SPEAKERS & MODERATORS

Dr. Jarrod Adams

Dr. Adams is the Chief Operations Officer for Washington County Schools located in Jonesborough, TN. He has a Bachelor of Arts in Education, a Master of Education in Educational Leadership and Policy Analysis and a Doctor of Education in Educational Leadership and Policy Analysis. Dr. Adams has extensive experience in leadership, instruction, and program management at different levels throughout the school system. In his capacity as COO, he champions the transition from fossil fuels to greener fuel alternatives for school buses and other school system vehicles.

Dr. Derek Alderman

Dr. Alderman is a Professor in the University of Tennessee Department of Geography & Sustainability. He studies race, public memory, civil rights, and the politics of geographic mobility—often in the context of the African American Freedom Struggle. He is the author of over 150 articles, book chapters, and other essays and his work has been supported by the National Science Foundation and the National Endowment for the Humanities.

Dr. Rebecca Ashford

Dr. Ashford is the President of Chattanooga State Community College and has served in this role since 2017. Dr. Ashford is committed to serving the community and the higher education profession. She is a member of Leadership Tennessee Class VII, a member of the Chattanooga Area Chamber Board of Directors and the Chair of the Chamber’s Talent Committee, a member of the Chattanooga 2.0 Steering Committee, a member of the Enterprise Center Board of Directors, a member of the Helen Ross McNabb Board of Directors and Executive Committee, a member of the River City Company Board of Directors, a member of the Southeast Tennessee Development District, a member of the Chattanooga Tourism Co. Board of Directors, and a member of the Rotary Club of Chattanooga.

Brian Blackmon

Brian is the Director of the City of Knoxville’s Office of Sustainability. He joined the office in 2014 as the Sustainability Project Manager, and has overseen the implementation of the City’s emission and energy reduction strategies since 2014. His office manages city-owned public EV charging, installs fleet charging for city operations, and works with private network providers like Tesla, Rivian, and Blink to increase available public charging in the City of Knoxville. Brian and his team of four work with internal departments and external stakeholders to lead Knoxville into a lower-carbon future. More information about the City’s Sustainability initiatives may be found at: www.knoxvilletn.gov/ sustainability/

Ben Bolton

Ben serves as Senior Energy Programs Administrator and the Primary Emergency Services Coordinator for Energy for the State of Tennessee. In his role as helps administer the Tennessee Office of Energy Programs activities related to energy security, critical infrastructure, & energy policy. Since 2018, Mr. Bolton has served as co-chair of the National Association of State Energy Officials (NASEO) Energy Security Committee & on the FEMA’s Mitigation Framework Leadership Group

Nicholas Bradshaw

Nicholas is the Director of Fleet Services for the City of Knoxville. The Fleet Services Department is responsible for the City’s fleet of more than 1,500 vehicles and pieces of equipment. Bradshaw began his career with the City of Knoxville in 2009 and held a variety of positions prior to be named Director of Fleet Services in 2020. He holds a Master of Public Administration (MPA) degree from The University of Tennessee - Knoxville and a Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree in Human Resource Management from Bryan College.

Consuelo Capshaw

Conseulo is an experienced Electric Vehicle Service Equipment Sales Professional. Driven by reducing range anxiety, she takes pride in providing the best information on EV Charging Solutions. As an Executive Sales Manager, her goals include paving the way for the adoption of EV’s through the deployment and operation of EV charging infrastructure worldwide.

Dr. Chien-fei Chen

Dr. Chen, is a Research Associate Professor and Director of Energy and Environmental Justice at the Institute for a Secure and Sustainable Environment and Co-director of the Center for the Study Justice at the University of Tennessee. Her research focuses on renewable energy adoption, energy justice and environmental health. Her main research goals are to conduct interdisciplinary research in integrating social-technological aspects in EV and solar adoption, power grid resilience, and energy inequality among underserved communities, as well as provide practical knowledge to academic, communities, utilities, and policy makers. Dr. Chen publications appear in many international journals. She has received several research awards from National Science Foundation and Alfred P. Sloan Foundation. She is the receipt of 2019-2020 U.S./U.K. Fulbright Global Scholar Award for her international energy justice research.

