Simi Barr is an Energy Analyst for the City of Ann Arbor’s Office of Sustainability and Innovations, where
he’s worked since 2020. In his role as Energy Analyst, Simi works to reduce energy consumption and
install renewable energy systems at City Facilities, transition the City fleet to electric vehicles, and
expand the availability of public EV charging stations. In addition to this role, Simi is a board member of
the Ann Arbor Area Transportation Authority and enjoys spending time outdoors in Ann Arbor’s great
parks.

John Bauters is the Mayor of Emeryville, California. In addition to serving on the Emeryville City Council since 2016, he serves as Chair of both the Alameda County Transportation Commission and the Bay Area Air Quality Management District. He has been an outspoken and progressive voice on sustainable land use, affordable housing development, environmental justice, urban conservationism, and active transportation policies that support equitable, people-oriented communities. In these roles, he championed Emeryville’s $50 million affordable housing bond, which is being used to add hundreds of affordable, infill homes for low-income families, seniors, transition-aged youth, and people experiencing homelessness; he was the leading voice for adoption of Rule 6-5, which created one of the most stringent refinery emissions standards in the world; and is regarded as a regional and statewide expert on the role active transportation and other car-free infrastructure play in making cities more livable.

John has over 20 years of experience as a nonprofit professional, working as a legal aid attorney for people experiencing homelessness, an eviction defense trial attorney, and currently as a policy director on criminal justice reform, trauma recovery services, and community-based health care as an alternative to incarceration. He has a Bachelor of Arts in International Studies and Social Psychology from the University of Notre Dame and earned his law degree from Boston College Law School.

MaryAnn Beebe joined GM’s Accessibility Center of Excellence as a
Program Engineering Manager in April 2022.  One of her focuses is making
autonomous rideshares accessible to people with disabilities.  During the
past 20 years, MaryAnn has worked in a variety of roles within General
Motors including Vehicle Safety Engineering, Design Release Engineer,
Regulatory Liaison to NHTSA and Teen Driver Safety Expert.  MaryAnn is
inspired by the potential for her work on accessible autonomous vehicles to help expand travel
opportunities for people with disabilities.

MaryAnn earned a Bachelor and Master of Science in Mechanical Engineering from the
University of Michigan.

MaryAnn lives in Royal Oak, MI with her husband and three children where she enjoys the
outdoors, hiking, and gardening.

Danny is the cofounder and CEO of SkySpecs. He is a two-time graduate of the University of Michigan with a Bachelor’s and Master’s in Aerospace Engineering. SkySpecs is a robotics and automation company working to simplify renewable energy asset management. They have utilized drones to autonomously inspect over 180,000 wind turbines since 2017. Danny has been working in and around the drone field since 2009. SkySpecs is based in Ann Arbor, Michigan and has grown to over 280 employees located in 10 countries.

Tony G. Geara, P.E., PTOE currently serves as the Deputy Chief of Mobility
innovation at the City of Detroit. He is a professional engineer who comes into the
mobility realm with a diverse background in CAV, ITS, and Transportation Planning.
A few years ago, after 14 years in consulting, he made the move to public service to
lead and grow Intelligent Transportation and Smart City efforts for the City of
Detroit. Throughout his career, Tony has led diverse teams through multiple traffic,
ITS, and mobility projects, both locally and internationally. His passion is promoting
safety and efficiency, human-centered design and engagement, and actively
interacting with residents and stakeholders for the betterment of the community,
where every voice matter. He has brought that momentum into the City to help
envision and build the future of #DetroitMobility through innovation, sustainability,
and equity.

Outside of industry and academia, Tony is passionate about rowing, loves cooking
Lebanese food, has an amazing wife, who is an academic researcher in
organizational behavior and gender roles in the workplace, and three very active
kids who are growing way too fast.

Lieutenant Governor Garlin Gilchrist has dedicated his career to solving problems. An engineer by
training, he uses thoughtful and fact-based practices to solve real problems and make government work
better for Michigan families.

As part of the Whitmer Administration, Lt. Governor Gilchrist has focused on helping Michiganders in
communities across our state realize their full economic and political potential. From co-chairing the
Michigan Joint Task Force on Jail and Pretrial Incarceration, to helming the Michigan COVID-19 Task
Force on Racial Disparities, to leading efforts to connect over 23,000 unserved locations in Michigan to
affordable high-speed internet, Lt. Governor Gilchrist is committed to building a more just, equitable,
prosperous, and connected Michigan where everyone can thrive.

