Speakers 2020

Dr. Randy K. Avent is the founding president of Florida Polytechnic University, the newest of the state’s 12 public universities and the only polytechnic university in the State University System of Florida.

As Florida Polytechnic University’s inaugural president, Avent is responsible for the development and operation of the university and is committed to strategically developing Florida Poly as a research and jobs university, an agent for growth and a beacon for the economy.

His career exemplifies the qualities of innovation, leadership and entrepreneurship the university seeks to instill in students. An accomplished academician, senior administrator and research scientist, Avent has an extensive background teaching and directing research at higher-education institutions dedicated to science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM).

At Florida Polytechnic, Avent focused on the core STEM disciplines of engineering, mathematical and physical sciences, which are considered key to economic growth and prosperity for Florida and the nation as a whole. He created a strategic plan that addressed the four largest pressures on higher education in Florida – degree alignment, student success, economic development and affordability – and helped open the university in under two years by creatively building the campus using combinations of state funding, private investments and Public-Private Partnerships (P3s). He formed over 200 partnerships with industry and is working with a local developer to create a 4,500 acre “live-work-play” research park that brings together industry, government and academia. Under Avent’s leadership, the university received both SACSCOC and ABET accreditation in under five years and have built relationships with Fulbright, Killam and other international partners in India and Brazil.

Before coming to Florida Poly, Avent served as the associate vice chancellor of research and a professor of computer science at North Carolina State University. There, he was responsible for growing NC State’s overall research program and was the principal investigator on the Laboratory for Analytic Sciences. He also led an interdisciplinary effort to grow data science at NC State through a cluster hiring program, introduction of new courses and development of a new research institute.

Prior to joining NC State, he served as the chief scientist in the Defense Department’s Office of Basic Research, where he oversaw science programs, developed strategic plans for basic research investments and led a national “Data-to-Decisions” program on large-scale analytics for massive data sets.

From 1986-2006, he held a variety of positions at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Lincoln Laboratory, where he served as the associate chief technology officer, led three different research groups and conducted research in diverse technology areas.

Avent has a broad range of interests and has conducted research in numerous areas, including environmental studies, neurophysiology and defense. The majority of his work has centered on machine learning, signal processing and dynamic probabilistic systems analysis. He has led several national panels in the areas of computer science, cognitive technology and signal processing, and he has served on National Academy of Engineering studies. He is an IEEE fellow and was named to Florida’s 500 Most Influential Business Leaders twice as well as the Tampa Bay Business Journal People to Watch list.

He has a Ph.D. in biomedical mathematics and engineering from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. He has two master’s degrees, one in electrical engineering from North Carolina State University and the other in biomedical mathematics and engineering from the University of North Carolina. His bachelor’s degree is in zoology from the University of North Carolina. Avent is also a 2005 graduate of the Greater Boston Executive Program at MIT’s Sloan School of Management.

Alejandra “Alex” Argudin was appointed chief executive officer (CEO) of the Miami Parking Authority (MPA) on March 4, 2020. The first woman to occupy the role, Argudin has been with the Authority for more than 13 years.  Prior to her appointment as CEO, she held the position of chief operations officer (COO) for nine years.  As COO, she led the parking enforcement, operations and customer service departments. In that capacity, Alex supervised a staff of over 130 and managed a budget of approximately $40M.  In 2006, while working for the city of Miami, she was hired by the MPA as director of planning and development, where she spearheaded the reconstruction of the award-winning Courthouse garage in downtown Miami.

Alex is a graduate of Florida International University with a Master’s and a Bachelor’s degree both Business Administration.  She is a member of the Executive Committee of the International Parking and Mobility Institute, where she serves as Treasurer. Alex is also a member of the Transportation committee of the Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce and she is also on the Executive Board of the WOW Center, where she serves as Secretary.  She holds the Certified Administrator of Public Parking designation and is a U.S. Green Building Council, Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design Accredited Professional (LEED AP).

Christophe Arnaud is the CEO of Blue Systems, the Bolloré Group Smart Mobility Division. He is responsible for the development of Mobility and Infrastructure as a Service (MAAS & IAAS) solutions in cities around the world. He is also the President of the Bolloré Blue Solutions smart charging and shared mobility operations in the UK and US since 2014.

In this role, Christophe developed and launched in Los Angeles the first in the world mobility platform that enables cities to monitor and regulate shared-mobility operators in real time within their city limits. This Mobility Data Services platform is now live in both the US and Europe.

He is also in charge of the company’s two US-based EV carsharing services, including BlueLA that provides low-income neighborhoods of Los Angeles with clean and affordable transportation options.