Dr. Pingen Chen

Dr. Chen is currently an Associate Professor with Mechanical Engineering Department at Tennessee Tech University and the founding director of Automotive Powertrain and Emissions Control Laboratory (APECL). Dr. Chen’s research is focused on energy-efficient and affordable mobility systems and the applications to underserved rural communities. Dr. Chen’s research activities have been supported by U.S. Department of Energy, Tennessee Department of Transportation, Tennessee Tech University, Cummins Inc., Denso, and Nissan, with more than 5.5-million external funding.

Madelyn Collins

Madelyn works as a project manager at East Tennessee Clean Fuels, collaborating with a dedicated team to increase the use of alternative fuel vehicles and technologies, improve air quality and health, curb dependence on imported petroleum, and support Tennessee’s economy. Madelyn’s projects mainly center around energy and environmental justice initiatives, with a current focus in electrification.

Molly Cripps

Molly oversees the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation’s (TDEC) Office of Energy Programs (OEP). She is also the Administrative Lead for Tennessee’s Volkswagen Diesel Settlement Environmental Mitigation Trust (VW Settlement EMT) allocation and a member of the Executive Committee for the Drive Electric TN Consortium. She serves as Governor Lee’s designee to the State Energy Policy Council and represents TDEC on the Energy Efficient

Schools Council and various TVA information exchanges and working groups. She has served on the National Association of State Energy Officials (NASEO) Board of Directors since 2014 and is currently serving as the Treasurer of the Executive Committee.

Courtney Cronley

Dr. Cronley is an Associate Professor in the College of Social Work at the University of Tennessee (UT). She researches innovative ways to build inclusive infrastructure in housing and transportation, with a focus on historically underserved communities and equity in access to opportunities.

Jessica Dauphin

Jessica is an accomplished nonprofit professional and TEDx Speaker. She has dedicated the 15 years since working for nonprofits helping to bring awareness and hope to individuals and communities. Today, Jessica is the President and CEO for the Transit Alliance of Middle Tennessee. She was appointed to the Nashville MTA Board, is Co-President for the Leadership Middle Tennessee class of ’22, and is on the board of Transit NOW Nashville.

Dr. Rich Davies

Dr. Davies is the Director for the Sustainable Transportation Program for the Energy Science and Technology Directorate at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory. He has over 30-years of research and development experience in manufacturing for light and heavy-duty ground and aerospace vehicles; as well as developing energy-saving technologies across the US Transportation system. His experience includes over 25-years in the U.S. Department of Energy National Laboratories developing and directing federally funded and privately-funded research

programs under collaborative agreements with vehicle manufacturers and transportation entities. Dr. Davies holds a PhD in Mechanics of Materials from the University of Strasbourg in France, an MBA from the University of Maryland, as well as a Bachelor and Master of Science Degrees in Mechanical Engineering.

Jonathan Haley

Jonathan is a Lieutenant in the Memphis Fire Department, with 12 years of service in the Division; he coordinates MFD’s federal, state, and local grant applications, awards, project implementation, and the overall management of the grant regulations for several years. Recently also overseeing the contractual and procurement process responsibilities for the Division. Process improvement is one area where he finds satisfaction with his work for the Division; this has led to many conceptual projects for funding request applications. Another priority is finding time to maintain a work-life balance and, in one way, does this through consistent yoga practice.

Elizabeth Hammitt

Elizabeth is the Director of Environmental Stewardship and Residential Energy Solutions at EPB where she develops and implements environmental stewardship initiatives, electric vehicle and community programs, and residential energy products. Elizabeth attended Warren Wilson College where she worked in the Environmental Leadership Center. She enjoys community service and has served as a director and trustee on numerous boards including the Tennessee Aquarium, the Chattanooga Area Chamber of Commerce, USGBC MLAB - TN, and more.

Dr. Kevin Heaslip

Dr. Heaslip became Director of the Center for Transportation Research and a Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville on July 1, 2022. Previously, he was a faculty member at Virginia Tech and Utah State University. He has been awarded over $25 million in research grants and contracts from federal government agencies, state governments, and industry as an expert in transportation engineering, transportation technology, and critical infrastructure cybersecurity. He has published over 150 peer-reviewed journal articles, conference proceedings, and technical reports. Dr. Heaslip received a BS and MS in Civil Engineering from Virginia Tech and a PhD in Civil Engineering from the University of Massachusetts Amherst.

