watch the video “shorts” with our 2026 Women Influencers:
