Electric Vehicle Working Group Members

Biography:

Rakesh leads Daimler Truck North America’s (DTNA’s) eMobility organization. In this role, he builds and leads global, high-performing teams driven to deliver sustainable, socially responsible, and customer-centered eMobility vehicles and their supporting ecosystem. Rakesh has more than 25 years of professional and educational experiences related to commercial vehicles spanning multiple countries—the United States, Germany, and India.

Rakesh serves on DTNA’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Leadership Council and as executive sponsor for DTNA’s Women’s Interactive Network and STEM Employee Business Resource Groups. He also serves as board chair for Downtown Boxing Gym, a not-for-profit organization with the mission to empower Detroit students to be productive members of society through education, athletics, mentorship, and intervention. Rakesh received his Master of Science in mechanical engineering from Purdue University.

Biography:

Michael Berube oversees the Vehicle, Bioenergy, and Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technologies offices within the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE), as well as the Joint Office of Energy and Transportation. This portfolio focuses on research and development to increase access to domestic, clean fuels and improve the energy efficiency, convenience, and affordability of transporting people and goods to support U.S. energy security, economic productivity, and competitiveness.

He brings over 25 years of experience in the automotive industry to EERE, specifically in environmental compliance, energy and safety policy, product development, and marketing. Michael also led multiple environmental and energy initiatives within the Chrysler Corporation. He earned a master’s degree in the Technology and Policy Program at MIT and a master’s degree from the Sloan School of Management. He was recognized for his early work on corporate sustainability and led research for the MIT International Motor Vehicle Program.

Biography:

John Bozzella is president and CEO of the Alliance for Automotive Innovation. Before that, he served as president and CEO of the Association of Global Automakers. John also served as a senior operating executive for Cerberus Operations and Advisory Company LLC, working on public policy and economic development matters as senior vice president of external affairs and public policy at Chrysler Group in 2009, and as vice president of external affairs and public policy for Chrysler LLC, where he mobilized government support to restructure Chrysler.

John also served as vice president of external affairs and public policy for the Americas for DaimlerChrysler Corporation. He served Ford Motor Company in public policy, government and community relations, and labor relations. Before joining the automotive industry, John was New York City's director of state legislative affairs. He began his career in public policy as the director of legislative and political action for the United Federation of Teachers.

Biography:

Charles T. Brown is the founder of Equitable Cities LLC. With 20 years of public and private sector experience, Charles is an expert in planning and policy, recognized for his research on the role of race and racism in transportation and mobility.

Charles holds a Master of Public Administration and graduate certificate in urban and regional planning from the University of Central Florida. Charles is an adjunct professor at the Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy at Rutgers University and instructed at other organizations. He is also a member of the TRB Pedestrian Safety Committee, TRB Bicycle Transportation Committee, and Region II Healthy Equity Council. Charles was also part of the inaugural class of the Public Voices Fellowship on the Climate Crisis, which is managed by the Yale School of the Environment.

Biography:

Dr. Dean Bushey is the Senior Vice President of Sustainability for TravelCenters of America (TA), a BP brand. With over 30 years of leadership experience in energy, transportation infrastructure, and mobility, Dean directs eTA, TA's sustainability business unit, delivering sustainable and alternative energy solutions in transportation through key initiatives and strategic partnerships. Additionally, he leads TA's Environmental, Social, and Governance strategy. Dean provides leadership to help the organization become an integrated energy company, adapting to EVs, hydrogen fuel systems, and other alternative energy sources.

Dean served as a Computer Science Professor at Florida Polytechnic University and the U.S. Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs. He served as a senior management consultant to a nuclear engineering firm in Richmond, Virginia. He retired from the U.S. Air Force after 25 years of service as a Full Colonel. Dean holds a master's degree and Ph.D. in computer science from Clemson University.

Biography:

Laura Chace is president and CEO of ITS America. and was previously the association’s chief operating officer. In these roles, she promotes policies that advance the development and safe deployment of intelligent transportation technologies throughout the U.S.

Laura has experience in strategic planning, operations, communications, and advocacy. As COO, she led operations across ITS America with a focus on technology’s ability to save lives and reduce crashes on U.S. roadways, reduce congestion, minimize transportation’s carbon footprint, and provide seamless mobility and transportation choices for all Americans.

Chace serves on the external advisory board for DOE’s SMART Mobility Lab Consortium under EERE. She advocates for more women and diverse voices in the transportation workforce to create better outcomes for all who use the transportation system. Chace is a founding member of the MobilityXX initiative, which is focused on increasing the number of women in transportation by 10% in 10 years. Chace brings 15 years in trade association management to her new role. She served in the Clinton administration at the U.S. Department of Justice and in the White House.

Biography:

As a member of President Biden’s Sustainability Team at the Council on Environmental Quality, Mark leads the transition of the world’s largest fleet to 100% zero-emission vehicles by 2027 (light-duty) and 2035 (medium- and heavy-duty). He worked with the U.S. Postal Service’s (USPS’) in their commitment to 100% acquisition of electric delivery vehicles by 2026.

Mark served as the first Chief Innovation Officer at New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA). He also worked at USDOT where he was the architect of the Smart City Challenge. Mark then founded the Smart Cities Lab that was comprised of a cohort of leading U.S. cities. The Smart Cities Lab and the Smart City Challenge centered on mobility as a solution to many urban challenges.

Mark was a senior member of President Obama’s Auto Task Force, where he worked on the restructuring of General Motors and Chrysler. Mark received the Environmental Protection Agency’s Gold Medal and awards from DOJ for his work on the bankruptcies, and DOT’s second highest award for his work on the Smart City Challenge.

Biography:

Nadia is a senior advisor in the areas of clean energy and utilities. Previously, Nadia spent 17 years at Xcel Energy in various capacities. Most recently, she was the Vice President of Strategic Partnerships and Clean Transportation where she built the new division and team that created, launched and scaled 20 industry-leading, customer programs and secured regulatory approvals as well as key industry partnerships. She first joined Xcel Energy in 2007 to practice real estate law, leading the real estate legal team. Before joining Xcel Energy, Nadia was in private practice at several international law firms including Gibson, Dunn and Crutcher LLP.

Nadia has been recognized nationally, receiving the “Transformational Leader of Year” award from SEPA (Smart Electric Power Alliance) in 2022 and the “Top Innovator” award from Public Utilities Fortnightly in 2021. The Denver Business Journal has named Nadia a “Top Woman in Business” and included her in its “Who’s Who in Energy” list. She holds a master’s degree in city planning, a J.D., and a B.S. in conservation and resource studies, all from the University of California at Berkeley. Nadia is a member of the California and Colorado bar associations and serves on various boards.

Biography:

John Giles is the 40th mayor of Mesa, Arizona, first elected in 2014 and re-elected in 2016 and 2020. He oversees a growing economy that has added tens of thousands of new jobs, billions of dollars in capital investment, and employers like Apple, Amazon, Google and Meta.

Mayor Giles’ advocacy for a healthy community led to the adoption of Mesa’s Climate Action Plan. The plan’s goals include achieving carbon neutrality, using 100% renewable energy, and diverting 90% of waste from landfills by 2050. Giles also spearheads the Mesa College Promise, connecting qualified high school graduates with free community college education. Mayor Giles advocates for building infrastructure that makes EV ownership more attainable and for testing innovative, sustainable technologies. He earned a law degree from Arizona State University’s Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law, where he is now an adjunct professor. Learn more about Mayor Giles.

Biography:

Kevin Gotinsky joined the United Auto Workers (UAW)/Chrysler Electrical Apprenticeship Program in 1997. Kevin earned his UAW journeyman's card and then decided to pursue a state journeyman's license. He later acquired a state master's license, along with an electrical contractor's license.

With a love for the electrical trade passed down from his electrician father, Kevin became a UAW skilled trade training coordinator to educate other electricians and skilled trades personnel. In this role, he coordinated technical training for more than 350 skilled trades personnel for new technology training and helped more than 45 electricians acquire state journeyman and state master's licenses.

Kevin was appointed as an electrical instructor at the UAW-Fiat Chrysler NTC, where he developed and taught many electrical classes, including robotics and apprenticeship for FCA. This allowed him to continue helping the workforce grow their knowledge. He was then appointed as a UAW international service representative, where he was responsible for the apprenticeship program and all skilled trades technical training for the Stellantis workforce. In March of 2023, Kevin became the Director of the EV Strategies Department for the International UAW and Top Assistant to UAW President Fain.