Bryan Hill

From the arctic circle to the depths of Appalachia, Bryan thrives on serving rural and difficult to reach populations. He has delivered solutions for transportation, land use, and economic development for communities across the U.S. Bryan joined Community Development Partners in 2017 to launch its planning branch, which has grown significantly to serve cities, counties, and rural areas throughout the state. Bryan also enjoys serving local community organizations, painting, cooking, and exploring the state’s many parks and trails.

Chasity Hobby

Chasity has been with Knoxville Utilities Board since 2017 and currently serves as the Environmental Programs Lead. In her role, Chasity supports KUB’s environmental and sustainability initiatives, including utility transformation, alternative fuel vehicles, renewable energy, and energy efficiency programs. Chasity participates on several local and regional teams to support electric vehicle adoption, including the Drive Electric Tennessee Infrastructure Working Group, and she assisted with implementation of KUB’s Level 2 EV Charger Rebate Program.

Lance Irwin

Lance serves as Vice President of Partnerships and Project Development at Seven States Power Corporation. Lance is a 28-year veteran of the energy industry. He has extensive experience developing and implementing forward-looking strategies and has worked with customers across the globe to find solutions that solve complex problems, add value, and grow their business.

Jared Jensen

Jared has been with General Motors for almost 12 years. He started with GM in the Finance department, then moved over to GM Fleet, where he worked in the Rental, Government, and Commercial sides of the business. He became the first EV Consultant Manager, advising GM Fleet customers on the move from ICE to EV, and helped set up turnkey infrastructure solutions for both home and depot charging use cases. He currently manages the Dealer Community Charging program for GM. It aims to place up to 40,000 Level 2 charging stations in communities across the U.S. and Canada, utilizing the strength of the GM Dealer network.

Dr. Mingzhou Jin

Dr. Jin, John D. Tickle Professor at the University of Tennessee, has expertise in sustainability, climate change, operations research, additive and smart manufacturing, energy efficiency, supply chain, logistics, transportation, and data analytics, He is directing both the Institute for a Secure and Sustainable Environment and the Logistics, Transportation, and Supply Chain Engineering Lab. He has received multiple research, teaching and service awards from professional organizations, Tickle College of Engineering (TCE), and the University of Tennessee, including 2020 UTK Chancellor’s Research and Creative Achievement Award, 2020 TCE Research Achievement Award, 2018 TCE Outstanding Faculty Service Award, 2016 TCE Outstanding Faculty Advising Award, and 2015 TCE Teaching Fellow Award. He is a fellow of the Institute of Industrial and Systems Engineers (IISE). Currently, he is Editor-in-Chief for Cleaner and Circular Bioeconomy and the executive editor of the Journal of Cleaner Production.

Stan Johnson

Stanley is a native of Black River, Jamaica. His family emigrated to the United States when he was very young and they seasonally travelled from Florida to New York picking fruit. Stan moved to Knoxville with a football scholarship to UT in 1989. Due to an injury his freshman year, he lost his scholarship and dropped out of school. He then enrolled in historically black Knoxville College, earning a Bachelors Degree in Business Administration in 1995. While volunteering at a non-profit in 2009, Tribe One, Stan started some conversations with three young men, Joshua Outsey, Jarius Bush, and Jerome Johnson about the emerging green economy and how the newly created jobs could help the low-income young people in Knoxville. However, instead of just assuming they knew the answers, they started a Listening Project, knocking on doors and asking questions. They found out that the most pressing issue was unaffordable utility bills, thus SEEED (Socially Equal Energy Efficient Development) was formed. Now 14 years later, they have a cadre of young adults knocking on doors, fulfilling multiple government contracts to help our low income community, and also graduating about 20-30 students per year with the skills they need to find sustainable employment.

Derek Jones

Derek is a Director in Guidehouse’s Energy, Sustainability and Infrastructure segment where he leads the Mobility Solutions group. Derek has over 15 years of experience in the transportation and energy sectors. Derek manages teams bringing leading syndicated research, direct industry experience, and proven consulting expertise, to develop outcome-based solutions that enable a sustainable future.

He supports market actors across the ecosystem—including utilities and energy providers, automakers, equipment manufacturers, service providers, and governments—in developing and delivering innovative programs, products and services.

Jennifer Kidd

Jennifer is a Program Manager at East Tennessee Clean Fuels, where she enjoys the collaborative atmosphere of the organization. Her projects include EV awareness, rural outreach, and green fleets. Her professional background includes a variety of industries and experiences. Jennifer graduated from the University of Tennessee with a Bachelor’s Degree in English.