In London, Christophe has led the ground-breaking initiative consisting of deployment of a charging infrastructure for all types of users of electric vehicles (individuals, private and public fleets, etc.). Currently, the service aggregates real time data from over 1500 charging stations and delivers over 400,000 charging and parking sessions a year.

Previously, Christophe worked for IER (2007-2014) which is another division within the Bolloré Group, which designs and sells solutions to manage the flow of passengers and baggage in airports and railway stations.

Christophe began his career in the automotive industry as a product manager at Valeo and then joined Faurecia as a sales manager in the “Automotive Seating” division.

He graduated from Ecole Centrale Paris engineering school and SKEMA Business School.

Christophe enjoys mountaineering activities and has climbed several peaks over 5000 m of altitude. He also practices paragliding, cycling and running.

Brenna Berman serves as CEO & Executive Director of City Tech Collaborative, an urban solutions accelerator that tackles problems too big for any single sector or organization to solve alone. Prior to joining City Tech, Brenna served in Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s administration, which she joined in 2011. She served as the Chief Information Officer for the City and Commissioner for the Department of Innovation & Technology (DoIT) from 2012 to 2017. During her tenure as CIO, Brenna delivered on the Mayor’s commitment to a robust open data program, integrated advanced analytics into many city departments, drove IoT innovation for the City through unique partnerships at City Tech and the founding of the Midwest IoT Council, and, in partnership with the University of Chicago, realized the vision of urban-scale sensing with the Array of Things.

Prior to joining the Emanuel Administration, Brenna built a career promoting government innovation over 10 years at IBM, where she worked closely with government agencies in cities and countries across the world to leverage technology and analytics to improve the services they provide to their residents.

Brenna earned her bachelor’s degree and master’s degree in Public Policy from the University of Chicago.

JoeBen Bevirt is the founder and CEO of Joby Aero, Inc., a mobility company that is building a fully-electric vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) passenger aircraft optimized to deliver an air taxi service. The Company is certifying a 5-seat aircraft nearly twice as fast and yet 100 times quieter than a helicopter.

Born an engineer, JoeBen has dedicated his life to driving radical innovation in the fields of electric propulsion and robotics. In 1999, JoeBen co-founded Velocity11 to develop high- performance robotic laboratory systems. Velocity11 experienced incredible growth and was acquired by Agilent Technologies in 2007. In 2005, he founded Joby Inc., which develops useful, unique, and delightful consumer products, including the popular Gorillapod flexible camera tripod.

JoeBen holds a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of California, Davis and an M.S. in Mechanical Engineering from Stanford University. He is the recipient of the 2018 Haueter Award for outstanding technical contribution to the field of VTOL aircraft development. He holds 30 U.S. patents.

Mitch Bierman is the managing director of the Miami office of Weiss Serota Helfman Cole + Bierman.  Mitch specializes in government affairs and administrative law matters for major international companies in the transportation, environmental and solid waste, and engineering and construction industries.  His work includes winning and negotiating large public contracts, public private partnerships, public infrastructure improvements and affordable housing developments as well as advocating for industry clients on legislative issues affecting their industries. Mitch has been involved in many of Florida’s most significant private infrastructure developments and public private partnership projects during his 30 year career as an attorney.

Mitch’s skills and relationships were developed during his government career in which he served as Assistant Dade County Attorney from 1990 to 1996. He continues to serve government as the current Town Attorney for the Town of Cutler Bay and the Village Attorney for the Village of Pinecrest in Miami-Dade County, and he provides key expertise to many of the firm’s other government clients on particular matters.  Mitch is also a known community advocate for better mobility. He has chaired the transportation and urban affairs committees at the Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce and he speaks and writes frequently on transportation, quality of life, economic development and cultural issues.

Paula Bisiau has been working in the public sector for over ten years. Her objective is to create a more inclusive and innovative city which improves women’s mobility conditions, specifically focusing on harassment on public transport and in public spaces.

Paula is currently an adviser for the Secretary of Transportation for the Government of the City of Buenos Aires, collaborating upon and impulsing public policies in regards to road safety, walkability and promoting the use of bicycles as a mode of transport.

She supervised the implementation of Ecobici, the public bicycle system in Buenos Aires, and the development and expansion of cycle lanes and other initiatives that seek to incentivise the use of bicycles in the city. In 2017 she launched the first Integral Road Safety Plan for the city, whose objective was to reduce road incidents and promote a greater level of coexistence between different transport actors. At the same time, Paula focuses upon the gender and mobility agenda in the Government of the city of Buenos Aires, impulsing public policies which seek to offer equal access to employment opportunities within the transport sector and improves mobility conditions for women in the city.

