Laura Chace, president and CEO of ITS America, has joined a new advisory committee set up by US Department of Transportation.
She will provide ITS expertise to the Transforming Transportation Advisory Committee (TTAC) which will offer advice to USDoT and transportation secretary Pete Buttigieg about plans and approaches for transportation innovation.
Writing on LinkedIn, Chace said she was "honoured to be named a member of the TTAC". The first meeting is on 18 January.
"Transportation technology is currently not being leveraged to its full extent to help us deliver on our shared goals of safer, greener, smarter transportation for all," she added.
"I am pleased to see many ITS America members on this committee as well. Together, we can lend our voice and expertise to chart a path to scaled deployment of emerging technologies that will improve safety, reduce emissions, enhance equity and support workers by intentionally preparing our workforce for the future."
USDoT says new committee members were selected "for their ability to provide diverse perspectives across sectors, geographies, and areas of expertise".
The 27-member, unpaid body includes experts from academia, think tanks, the public sector and industry covering topics including automation, cybersecurity, safety, accessibility, law, government, entrepreneurship, privacy and equity.
“We are living in a time filled with unprecedented opportunity and unprecedented challenges in transportation,” said Buttigieg. “The deep expertise and diverse perspectives of this impressive group will provide advice to ensure the future of transportation is safe, efficient, sustainable, equitable, and transformative.”
TTAC members will serve two-year terms and may be reappointed. The issues it will look at include:
- Pathways to safe, secure, equitable, environmentally friendly and accessible deployments of emerging technologies
- Integrated approaches to promote greater cross-modal integration of emerging technologies, in particular applications to deploy automation
- Policies that encourage innovation to grow and support a safe and productive US workforce, as well as foster economic competitiveness and job quality
- Approaches and frameworks that encourage the secure exchange and sharing of transformative transportation data, including technologies and infrastructure, across the public and private sectors that can guide core policy decisions across USDoT’s strategic goals
- Ways USDoT can identify and elevate cybersecurity solutions and protect privacy across transportation systems and infrastructure
Who are the members of the Transforming Transportation Advisory Committee?
Nat Beuse – Vice President of Safety, Aurora
John Bozzella – President and CEO, Alliance for Automotive Innovation
Jim Burg – President and CEO, James Burg Trucking Company
Laura Chace, President and CEO of ITS America
Mark Chung – Executive Vice President of Roadway Practice, National Safety Council
Matthew Colvin – Chief of Staff of the Transportation Trades Department, AFL-CIO
Steve Dellenback – Vice President of Intelligent Systems, Southwest Research Institute
Thomas Dwiggins – Chief Fire Officer, Chandler Fire Department
Carol Flannagan – Research Professor and Director of the Center for the Management of Information for Safe and Sustainable Transportation, University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute
Shelley Francis – Co-founder & Managing Partner, EV Noire
Kelly Funkhouser – Associate Director of Vehicle Technology, Consumer Reports
Mayor Kate Gallego – Mayor, City of Phoenix, AZ
Kim Lucas – Director of Mobility and Infrastructure, City of Pittsburgh
Tekedra Mawakana – Co-Chief Executive Officer, Waymo
Swati Mylavarapu – Co-Founder, Incite
Raj Rajkumar – Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Carnegie-Mellon University
Bryan Reimer – Research Scientist, Center for Transportation and Logistics/AgeLab at MIT
Catherine Ross – Harry West Professor of City and Regional Planning, Georgia Institute of Technology
Cole Scandaglia – Senior Legislative Representative and Policy Advisor, International Brotherhood of Teamsters
Steve Shladover – Research Engineer, University of California Berkeley
Bryant Walker Smith – Associate Professor, University of South Carolina School of Law
Bernard Soriano – Deputy Director, California DMV
Amie Stepanovich – VP of U.S. Policy, Future of Privacy Forum
Jeffrey Tumlin – Director of Transportation, San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency
Carol Tyson – Government Affairs Liaison, Disability Rights Education and Defense Fund
Eileen Vélez-Vega – Secretary, Puerto Rico Department of Public Works and Transportation
Maria Trinidad (“Triny”) Willerton - President and Founder, It Could Be Me