Mayor Indya Kincannon

On Saturday, Dec. 21, 2019, Indya was sworn in as the City of Knoxville’s 69th Mayor. The Mayor has responsibility for the administration of all city government programs and services. Administrative oversight, constituent response and appointments to regulatory boards are some of the important duties of this office. Mayor Kincannon campaigned on a message of creating and spreading opportunity to all parts of Knoxville. She pledged to balance smart growth with a need to protect green spaces, to deliver transparent and efficient government services, and to continue Knoxville’s collaborative work with partners to increase affordable housing. At the core of her message was a commitment to strengthening neighborhoods and encouraging vibrancy.

Patrick King

Patrick is the Electric Transportation Equity Manager at Southern Alliance for Clean Energy, where his work centers around the intersection of electric mobility and transportation equity in the Southeast. Patrick is a graduate of Louisiana State University, where he received a Bachelor of Arts in Communication Studies, and is currently pursuing a Masters of Public Administration from Tennessee State University.

Philip Lim

Philip serves as the Strategy Execution & Analytics Administrator at Middle Tennessee Electric. One of his responsibilities is researching and identifying opportunity to promote the adoption of electric vehicles in the workplace. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of Tennessee at Knoxville, a master’s degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of Memphis, and a Master of Business Administration from the Union University in Jackson, TN. Philip is a registered professional engineer in the State of Tennessee.

Chris Lowery

Chris is the Manager of Transportation for Knoxville Utilities Board (KUB), a municipal utility serving Knox and parts of seven adjacent counties, which provides reliable electric, gas, water, and wastewater services to more than 444,000 customers. KUB’s fleet consists of more than 1,000 vehicles and pieces of equipment, and Lowery is responsible for two fleet garages, fleet purchases, fleet maintenance, and fuel purchasing and management. Over the last several years, KUB’s fleet has received numerous awards including being recognized by Government Fleet Magazine as one of the 100 Best Fleets in the Americas. Lowery has worked at KUB since 2006 serving in numerous roles in engineering, regulatory, and construction. He earned his Mechanical Engineering degree from Clemson University by completing a dual degree program that started at Furman University.

Senator Becky Duncan Massey

Becky was elected to the 6th Senatorial District in November 2011. She serves as the chairman of the Senate Transportation and Safety Committee and also serves on the Health and Safety Committee. She previously was the secretary for the Senate Republican Caucus.

Becky retired from the Sertoma Center after 24 years having served as the executive director. The center assists adults with intellectual disabilities by providing employment training and job skills, housing, and community interactions, thus enabling individuals to find purpose. Giving back to the community is very important to Becky. She has volunteered on the board of directors of the Akima Club of Knoxville, Big Brothers Big Sisters, Overlook Center, and the University of Knoxville, Tennessee Alumni Chapter. A long-time volunteer with the Dogwood Arts Festival, she previously served as the events director. She also served as the vice president of American Savings and Loan and spent time as an adjunct professor at Walters State Community College.

Matt Meservy

Matt is the Director of Planning for the Tennessee Department of Transportation and oversees a number of statewide mobility initiatives across the state – including Tennessee’s Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (TEVI) Plan. During his 20+ years as a transportation planner, Matt has managed a variety of projects and plans that support the advancement of modal equity in many areas across the Southeast United States. Matt received his BS and Masters degrees in Civil Engineering and has used his education and experience to help bridge the technical gap between project planning and implementation. He is also a Certified Transportation Demand Management Professional and a Registered Professional Engineer in Tennessee.

Geoff Millener

Geoff serves as the Chief Operating Officer for The Enterprise Center in Chattanooga, Tennessee, working with a dynamic team and community partners to develop, test, deploy and scale solutions for the 21st century, with a focus on digital inclusion, economic mobility and Smart City innovation. Together with his wife, Martha; daughter, Leonora; three rescued dogs and a cat, the gradual descent into a plaid-clad, Chaco-wearing, running-cycling-hiking-rowing Chattanooga stereotype rounds out the rest of his day.

Kent Minault

Kent acted and toured with the award-winning San Francisco Mime Troupe in the ‘60’s. He joined the Diggers, organizing street rallies and serving daily free food in the park. They organized the first Haight Ashbury Free Medical Clinic, a version of which is still there.