Lt. Governor Gilchrist and his wife, Ellen, reside in Detroit where they are raising their twins, Emily and
Garlin III, and daughter, Ruby.

CEO
Detroit Region Aerotropolis

Development Corporation Christopher (Chris) Girdwood leads the Detroit Region Aerotropolis, which is a four-community economic development partnership driving corporate expansion and new investment around Detroit Metro and Willow Run Airports. The Aerotropolis is the premiere location for greenfield expansion in Southeast Michigan, offering 6,000 acres of development-ready land centered in a world-class network of transportation infrastructure.

In addition, Chris is actively working with community partners to build rudimentary highways in the sky for advanced air mobility. The goal of this work is to build a more seamless logistics and distribution infrastructure to support the movement of high-value cargo in Aerotropolis.

Previously, Chris worked to grow a 1,500-acre Innovation Park in Northern Virginia by attracting and expanding biotechnology, life science, and high-risk capital to the region. This unique university- centered model for economic development included the Prince William Science Accelerator (9 wet labs) where Chris led the tenant recruitment, technical assistance, and graduation effort. His economic development experience also includes working for the Santa Clarita Valley Economic Development Corporation in California, and as a Senior Associate with the International Economic Development Council (IEDC) in Washington, D.C. Early in his career he supported the warfighter with the U.S. Department of Defense.

Chris attended Michigan State University, the University of Michigan, Harvard Kennedy School, and MIT. He holds one utility patent and plans to invent new technologies throughout his life. He lives in Metro Detroit with his wife, daughters, and son.

After spending the past 1+ years as VP of Product & Programs, leading the Detroit innovation studios, Colleen started her own insight driven innovation and strategy practice, Orthogonal Thinking. Prior to that she was at Carhartt for 7 years leading product innovation efforts for the brand with time also spent working in insights and strategy. Her 25+ years of professional experience have spanned roles ranging from social justice research in academia, consulting with brands to develop innovative products and working at a leading automotive brand to re-define and develop relevant brand opportunities. In 2021 Colleen was named to Innovation Leader’s list of Top 25 Most Influential Innovators.

Colleen is a social scientist with undergraduate and graduate degrees in Sociology and additional advanced training in survey methodology and design thinking.

As Co-Founder, President & CEO of Airspace Link, Inc. Michael Healander is responsible for running all facets of the business. Michael has a proven executive management track record and 15 years of experience driving growth in the UAS and geospatial industry. Airspace Link’s award-winning AirHub® Platform has been described by Federal, State, and Local Government partners and Commercial Operators as the “Smart Maps for Drones”.

Allison Hegarty is the Senior Customer Success Manager at May Mobility and serves as our Customer’s point of contact throughout the deployment. With over 10 years of experience nurturing customer relationships, she is focused on helping define strategic alignment of our customer goals and objectives for each deployment. She has successfully managed end to end project milestones and project tracking for Ann Arbor Michigan, Grand Rapids Michigan, Grand Rapids Minnesota, Arlington Texas and is in the process of working on additional cities that May Mobility plans to launch early next year. Allison is passionate about making an impact in the cities that we serve, and engaging with the communities in which we serve.

As Chief Mobility Officer for the state of Michigan, Justine leads the state’s Office of Future Mobility and
Electrification in working across state government, academia and private industry to enhance Michigan’s
mobility ecosystem, including developing dynamic mobility and electrification policies and supporting
the startup and scale up of emerging mobility technologies and businesses. Justine plays a critical role in
driving a first-of-its-kind partnership between the Michigan Economic Development Corporation,
Department of Labor and Opportunity, Department of Transportation, Department of Environment,
Great Lakes and Energy, and the Governor’s Office.

Justine Johnson is an accomplished economic development and mobility executive with more than 10
years of experience in external affairs, strategy and government and community relations. Prior to
joining Team Michigan as Chief Mobility Officer, Justine was appointed to the Los Angeles County
Aviation Commission to advise the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors on the operations and
development of the County’s five airports. In addition to this role, she served as the Director of Member
Engagement at the California Mobility Center (CMC) which is a non-profit that promotes commercial
interactions with new mobility companies and industry-leading entities to deploy new products,
programs, and services in clean mobility in the State of California, and beyond.

Previously, Justine served as the Head of Mobility Engagement for the SoCal/Southwest Region at Ford
Motor Company. This promotion was a result of her successful tenure as Ford’s Mobility Strategist.
During her time in New York City, she served as Vice President of Government & Community Relations
for the New York City Economic Development Corporation, managing government and community
relations for Mayor de Blasio’s innovative commuter ferry system. However, her impact on
transportation initiatives within NYC was initially established during her time with the New York City Taxi
& Limousine Commission where she worked on the “Boro Taxi” project, also known as the Green Taxi
program, which created a new for-hire vehicle and driver classification.

While she spent many years in NYC, Justine is a native of Los Angeles, CA, and believes in giving back to
her community through her service. She was the Board Co-Chair of BlackSpace Urbanist Collective, an
organization that challenges urban designers, planners, artists, and architects to build spaces that honor
the culture and cultivate the talent of Black people. She also served as Board Chair of Urban Movement
Labs, an organization that focuses on bringing new mobility innovation to Los Angeles by working at the

intersection of government, technology innovation, and community. Most notably, she served as an
adjunct instructor at USC Sol Price School of Public Policy.

Justine holds two Master of Arts degrees from the University of Southern California in Urban Planning
and Public Administration. She also holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Hampton University in Political
Science and Government.

Kwabena “Q” Johnson is an automotive industry expert, consultant, innovator, and the president of Q Works L.L.C. With a keen mind for problem solving, Q is focused on developing new technologies, processes, and strategies for application within the automotive industry. He collaborates with both original equipment manufacturers and automotive tier suppliers to pilot, launch, and fully implement these innovations and strategies.

Q’s automotive career flourished at Ford Motor Company where from 1996 to 2007 he worked in the New Model Development Center as a Prototype Specialist and Lean Management Consultant. In this role, Q worked closely with engineers and vendors to develop new products and processes (incorporating Six Sigma for error proofing) to ensure future vehicle models were produced to the highest quality standards employing the most efficient methods. Most of these vehicles were alternative fuel vehicles (i.e., hybrid electric, CNG, natural gas, etc.), which gave Q insight into the technologies that showed the most promise – electric vehicles.

In 2008, Q joined Detroit Electric, an electric car company, as project manager. He assisted senior management with developing flexible production processes, which enabled the company to build electric vehicles on multiple platforms in various production environments. Q was integral in helping Detroit Electric to identify key strategic partners and vendors that were critical to manufacturing. He also invested a significant amount of time creating strategies for technologies and processes he developed at Detroit Electric, such as 3D printing, modular build process, and electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure. His entrepreneurial drive and insight propelled him to launch Q Works and to collaborate with other start-up companies, such as Walker-Miller Energy Consultants and Adopt-A-Watt.

Prior to joining Ford Motor Company, Q was a Marine Officer Candidate and an alumnus of the University of Michigan Dearborn, Mechanical Automotive Engineering program. Q is an active member of the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) and have worked with multiple teams to develop electric vehicle charging stations. As an entrepreneur, Q is committed to helping the emerging entrepreneur community and supports various non-profit organizations in Metropolitan Detroit. He is passionate about learning new things and driven by continuous improvement.

Jasmit is the CEO and co-founder of Culturebie, a cloud-based people analytics platform. Before
Culturebie, Jasmit worked at PricewaterhouseCoopers as a management consultant, and at Microsoft,
where she partnered with C-suite executives to develop data-informed workforce strategies.

In the course of her work, she experienced first-hand the challenges that limit organizations in making
timely and consistent decisions about their teams based on sound data. Driven by these experiences in
the High-Tech and Manufacturing industries, Jasmit is passionate about making “data-informed people
and culture decisions” a norm in organizations. Culturebie is a technology-focused endeavor in that
direction.

Nathan King (Co-Founder/CEO) is an architect with a passion for sustainability, and Co-Founder and CEO of itselectric, a Brooklyn-based start up launched in 2021. Over the last two decades, Nathan has designed and managed numerous large-scale and complex construction projects, with particular focus in New York City. Before itselectric, Nathan was the senior technical architect for the Health and Science practice group at the global architecture firm SOM, and led the team designing the new NY City Public Health Laboratory. As CEO of itselectric, Nathan is able to apply his expertise around project permitting and implementation to accelerate the growth of electrified transportation in cities across the US.

• Managing Director @ Sino Auto Insights, a management consultancy with expertise in the mobility sector
• Author of the SAI Newsletter, a weekly round up & analysis of the most important news coming out of the EV/AV & mobility space
• Co-Host of the weekly ‘China EVs & More’ podcast
• Co-organizer of the annual MOBILIT/E Conference
• Entrepreneur-in-Residence @ TechTown Detroit for Mobility Innovation
• Globally recognized subject matter expert in the EV/AV & mobility sectors by respected media outlets include Fortune, LeMonde, The Atlantic, Business Insider, CNN, Deal Street Asia, WSJ, Financial Times, The Economist, CNBC
• Worked in Detroit, Silicon Valley and Shanghai in the automotive & high tech sectors for companies such as GM, Apple, Logitech, Ford

Ben is the Director of Technology & Business Development at Electra.aero, a startup company developing feasible, innovative electric aircraft solutions at the nexus of advanced air mobility and the decarbonization of aviation. At Electra, Ben is responsible for business development, U.S. Government opportunity capture and product management, and intellectual property strategy and protection.

Previously, Ben was the Vice President of Global Operations at SkySpecs, an Ann Arbor-based startup developing and fielding at-scale autonomous robotics technologies and AI-based asset management solutions for the clean energy industry. Before joining the startup world, Ben was a graduate of the Engineering Leadership Development Program at the Lockheed Martin Skunk Works, where he worked on a variety of revolutionary aircraft projects for national security from conceptual design through flight test.

He earned a BSE in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Michigan and an MS in Product Development Engineering from the University of Southern California.

Outside of work, Ben chairs the University of Michigan’s Aerospace Industry Advisory Board and was appointed by Governor Whitmer to the State of Michigan’s Unmanned Aircraft Systems Task Force. In 2015, Ben was elected to the Board of Directors of the American Institute of Aeronautics & Astronautics (AIAA), where he was the youngest Director in AIAA’s 85-year history. He was then elected to AIAA’s Board of Trustees in 2022. He has also served as a founding member and Vice President of the nonprofit Los Angeles County Air Show, Inc.

Maureen Marshall serves as CALSTART’s Midwest Regional Senior Director. At CALSTART,
Maureen leads the Midwest operations and all clean transportation related projects for the
Midwest, as well as national activities focused on connected and automated accessible
transportation. She is a veteran in the automotive industry and brings a wealth of technical
experience and knowledge in vehicle electronics, powertrain systems, electrification, and
advanced connectivity and automation. She has held engineering positions with both Ford and
Chrysler (DaimlerChrysler), where she played a leading role Chrysler’s electric vehicle program
in the 1990’s and she has also worked on advanced global powertrains, electrical and vehicle
testing systems, and manufacturing end of line testing. Her work in connected and automated
vehicle technology began over 20 years ago when she worked at Siemens, HARMAN, and Booz
Allen Hamilton, where she led work with the U.S. Army at TARDEC that helped them shape their
ground vehicle and connected vehicle strategies, as well as supported the Department of
Transportation on DSRC standard development and V2V and V2I infrastructure development.
Maureen holds a Master’s in Business Administration from Auburn University, a Bachelor of
Science in Electrical Engineering from Lawrence Technological University, as well as a certificate
in Strategy and Innovation from MIT.

Nick Moroz is currently the Director of Entrepreneurial Practice at the Center for Entrepreneurship, housed at the College of Engineering at the University of Michigan.

Nick directs and manages the CFE’s co-curricular programs that focus on providing students with leadership skills and training, mentorship, and career initiatives in emerging industries such as autonomous vehicles. Nick is an experienced innovator and entrepreneur of manufacturing and advanced materials technologies and has played the role of the technical founder for a series of startups.

Nick also serves as the Mayor for the City of Plymouth. He was elected to the City Commission in 2017, served as Mayor Pro Tem from 2019-2021, and was elected Mayor this past November. He's very proud to be part of the team that has effectively led Plymouth through major updates to our utilities and infrastructure, successful millage proposals, master plans, and the recent pandemic.

Nick is a graduate of Albion College and a 4-time graduate of the greatest university in the world, the University of Michigan.

Eric Muir is founder and CTO of Volair Technologies where he leads technology development of pioneering safety, automation, and perception systems for aviation. He holds a BS, MS, and PhD in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Michigan. He began his career at Boeing where he led a team of ~50 Boeing software and hardware engineers in autonomous flight technologies. These efforts spanned CONOPS definition, test vehicle integration and operation, flight simulation, and perception/localization algorithm development with particular focus on autonomous taxi capabilities. He then led a team at Rescale, a cloud computing company, developing solutions to compute-heavy simulation problems. Eric lives in Bozeman, MT with his wife and two children and enjoys taking advantage of the outdoor lifestyle offered by the greater Yellowstone region.