She has a degree in Philosophy from La Sorbonne and a Masters in Urban Economy from the Universidad Torcuato Di Tella in Buenos Aires (2009).

Laura Bliss is a writer and journalist at CityLab, a division of Bloomberg News, where she covers urban transportation, technology, and maps, which are also the subject of her newsletter, MapLab. Her work has also appeared in the New York Times, Los Angeles Times, the Atlantic, Mother Jones, Sierra, and other publications, and in books including The Future of Transportation and a forthcoming volume from Columbia University Press.

Alice N. Bravo, P.E., was appointed Director of Miami-Dade Transit in July 2015. In February 2016, Ms. Bravo was appointed Director of the of the Department of Transportation and Public Works (DTPW), which merged the County’s Transit and Public Works functions under one department.

DTPW operates the 15th largest public transit system in the United States, and the largest in Florida. This includes the Metrobus fleet that runs approximately 28.9 million miles through most areas of Miami-Dade County; the electrically-powered, elevated, 25-mile rapid transit Metrorail system; the 4.4-mile elevated Metromover; and the paratransit service (Special Transportation Service) that meets the needs of the disabled.

The Department also manages the County’s roads, traffic signals, bridges, canals, sidewalks, street signs, lights and stormwater drainage.

Throughout her career, Ms. Bravo has managed numerous diversified public-private partnership projects including the $1 billion PortMiami tunnel; the innovative I-95 Express Project; and the $550 million S.R. 826-S.R. 836 interchange reconstruction project. These projects have helped improve commuter mobility throughout Miami-Dade County. Ms. Bravo also oversaw a $573 million capital improvement program at the City of Miami, and was responsible for implementing the city’s trolley circulator system.

Ms. Bravo is a licensed Civil Engineer with a bachelor’s degree from the University of Miami and a Master’s in Business Administration from Florida International University.

Jeff Brandes is a lifelong resident of St. Petersburg, a Veteran, and a local businessman. After serving in the Army from 1999 to 2006, he joined his grandfather in the family lumber business. He was first elected to the Florida House of Representatives in 2010. He was elected to the Florida Senate in 2012, then reelected in 2014, 2016, and 2018. He has chaired the Senate committee on Transportation, the Appropriations Subcommittee on Transportation, Tourism and Economic Development, and currently he serves as chair of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Criminal and Civil Justice. He is nationally recognized as a policy leader in the areas of autonomous vehicles and mobility, flood insurance, and criminal justice reform. Senator Brandes and his wife, Natalie, have four children: Charlotte “Lottie,” Elizabeth “Lizzie,” Colin, and Conor.

Grayson Brulte is an Innovation Strategist and Co-Founder of Brulte & Company, an autonomous mobility advisory and consulting company.

In addition, he is the Host of the SAE International Tomorrow Today Podcast.

Previously, Grayson served as the Co-Chair of the City of Beverly Hills Mayor’s Autonomous Vehicle Task Force and was an active member of the city’s Smart City / Technology Committee which advised the Beverly Hills City Council on technology.

Ms. Bouclé is the Executive Director for the Miami-Dade Transportation Planning Organization. Since joining the agency in 2016, she has been leading the charge, along with the Miami-Dade TPO Governing Board, to provide mobility choices for the residents of Miami-Dade County through the local transportation planning process, and more specifically the Strategic Miami Area Rapid Transit “SMART” Plan. The SMART Plan is a bold infrastructure program of projects that will significantly improve transportation mobility in Miami-Dade County and the South Florida region.

Ms. Bouclé has worked in the transportation field for over 25 years in both the private industry and with the Florida Department of Transportation. She holds a Master’s degree in Environmental and Urban Systems, with a specialty in Transportation Planning, as well as a Bachelor of Business Administration from Florida International University. Ms. Bouclé is also a Certified Professional Planner with the American Planning Association Institute of Certified Planners (AICP).

Harry Campbell is a former Boeing Aerospace Engineer and founder of TheRideshareGuy.com, a blog, podcast and Youtube channel for Uber and Lyft drivers and the author of a new book titled The Rideshare Guide: Everything you need to know about driving for Uber, Lyft and other ridesharing companies. Harry has quickly established himself as one of the top rideshare industry experts with appearances in hundreds of top media publications and his site is trafficked by hundreds of thousands of visitors every single month. He currently serves as an advisor to CoMotion.