Biography:

Ruth Gratzke is president of Siemens Smart Infrastructure in the United States, where she leads operational and commercial activities for Siemens’ smart building, grid edge, and energy infrastructure portfolio. Siemens Smart Infrastructure delivers building IoT, automation, fire safety, security, energy, low and medium voltage, EV charging and smart grid solutions as well as control components to the U.S. commercial, industrial, and utility markets. In addition to her business leadership responsibilities for Smart Infrastructure, Ruth is also the CEO of Siemens Industry, Inc., the legal Siemens business entity for Smart Infrastructure and Digital Industries. 

Previously, Ruth served as the head of product and systems sales for Smart Infrastructure, aligning the product and systems business units towards a platform of connected building and power distribution products and systems. 

In 2019, she returned to Siemens after spending several years in executive management roles with General Electric and HUBBELL, Inc. Ruth originally joined Siemens in 1995 and relocated to the United States in 1999 to lead the U.S.-based steelmaking business. She held positions in Corporate Strategy and C-level Sales, followed by general management roles in Building Technologies and Industrial Automation. 

Ruth earned a Master of Electrical Engineering from the University of Erlangen-Nuremberg. 

Biography:

Denise Gray was the head of external affairs and government relations of LG Energy Solution Michigan Inc., a U.S. subsidiary of lithium-ion battery maker LG Energy Solution Ltd. She was president and board of director member for LG Energy Solution Michigan Inc. Tech Center, where her team developed battery solutions for automotive and non-automotive applications. She oversaw strategic direction, engineering, and business development.

Prior to her LG positions, Denise served as vice president of electrification powertrain engineering at AVL List GmbH in Austria, where she leveraged AVL’s global capability to provide electrification engineering services to the automotive industry. Previously, Denise was vice president of business development for an electrified powertrain battery startup company in California, where she targeted China’s new energy vehicle market.

Most of her 30-year professional career was spent at General Motors, where she spearheaded efforts in vehicle electrical and powertrain systems controls and software, including battery systems. Denise holds a bachelor's in engineering from Kettering University and master’s in engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.

Biography:

David Haugen is the director of the Testing and Advanced Technology Division at EPA’s National Vehicle and Fuel Emissions Laboratory, where he manages the testing activities that:

• Certify vehicles and engines meet federal emissions and fuel economy standards.
• Test in-use vehicles and engines to ensure compliance and support enforcement.
• Assess vehicle technologies for regulatory development.
• Analyze motor fuels, fuel additives, and exhaust compounds.
• Develop laboratory test procedures.

Prior to EPA, David worked for John Deere, Ford Motor Company, and the University of Minnesota. David earned degrees from the University of Minnesota, culminating in a Ph.D. in mechanical engineering.

Biography:

Henrik Holland serves as global head of Prologis Mobility, where he spearheads the growth of Prologis’ EV charging business. Henrik served as COO for Shell Greenlots, where he built and led the Customer Solutions and Operations team. He spent 18 years at Shell, holding a variety of commercial and operational roles in the renewable energy space, including overseeing electric mobility corporate development activities for Shell New Energies and leading the company’s acquisition of Greenlots. He was the founder of Shell’s Connected Energy group, serving as its business development and products lead and developing a pipeline with more than 100 MW of customer-sited distributed energy projects.

Henrik led Shell Ventures’ efforts in cleantech investing in 2013 and has held positions at the Northeast Clean Energy Council, Greentown Labs, and Massachusetts Clean Energy Center. He is currently a Techstars startup mentor and serves on New York State Energy Research and Development Authority's investor advisory board.

Biography:

Andrew Koblenz is the National Automobile Dealers Association's (NADA’s) executive vice president of strategic affairs and industry initiatives. In this role, he helps guide the association as it confronts the strategic challenges associated with the evolution of the auto industry, including the electrification of the fleet, new and developing distribution channels, and the increasing role of data and AI. Andy previously served NADA as executive vice president of legal and regulatory affairs and general counsel and as vice president of industry affairs. 

Throughout his tenure in NADA’s executive leadership, Andy has advanced NADA’s central policy positions and strategies. He has also championed relationship-building between NADA and key constituencies, including, notably, the vehicle finance and the Wall Street analyst communities. Finally, he has played a crucial role in advancing NADA’s on-going commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion.  