Anne Partington serves as the Managing Director of the University of Michigan Tauber Institute for
Global Operations developing next-generation, multi-disciplinary operations, and supply chain leaders.
Prior to that, Anne worked in the tech sector commercializing translational technology into mobility
startups and the accelerator space. Anne also has over 2 decades of global automotive leadership
experience across the supply chain and product development at GM and Stellantis while leading
organizational culture-building initiatives, and teaching professional development. Anne's lifelong
passion has been in supply chain and operations with a focus on sustainability, innovation, DEI, and
culture building, and was recently honored by being selected for the Society of Women Engineers 2022
Women You Should Know list. Throughout her career, Anne has actively worked to create inclusive
ecosystems where differences are embraced and respected, diverse representation is at the decision-
making tables, and individuals can feel a sense of belonging and thrive. Anne has many interests outside
of work including serving on volunteer boards, travel, mentoring, Toastmasters, and spending time with
family including her rescue dog – the real boss of the household.

Melanie Piana is the Mayor of the City of Ferndale, Michigan. She has served 14 years as a
nonpartisan city council member, with the past 4 years as Mayor. She is a vocal champion for
advancing inclusive, equitable, climate-resilient communities. Recognized for working
collaboratively across municipal boundaries, Melanie brings diverse stakeholders together to
solve common challenges creatively.

Melanie has over 20 years as a nonprofit and local government executive leader with
experience leading progressive policy changes impacting municipal operations, urban
development, mobility, transportation, affordable housing, and neighborhood reinvestment in
one of Detroit’s historic neighborhoods, the Downtown, and across Metro Detroit suburbs.
Melanie served as the Board of Trustees President for the globally recognized Michigan
Municipal League. She represents Ferndale on the National League of Cities Transportation
and Infrastructure Services Committee guiding federal policy that influenced the bipartisan
infrastructure bill. Her leadership resulted in a lane reduction on Woodward Avenue, the first
paved highway in the U.S., new affordable housing, climate action planning, and zoning reform.
Melanie is a member of ICLEI’s Race to Zero, Climate Mayors, and Covenant of Mayors for
Climate and Energy.

At the Regional Transit Authority of S.E. Michigan (RTA), as the new Program Director, she
leads strategy and policy to create a more equitable transit system across Metro Detroit.
Melanie also worked at the Detroit Regional Partnership as the Chief of Staff for the Global
Epicenter of Mobility (GEM), a $52M program funded by US EDA’s Build Back Better Regional
Challenge Grant (BBBRC). She was the Chief Operating Offer at Jefferson East Inc., a
neighborhood development corporation reinvigorating development in the underinvested historic
commercial corridor.

Melanie is a graduate of Albion College with a B.A. in Communications and German and holds a
Master’s in Urban Planning from Wayne State University. She has been a certified Project
Manager Professional for 19 years. She was awarded a Harvard Kennedy School of
Government in Executive Public Leadership certificate and Climate and Energy in March 2023.
She was certified as a climate change practitioner by the Association of Climate Change
Officers in 2020. Melanie is a member of the American Planning Association, Urban Land
Institute, Project Management Institute, and America Society of Adaptation Professionals.

Chris Rishko currently serves as the Director of Talent Solutions, Michigan Economic Development Corp
where he is responsible for developing and implementing systems and strategies, in cooperation with
partners across Michigan, to provide a modernized short and long-term talent pipeline solutions that
will assist employers in realizing the workforce objectives they need to be successful.

Prior to his current position, Chris served as Chief Executive Officer of Great Lakes Michigan Works!
where he was responsible for the administration and delivery of numerous federal and state workforce
development programs across the 5 county Great Lakes Bay Region. Additionally, Chris is a retired Air
Force officer with 22 years’ experience in multiple command and control weapons systems.

Chris holds graduate degrees from Central Michigan University, Northwood University. Chris and his
wife Sara live in Midland with their 4 children.

Mr. Stephens is Deputy Mayor of Pontiac, MI. In this position, he operates as the Chief
Operating Officer and advisor to the Mayor. Mr. Stephens assisted in lowering the City’s
operating deficit, restructuring the City’s departments to increase service delivery, and
introducing new programs to increase employee morale.