In 2010, he joined the Beyond Coal campaign. After getting LA off coal, he joined the LA County Electric Bus Coalition and got LA Metro to transition to electric buses by 2030. He organized three EV events in Watts and helped found the Watts Clean Air Committee, installing rooftop solar and helping residents enter union apprenticeship programs. He organized an EV event in East Knoxville with SEEED. He’s on the HBG ExComm and serves as the Group’s Political Chair. He works regularly with the Beyond Coal Team and the Chapter Energy Team as well as with the Bull Run Neighbors. He currently chairs the Club’s State Transportation Team.

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Veda Nguyen

Veda is a Civil Engineering Manager 2 in the Multimodal Planning Office within the Multimodal Division at TDOT. She obtained both her Bachelor of Science and Master of Science degrees in Civil Engineering at Vanderbilt University. She has been with TDOT over 6 years and has worked in both the Engineering Bureau and the Environment and Planning Bureau and has gained a breadth of knowledge of the various functions within TDOT. She is a member of the AASHTO Technical Committee on Non-Motorized Transportation and the ITE Equity Committee. When not at work, Veda enjoys spending time with her husband, Shawn, and her two young sons, Bodhi and Zen.

Steve Noe

As Vice President of Sustainability & Energy Resilience for Seven States Power Corporation, Steve has spearheaded multiple innovative projects across the Tennessee Valley since 2018. Noe led Seven States’ efforts in Project Liftoff, a collaboration with Huntsville Utilities and the U.S. Space and Rocket Center, combining solar generation with EV charging and battery storage for the first-of-itskind installation. He also directed Seven States’ partnership with Rock City and the Electric Power Board of Chattanooga to create a unique solar arbor that both reduces energy consumption and enhances educational opportunities at the entrance to Rock City Gardens. Noe is currently engaged with local power companies in the development and deployment of solar generation Valley-wide and assessment of battery storage opportunities. Noe is a graduate of the University of Tennessee with a degree in electrical engineering and currently resides in Knoxville, TN.

Andrea Noel

Andrea has been with the Tennessee Department of Transportation since 2018, serving in several roles; Community Planning Supervisor, RPO program Administrator, and now supervises TDOT’s Air Quality Office, which oversees the TDM, CMAQ, NEVI, and Carbon Reduction programs. Andrea is a graduate of the University of Southern Maine with a master’s degree in Community Planning & Development and a bachelor’s degree in Natural & Applied Science. Prior to joining TDOT, Andrea worked for the Florida Department of Environmental Protection for seven years; as a Watershed Coordinator and Resource Manager. Andrea lives in Chattanooga with her husband and three sons and enjoys all the outdoor recreation Tennessee has to offer.

Jonathan Overly

Jonathan has been in the advanced fuels and vehicles industry since 1997. In 2001, he founded the nonprofit East Tennessee Clean Fuels Coalition, part of the U.S. DOE Clean Cities program. Working with the Middle-West Tennessee coalition and their many fleet and fuel station partners, they have taken alternative fuels use in Tennessee from slight in 2002 to displacing 25 million gallons of petroleum use in 2021 alone. In 2015, Jonathan was inducted into the DOE Clean Cities Hall of Fame.

David Owenby

David serves as Senior Advisor in TDEC’s Bureau of Operations, Strategy & Engagement. He provides a range of intergovernmental coordination, project management and communication activities to support the Commissioner’s Office. David has 25 years of experience in administrative services for both public and private sector firms, including 19 years in Tennessee State Government. Over the past decade, David has served TDEC in variety of senior leadership roles, including Administrative Services, External Affairs and Public Affairs. David uses his extensive knowledge and understanding of TDEC and state government to help TDEC operate as efficiently and effectively as possible.

Dan Pallme

Dan is the Assistant Chief of Freight and Logistics at the Tennessee Department of Transportation. In his role, he provides leadership on issues of rail, water and highway freight. The division serves as a liaison between TDOT and freight stakeholders in an effort to find opportunities to improve access for existing freight and appropriately prepare for the projected increases in freight as it moves in and out of the state. The primary focus areas for the division include water, short-line railroads, Section 130 rail program, rail inspection, highway freight and technology, freight advisory committees and the freight and state rail plan updates. In April of 2021, he was additionally named Interim Multimodal Transportation Resource Division Director which handles DOT responsibility with all transit in all 95 counties in Tennessee, as well as, bicycle and pedestrian state programs.