Andy also served for five years as a senior attorney with the American Automobile Manufacturers Association and as a partner at Richardson, Berlin & Morvillo. He received a bachelor’s degree in political science from Union College in Schenectady, N.Y. and a J.D. from Harvard Law School. 

Biography:

Sharky Laguana is the president of the American Car Rental Association (ACRA), the representative for over 98% of the U.S. car rental industry. Sharky serves on the board of directors since 2017 and was elected president of ACRA in 2020. In 2022, Sharky launched ACRA's annual conference, bringing car rental companies to Washington D.C. to meet with policy makers. In 2023, he created ACRA's EV working group. Sharky is also the CEO and founder of Bandago, a van rental company specializing in renting vans to touring musicians.

In 2019, Mayor London Breed appointed Sharky to the San Francisco Small Business Commission. Sharky was elected and re-elected as commission president until reaching the end of his term in 2023. In 2020, Mayor Breed appointed him to the Economic Recovery Task Force where he helped lead legislative efforts to support local small businesses throughout the pandemic. In 2023, Mayor Breed appointed Sharky to the Homeless Oversight Commission, which has oversight over the Department of Homeless and Supportive Housing, with $700M in annual spending.

Biography:

Joung Lee leads the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials’ (AASHTO’s) transportation policy work with congress, federal agencies, and partner organizations. He also provides strategic support to AASHTO’s board of directors, Transportation Policy Forum, and Strategic Management Committee, along with other member-led committee and council leadership teams.

In advancing AASHTO’s policy and management agenda, Joung coordinates development and implementation of AASHTO’s strategic plan, directs and develops activities to support the AASHTO president’s emphasis areas, and conducts priority initiatives identified by the association’s elected leadership, board of directors, and executive director.

Joung began his career with the Federal Highway Administration in 2000 before joining AASHTO in 2007. He founded Young Professionals in Transportation International in 2008, served as a former chair of the Road Gang, a D.C.-based highway policy society, and is a member of the Cornell Program in Infrastructure Policy advisory board. He is a graduate of the University of Virginia and the University of Pennsylvania.

Biography:

Barak N. Myers, MBA, is an enrolled member of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians (EBCI) in Cherokee, North Carolina. Barak currently serves as one of the tribe’s chief grant writers and as the transportation/strategic planner for the Coushatta Tribe of Louisiana, planning long-range transportation infrastructure and transportation safety efforts.

Barak has served in many capacities for EBCI, including as the tribe’s ethics officer. He served as treasurer for the Tribal Casino Gaming Enterprise (TCGE) board of advisors.

Barak also served as the manager of the Cherokee Department of Transportation, where he oversaw the completion of more than 30 roadway and bridge projects and with 250% increased funding.

Barak oversaw all funding requests and grant submissions for the Cherokee Department of Transportation and helped obtain more than $65 million in funding. Mr. Myers earned a master’s degree in business administration from Western Carolina University and is pursuing a master’s degree in civil engineering at the University of Tennessee with a concentration in transportation and infrastructure.

Biography:

Kelsey Owens is a senior electric vehicle (EV) policy advisor and environmental protection specialist for the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT), Office of the Secretary of Transportation, Office of Policy, where she develops policy and guidance for a broad range of transportation electrification and environmental topics. Prior to coming to DOT, she served as an environmental protection specialist at the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Rural Development.

Kelsey holds a Master of Public Affairs and a Master of Science in environmental science from the School of Public and Environmental Affairs at Indiana University. She also holds a Bachelor of Arts from Indiana University, where she majored in anthropology, African studies, and political science.

Biography:

Crystal Philcox is assistant commissioner of the Office of Travel, Transportation and Logistics (TTL). In this role, she leads a full-service vehicle leasing program as well as services and acquisition solutions for governmentwide fleets, air travel, hotel and rental vehicles, freight, employee relocation, and emergency acquisition programs. 

The Fleet program purchases nearly 50,000 vehicles annually to help agencies meet their missions. The ~$7 billion Travel and Transportation program includes the popular City Pair air travel program and a governmentwide lodging contract. Smart buying in these programs creates over $1 billion annually in cost avoidance for the government.