Before coming home to Pontiac, Mr. Stephens served as the Director of Economic
Development and Assistant City Administrator with the City of Flint. In that role, he oversaw a
nearly $4 million grant from the W. K. Kellogg Foundation. He helped the City of Flint to
become one of 32 communities across the country to receive $1 million in funding to support
small businesses and helped secure additional funding for small businesses.

Mr. Stephens was recruited to Flint from the Development Authority of Clayton County
Georgia where he redesigned an economic development agency in Metropolitan Atlanta.
While with the Development Authority, Stephens wrote the agency’s standard operating
procedures, metrics, and hired staff. He also brought national attention to Clayton County and
drove over $100 million of new investments and facilitated the creation of over 500 new jobs
paying above the county’s median wage.

Before moving to Georgia, Mr. Stephens held positions with the City of Farmington Hills and
the Michigan Economic Development Corporation where he was instrumental in helping many
companies from small start-ups to large international organizations find the resources that
they needed to grow and thrive in Michigan.

Mr. Stephens began his career journey in Pontiac where he worked as the Pontiac Growth
Group Director for the Pontiac Downtown Development Authority as well as an Educator for
the Pontiac School District.

Mr. Stephens has a Post Master’s Certificate in Economic Development and an MBA in
Marketing and Finance from Wayne State University. He also was an honors graduate with a
BA in Linguistics and History from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. He is fluent in
French as a result of overseas experience living and working in France, and he also speaks
Spanish.  Mr. Stephens is also a licensed State of Michigan real estate person, a Certified
Economic Developer (CEcD), an Economic Development Finance Professional (EDFP), and a
Michigan Master Citizen Planner.
Deputy Mayor Khalfani Stephens

In addition to being the Oakland Livingston Human Service Agency (OLHSA) Chairperson, Mr.
Stephens volunteers as the Vice President for The Pontiac Kappa Foundation. He serves on
the Oakland County Land Bank Authority, the Board of the Michigan Economic Developers
Association, and a lecturer at the University of Michigan- Flint.

Mr. Stephens is married with two children. He is an active member of the Pontiac Alumni
Chapter of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc. and in his spare time he enjoys, travel, language,
learning, gardening, and cooking.

Reuben Sarkar serves as the President and CEO for the American Center for Mobility (ACM) where he
oversees ACM’s 500-acre Global Development Center focused on advancing safe, sustainable, and secure
mobility technologies. He has more than two decades of experience in sustainable mobility & energy in
corporate, government, and entrepreneurial roles.

Formerly, he was Deputy Assistant Secretary of Transportation for the U.S. Department of Energy, Office of
Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE), where he oversaw the sustainable transportation sector
through their Vehicle, Fuel Cell, and Bioenergy Technologies Offices.

He has held leadership and advisory roles in a number of startups including Forge Nano, Proterra, and Scalvy.
and is an Operator Advisor to Assembly Ventures. Prior to that, Reuben spent more than a decade at General
Motors.

He holds both Bachelor and Master of Science degrees in Chemical Engineering, as well as an MBA with high
distinction, all from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor.

As associate vice president for research and innovation partnerships, Kelly
works closely with the vice president for research as well as other leaders
across the university to provide visionary and strategic leadership of U-M’s
innovation, corporate research and technology commercialization activities,
including overseeing Innovation Partnerships. In this role, she supports and
encourages university-wide programs for intellectual property development,
innovation, and engagement with business and venture communities in the
region, across the nation, and around the globe.

Prior to her arrival at U-M in 2018, Kelly was the Assistant Vice Chancellor for
Technology Commercialization and New Ventures at North Carolina State
University, where she served as principal investigator for an NSF I-Corps site
and co-founded an alumni angel investor network to provide a new source of
funding for university startups and spinouts.

Kelly holds a B.S. in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology from the University of
Georgia and a Ph.D. in Molecular Pathology from the University of California,
San Diego where she was supported by a fellowship from the California
Breast Cancer Research Foundation. Kelly completed her postdoctoral studies
at Stanford University where she was awarded a fellowship from the Susan G.
Komen Breast Cancer Foundation. Kelly serves as co-chair of the U-M
Roundtable on Innovation and Entrepreneurship, on the Board of the
Michigan Venture Capital Association, and on the Executive Committee of
Ann Arbor SPARK.