Dr. Paranas Paranthaman

Dr. Paranthaman is a corporate fellow at the Chemical Sciences Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL). Dr. Paranthaman is also fellows of the National Academy of Inventors, Materials Research Society, AAAS, American Physical Society, American Ceramic Society, ASM International and the Institute of Physics, London, UK. He earned

his PhD degree in materials science and solid state chemistry from the Indian Institute of Technology, Madras. He has won several awards including several DOE outstanding mentor awards, eight R&D 100 Awards and three National and two Regional Federal Laboratory Consortium (FLC) Awards for developing high performance secondgeneration superconducting wires for electric-power applications and flexible thin film crystalline Silicon photovoltaics on RABiTS.

Sheryl Ponds

Dai Technologies Corporation’s Founder & CEO is Sheryl Ellison Ponds, “YOUR Electric Vehicle Adoption Expert”. Sheryl confers extensive project management, negotiations, and transactional experience in various industries including corporate banking, manufacturing, and commercial real estate. She earned a Mechanical Engineering degree from the University of Tennessee, an MBA from Northwestern’s Kellogg School of Management, and she is also a certified Project Management Professional (PMP).

Jay Price

Jay has an MS in Bioregional Planning with an emphasis on air quality and sustainable transportation. He rides a bike to work and drives an electric car while there. He leads sustainability efforts at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville in his role as Sustainability Manager.

Vasu Primlani

Vasu manages the Renewable Portfolio Standards (RPS), fleet electrification and EV infrastructure for Metro Nashville. Her two decades of experience in sustainability spans renewables, EVs, energy efficiency, water conservation, pollution prevention, green business certification and outreach to underserved communities.

Savannah Robertson

Savannah is the Drive Electric Tennessee Coordinator at East Tennessee Clean Fuels. She is a cat mom, runner, green thumb enthusiast, wannabe beekeeper, lover of the environment and an East Tennessee native. Savannah’s greatest passions lie within supporting people to thrive in our ever changing, modern-day world. Naturally, these passions landed her a bachelor’s degree in education at the University of Tennessee – Chattanooga, a 200 Hour yoga instructor certification, and a social marketing certification. After teaching mathematics/ algebra and coaching cross country for a few years, Savannah managed a juice bar in Market Square and hosted yoga workshops. Before joining ETCleanFuels, Savannah managed Smart Trips, a federally funded program that encourages sustainable transportation. At work, you will find Savannah managing DET’s working groups, planning events, and forgetting to unmute herself on Zoom. Outside of work, you can find Savannah backpacking on trails she found on AllTrails, hanging out with friends, and fact checking her cat.

David Salyers

David was appointed Commissioner of the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation in January 2019. He previously served as Executive Director of the West Tennessee River Basin Authority for more than two decades where he was recognized as leading one of the most impactful, cost-effective agencies in state government. At WTRBA, Salyers was known for effective public-private partnerships, leveraging federal funding and advancing innovative flood risk reduction and stream restoration techniques.

As TDEC Commissioner, he has led implementation of record capital

investment in the Tennessee State Park system and developed the TDEC Reimagined initiative to create flexible, accountable work arrangements to attract, engage and retain the highest performing employees in state government. Salyers represents the Administration and department on priority interagency efforts to improve natural resource management, rural economic development, and outdoor recreation opportunities in Tennessee.

Malinda Sandhu

Energized by the rapid interest in medium and heavy duty vehicle electrification Malinda joined the Lion Electric team in 2018 to build the US school bus division and establish Lion as the first-to-market leader in all-electric school buses. Malinda’s role expanded as the Director of Business Development to increase growth of Lion’s electric vehicle line-up in the truck, utility and refuse markets. Malinda, a native of Vancouver, BC is passionate about nature, clean air and equity. She is a co-founder of Women Accelerating School Bus Electrification (WASBE) which serves the purpose of advancing the electrification of school bus transportation, with the founder’s shared interest in racial and gender equity.

Sean Santalla

Sean is the Program Development Team Leader for the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) Tennessee Division in Nashville, Tennessee. In this role, he is responsible for overseeing the planning, environment, right-of-way, and civil rights components of Tennessee’s Federal-aid program. Prior to this role, he served as a Transportation Planner for the FHWA Tennessee Division overseeing the statewide and metropolitan planning and programming processes for the State of Tennessee and Tennessee’s 11 MPOs. Before joining FHWA, Sean was the Statewide MPO Coordinator for the Florida Department of Transportation, where he oversaw Florida’s 27 MPOs. Sean is a member of the American Institute of Certified Planners and received his Master’s and Bachelor’s degrees from Florida State University.