Crystal has also held leadership positions in the Office of Enterprise Strategy Management, the Information Technology Category, and the Technology Transformation Service at GSA. Before GSA, Philcox held various leadership roles at the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), including three years as IRS’s Chief of Staff.

Biography:

Cassie Powers leads coordination between the National Association of State Energy Official’s (NASEO's) policy, program, and operations priorities, and works closely with the NASEO President and leadership to develop and implement strategies that best serve the State and Territory Energy Offices. She oversees communications and member engagement; informs NASEO's energy policy positions; provides guidance across NASEO's Committees, associated publications and resources, and events; leads fundraising across various NASEO programs; and represents State Energy Offices' interests to the U.S. Department of Energy, key federal and private sector partners, and outside audiences. In previous roles, Cassie led NASEO's state energy planning program, regional initiatives, and clean transportation program, supporting State Energy Offices as they developed and implemented transportation electrification and other clean transportation policies and initiatives.

Prior to NASEO, Cassie worked as the EV Program Coordinator at Georgetown Climate Center, and in other clean energy roles at the American Wind Energy Association, and the League of Conservation Voters. She has a Bachelor of Arts in environmental policy and government from the College of William and Mary, and a Master of Urban and Environmental Planning from the University of Virginia.

Biography:

Mike has worked in the commercial vehicle industry for over 35 years, is the executive director of the North American Council for Freight Efficiency (NACFE), and is the trucking lead for Rocky Mountain Institute. Mike brokers green truck collaborative technologies into the real world at scale. In October 2021, Mike was named an Industry Influencer by FleetOwner and was awarded the prestigious SAE L. Ray Buckendale Lecturer and manuscript author in 2020. He has a Bachelor of Science in engineering from the Ohio State University and a master’s in organizational leadership from the Indiana Institute of Technology.

Mike served on the second National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine Committee on Reducing Fuel Consumption and Greenhouse Gas Emissions of Medium- and Heavy-Duty Vehicles; is a DOE merit reviewer; and was past chairman of the board for the Truck Manufacturers Association. He understands the customers, operations, and intricacies of the commercial vehicle industry, having held various positions with Navistar and Behr/Cummins.

Biography:

Danielle Sass Byrnett is senior director of the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners (NARUC) Center for Partnerships & Innovation (CPI). This technical assistance team connects the 54 state public utility commissions with experts, research, peers, and decision-making support resources. CPI addresses a wide range of complex current and emerging energy issues facing utility commissions—from transmission to distributed energy resources, cybersecurity, and more.

Danielle also served in DOE-EERE and EPA’s Climate Protection Partnerships Division. Throughout these roles, Danielle has supported state environmental and energy agencies in expanding their clean energy policies and programs.

She is a member of the board of directors for the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy and on the Smart Electric Power Alliance’s Research Advisory Council. She holds a master’s degree in public policy from Duke University.

Biography:

Victoria Stephen is the director of the Next Generation Delivery Vehicle (NGDV) program in the Fleet Management & Electrification Strategy organization at USPS. She and her team lead vehicle design and engineering activities and contract support to support the cross-functional preparation for the rollout of the NGDV program. The team also leads EV charging infrastructure development and deployment to electrify USPS’s delivery fleet.

Vicki's activities developed technology innovations, new product offerings, and college curriculum to market and highlight USPS and mail. Vicki served in multiple leadership roles, including director of emerging business technology, lead executive for small business strategy development, director of brand shipping and led the Material Handling Deployment team.

Vicki holds an MBA from the University of Chicago with concentrations in marketing, quality, and policy. She is a graduate of the Advanced Leadership Program and the Executive Development Program and holds an executive Lean Six Sigma Green Belt.

Biography:

Kofi is a team leader in the Transportation Access and Mobility Group at ARC. Kofi’s team includes several transportation planners who specialize in active transportation, transit capacity expansion, freight and logistics, transportation systems management and operations, transportation technology, sustainable development, data management, and transportation equity.

Kofi has participated in numerous Transportation Research Board (TRB) research panels and is a member of the Association of Metropolitan Planning Organizations (AMPO) Technical Committee. Kofi holds a Bachelor of Civil Engineering and a Master of City and Regional Planning from Georgia Tech, and a law degree from Georgia State University. He’s a member of the Georgia Bar and American Institute of Certified Planners (AICP).