Kathryn Snorrason is the Interim Chief Mobility Officer with Michigan’s Office of Future Mobility and Electrification (OFME). Kathryn is responsible for leading the office’s work across state government, academia and private industry to enhance Michigan’s mobility ecosystem, including developing mobility and electrification policies, supporting the startup and scale up of emerging technologies and businesses, and building the electrified, sustainable mobility infrastructure of the future. Kathryn previously worked for World Business Chicago, Kiva and Deloitte Consulting. Kathryn graduated from the University of Michigan’s Ross School of Business with a Bachelors in Business Administration and a minor in Community Action and Social Change (CASC).

Mayor Taylor has served as Mayor since November 2014, after serving three terms on
Ann Arbor City Council.

Mayor Taylor believes that local government’s mission is to improve basic services and
enhance quality of life. During his tenure, Ann Arbor has worked to accelerate road
maintenance, modernize drinking water infrastructure, expand storm water detention,
beautify parks and natural areas, and deploy unrelentingly professional police and fire
services. Beyond this focus on the fundamentals, Mayor Taylor has led initiatives to
promote non-motorized transportation; develop an unarmed public safety response
program, utilize municipal land for 1000+ units of new, permanent affordable housing;
and develop the funding, staffing, and political will necessary to establish and achieve a
goal of community-wide carbon neutrality by 2030.

Professionally, Mayor Taylor is an attorney. He is a partner at the Ann Arbor law firm of
Hooper Hathaway, where his practice focuses on estate planning and small business
representation.

Mayor Taylor has earned four degrees from the University of Michigan. During his years
at the University of Michigan, Mayor Taylor served as Editor-in-Chief of the Michigan
Law Review and as president of the Inter-Cooperative Council, a 550-member housing
cooperative.

Mayor Taylor has lived in Ann Arbor for over 30 years. He is married to an Ann Arbor
native, Eva Rosenwald. They have two college-age children.

Cheryl Thompson is the founder and CEO of the Center for Automotive Diversity, Inclusion &
Advancement. CADIA was launched in 2017 with the idea that diverse talent had long been overlooked
and undervalued in the automotive industry. A member-based organization, CADIA provides Diversity,
Equity & Inclusion tools, networks, insights, and practical advice to companies in the auto-mobility
space. A veteran of the automotive industry, Cheryl has over 30 years of experience at Ford Motor
Company and American Axle and Manufacturing in positions ranging from tool and die, operations,
manufacturing engineering, and global leadership. She is a Certified Diversity Professional through the
National Diversity Council, a Certified Six Sigma Black Belt, and is trained in Leadership Coaching. She
received her undergraduate degree in Manufacturing at Siena Heights University and her MBA from
Michigan State University. Cheryl has been recognized as a 2022 Automotive News All-Star, 2019
Influential Women in Manufacturing Honoree, a 2019 Corp Magazine Salute to Diversity award winner,
Marketing and Sales Executives of Detroit Platinum Award, and is the recipient of two Diversity and
Inclusion Awards from Ford Motor Company. A sought-after voice and speaker in the automotive,
manufacturing and aerospace & defense industries, Cheryl has performed keynote addresses,
workshops, and breakout sessions for many member companies and events, including Women in
Automotive, Automotive News Leading Women Conference, Beyond the Wrench, TEDx Windsor,
Women in Manufacturing (WiM), the American Automotive Summit, Society of Women Engineers (SWE)
and CADIA’s annual Rev Up 2030 event.

Tim is a Founding Partner of POCO Labs, a Product Development and Consumer Research Company. He is a nationally recognized consultant with over 30 years of experience, working to drive innovation and the appropriate use of technology in consumer products and services. He is a respected source of information for the media and has appeared on The Science Channel, Food Network, HGTV, CNN and others as a resource to discuss the future and technology.

Tim Woods is also the General Manager of the Autonomous Vehicle Alliance a non-profit collaborative research organization focused on Cities, Business and Consumers. The purpose of the Alliance is to identify the opportunities around the Use Cases and Value Propositions for L4 and L5 Autonomous Vehicles. The AVA conducted a year-long research project focused on Accessible and Barrier Free Vehicles and Infrastructure and the opportunity of thinking about them from a holistic perspective. The AVA is also a founding member of the Accessible Mobility Collaborative whose members include ITSA, SAE, AARP, MCity, Stantec, and others. General Motors, and Stellantis are Board Members of the AVA.