Dr. Chernicoff currently serves as the Senior Manager of Global Research and Innovation for the Toyota Mobility Foundation. He defines and coordinates the Foundation’s research agenda, initiatives, and programs and provides technology guidance to projects.  With both near- and long-term perspectives, Dr. Chernicoff conceives, identifies, and executes new technology approaches that enable and improve the solutions implemented by the Foundation and its partners.  He brings a strong background across energy, technology, mobility, and climate policy from his prior work as a Manager and Principle Researcher with Toyota North America’s Energy & Environmental Research Group and his eight years with the US DOT’s Research Administration.

Dr. Chernicoff earned a Bachelor of Science in Materials Science and Engineering at M.I.T., a Master of Science in Manufacturing Engineering from Boston University, and a Ph.D. in Systems Engineering and Engineering Management at the George Washington University.

Dr. Ryan C.C. Chin is the CEO and co-founder of Optimus Ride Inc. – an MIT spinoff based in Boston that develops self-driving technologies that enable safe, sustainable, and equitable mobility access. He is a leading expert in the area of Smart Cities and urban mobility systems, and served as the Managing Director of the City Science Initiative at the MIT Media Lab (2012-2015) where he conducted research on urban housing, transport, energy, and big data analytics. Dr. Chin advises industry and government agencies on Smart Cities innovations and was a member of the White House PCAST’s (President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology) working group in 2015 on “Technology and the Future of Cities.” His MIT Professional Education course “Beyond Smart Cities” attracted global participants from corporate, public, and educational sectors. He frequently travels as a speaker at conferences like TEDx, MIT EmTech, and Smart City Expo. His work has been exhibited at the Cooper Hewitt and the Venice Biennale. Dr. Chin won the $100K Buckminster Fuller Challenge (2009) and Esquire Magazine named him as one of the “Best and Brightest Innovators” under the age of 35 (2006). He received at MIT his PhD (2012) and MS (2004) in Media Arts and Sciences and a MArch (2000) in Architecture. He earned both his BCE and BSArch from the Catholic University of America (1997).

Philippe Crist is Administrator and Advisor for Innovation and Foresight of the International Transport Forum (ITF) at the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). He develops and implements innovation and foresight tasks at the ITF, plans and coordinates research of the ITF’s Corporate Partnership Board and manages international research projects for the ITF’s 59 Member countries. His current work focuses on disruptive urban mobility scenarios and examines how car-based and active mobility, public transport and taxis must adapt to these. He is also leading work on Data science and public policy within the ITF investigating new strategies to leverage knowledge derived from new and rapidly growing data sources to improve transport decision-making. He is a recognised world expert on transport disruption, cycling safety and urban mobility. In 2016 he won the Danish Cycling Embassy’s Leadership Award for Cycling Promotion. His other work currently looks at managing mobility in rapidly growing urban areas, assessing GHG emission strategies in the transport sector, as well as investigating national transport asset and network management strategies. A French-American dual national, he is an ex-competitive cyclist and avid mushroom hunter. He also does much of his best thinking on a bicycle.

Paul Comfort is the author of the Amazon #1 Best Selling Book, The Future of Public Transportation and host of the world’s top public transportation CEO podcast, Transit Unplugged. Mr. Comfort is a popular conference speaker and live event host. His work across North America, Europe and Australia positions him as one of the public transportation industry’s leading ambassadors.

Comfort is longtime industry veteran and the former CEO of one of America’s top transit systems, the Maryland Transit Administration (MTA) in Baltimore, where he oversaw the development of the nation’s largest P3 Project, the $5+ billion Light Rail Purple Line near Washington DC and opened the only FM radio station in the USA operated by a transit agency – FM 93.5 FM WTTZ . He has also served as an elected County Commissioner and County Administrator and is the recipient of the transportation industry’s highest individual honor – The American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials’ (AASHTO) Presidents Award.

Lilian Coral joined Knight Foundation in September 2017.

Coral is Knight Foundation’s director of national strategy + technology innovation, where she manages the national portfolio and focuses on the development of the foundation’s citizen-centered Smart Cities strategy. The portfolio’s investments include a focus on data accessibility and trust, urban mobility, and technology in public spaces. Coral came to Knight from the City of Los Angeles, where she served as chief data officer for Mayor Eric Garcetti. In this role, she led the mayor’s directive on open data beyond the lens of transparency and towards his vision of a data-driven Los Angeles. She managed the growth of Los Angeles’ open data program to 1,100 public datasets, the expansion of the use of data science and analytics, and the development of more than 15 user-centered digital services. Of note, was her development of the GeoHub, a first-of-its kind data management solution for integrating geospatial information across the City of Los Angeles’ 41 departments.