Dr. Mina Sartipi

Dr. Sartipi is the Founding Director of the Center for Urban Informatics and Progress (CUIP) at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga (UTC), where she is also a Guerry Professor and UC Foundation Professor in the Computer Science and Engineering Department. She is an internationally recognized leader in the field of Smart City research focused on mobility, energy and health. At CUIP, she coordinates crossdisciplinary research and strategic visions for urbanism and smart cities advancement with a focus on people, sustainability, and quality of life.

Danniel Siksay

Danniel is a transplant to East Tennessee; born in Canada, they moved south in 2016 and have come to admire the area’s mountains, culture, and history. Daniel is a problem solver with an eye for detail and a nose for creative solutions to difficult problems. They are an exuberant optimist about the future! They’re an experienced project manager and rhetorician, a digital media expert, and loves working with the passionate people on this team. In their spare time, you’ll find Daniel working in their gardens, hiking in the mountains, cooking, reading philosophy, or obsessively collecting fancy perfumes (their collection currently totals an embarrassing 120 bottles).

Silas Stoddart

Silas is the Transportation Planner and Center Hill RPO Coordinator with the Upper Cumberland Development District, he is also the Co-Chair for the Drive Electric Tennessee Upper Cumberland chapter. He is dedicated to seeing the adoption of EV charging infrastructure throughout the 14 county rural region of Tennessee he represents.

Cameron Taylor

Cameron is the Tennessee Department of Health’s Healthy Development Coordinator for the East Region. At this position, he works with local communities to make their built environment healthier for all citizens.

Dr. Michael Torrence

Dr. Torrence is the seventh seated President of Motlow State Community College, a front-runner in higher education across Tennessee and the nation. Since arriving in May 2018, Dr. Torrence has transformed Motlow State into an award-winning, cutting-edge, innovative college year after year. He has masterfully blended the rural with the urban all the while touching students and transforming communities one at a time. His leadership and vision have placed the College on platforms and before audiences that were unknown to Motlow before his arrival.

Dr. John Vick

Dr. Vick currently serves as Director of the Tennessee Department of Health’s Office of Primary Prevention, where he works to address the social and environmental factors that impact our health, with a particular focus on the intersection of public health and the built environment. John holds a Ph.D. in Applied Community Research from

Vanderbilt University, and a B.A. in Psychology from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville.

Alexa Voytek

Alexa is TDEC OEP’s Deputy Director of Programs for Innovation and Transportation, and Communications, and U.S. DOE SEP activities. Alexa serves as the Principal Investigator for the U.S. DOE’s State Energy Program, oversees OEP’s sustainable transportation and alternative fuels programming, and assists with the administration of the VW Settlement EMT. Alexa also serves as the Coordinator for U.S. DOE’s Clean Cities Middle-West Tennessee Clean Fuels Coalition, through which she acts as a technical resource for fleets and individuals evaluating alternative fuels and advanced vehicle technologies, and is Co-Chair of the NASEO Transportation Committee.

Michael Walton

Since 2014, Michael has focused the programming at green|spaces on facilitating sustainable development that improves economic, social, and environmental resilience throughout the Chattanooga region, with a focus on empowering the most vulnerable communities. He helped design and launch the Empower, green|light, green|leader, Build it Green, Green Prix, and the NextGen Homes programs with the green|spaces team, partners and program stakeholders. Michael has 17 years of experience in sustainable development and practiced architecture in Knoxville and Washington DC focusing on sustainable design for commercial, residential and urban design projects for environmental and social nonprofits and tech companies before returning to Tennessee to lead green|spaces.

Tim Ward

Tim is the Chief of Police and a 32-year member of the Greeneville Police Department. He has worked in Patrol and Narcotics, earning the ranks ofDetective Lt., Patrol Captain, Administrative Captain, S.W.A.T. commander, and finally Chief of Police.

Jeff Welch

Jeff has worked at Knoxville and Knox County Planning in various positions for over 37 years including Director of Transportation. Jeff holds a Master of Urban and Regional Planning from Virginia Tech, a Master of Science-Engineering from the University of TennesseeKnoxville, and a Bachelor of Science in geography from the University of Wisconsin-Platteville. He is a member of the American Institute of Certified Planners.