Prior to joining Mayor Garcetti, Coral spent 15 years working on a wide range of policy and technology issues and has experience working with labor unions, NGOs, foundations and local, state and federal government to transform the way government uses data and technology to serve its citizens.

Coral has a bachelor’s degree in international studies from the University of California, Irvine and a master’s degree in public policy from the University of California, Los Angeles. She is a native of Colombia, a place from where much of her inspiration for innovation and social justice emerged.

Carlos Cruz-Casas, P.E. is the Assistant Director of Strategic Planning for Miami-Dade County’s Department of Transportation and Public Works. His primary focus is to introduce mobility innovation and plan for a fully integrated transportation system. His career includes both public and private sector experience ranging from conceptual design to implementation of pedestrian, bicycle, transit, and traffic projects. As a professional engineer dedicated to the development of Livable Transportation, Carlos seeks to achieve the right balance between capacity and livability. Carlos received his Master’s degree in urban transportation planning from University of Florida’s College of Engineering, and his B.S. in civil engineering from the University of Puerto Rico.

Nir Erez, a serial entrepreneur with over 20 years of experience leading technology startups, is the CEO and co-founder of Moovit. Prior to Moovit, Nir was also founder and CEO of both ActionBase and Optimal Plus. Nir is also co-owner and co-founder of Eyron Group which invests in early-stage software companies. Nir graduated from the IDF computer academy (Mamram) and holds a Bsc. degree in Physics

Mr Estupinan is currently the Mobility Secretary of Bogotá.

He holds a degree in civil engineering (Universidad de los Andes, Bogota,
Colombia), and a masters in City Planning and Transportation (UNC at Chapel Hill, USA).
Before joining Bogotá´s administration, he was based in Buenos Aires working for CAF- Development Bank of Latin America as Director of Knowledge in Infrastructure, and prior, as the Head of the Urban Transport Unit.
Mr Estupiñan also served as transport vice-minister in Colombia during 2012-2014. He has also worked for the World Bank as junior professional associate in DC, and for the National Planning Department in Colombia.
During his 15 years of experience has worked enhancing the urban transport agenda, fostering sustainable development and poverty reduction through applied research, program and project design and implementation, and public policy execution.
He is member of the Transportation Research Board committee Transport in Developing Countries, and has published several papers analyzing affordability and financing of urban transport and the influence of urban spatial structure on travel patterns.

Mr. Joubert Fortes Flores Filho, 64, has extensive experience in transports and people management.  He began his career in MetrôRio in 1974 and left in 2019. He served during 12 years as engineering Director and Institutional Relations and Humans Resources Director. Mr. Flores earned his degree in Electrical Engineering at Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ).  In addition Mr. Flores was the President of one of the most prestigious associations in Brasil: ABRAMAN (Brazilian Association of Asset Management and Maintenance – 2003/2007) / FIM (Ibero American Federation of Maintenance – 2003/2005). In ANTP (National Association of Public Transports) he is the President of its – Metro-Railway Committee. Mr. Flores is also the President of ANPTRILHOS (National Association of Passenger Rail Operators), Vice President of Latin American Division of UITP (International Association of Public Transport – 2013/2014), Vice Chairman of Metro Division of UITP (International Association of Public Transport – 2013/2014), Vice President of Railway Department at CNT (Brazilian National Confederation of Transport). Nowadays he is Engineering Director at BYD Brazil. On top of that, he is the Co-author of book “Gestão Estratégica – Indicadores de desempenho” (Strategic Management – Performance Indicators) part of the Maintenance collection. Besides that, he is gran official of the Order of Transport Merit.

Architect and urban planner graduated from Universidade Federal do Paraná, she holds a master’s degree in Urban Environmental Structures (Universidade de São Paulo) and a PhD degree in Architecture and Urbanism from Universidade Presbiteriana Mackenzie.

She started working at the city hall in 1983 when selected by a public competition and has since coordinated and implemented various public programs related to housing, environment and urban development.

She has occupied the posts of superintendent and director of Planning and Design at the Traffic Engineering Company from August 2018 until June 2020, when she has been nominated Secretary of Mobility and Transportation of the city of São Paulo.

She is one of the authors of the Urban Design and Street Manual, a complete tool developed to guide the interventions on the streetscapes of the city, establishing the requirements and quality standards comprising accessibility, safety and wellbeing of all road users.

Elisabete has also been Secretary of Housing (2010-2012) and Social Housing Director (2005-2012) in the city of São Paulo. Also, she has occupied the post of director of Planning and Design at Companhia de Desenvolvimento Habitacional e Urbano do Estado de São Paulo (2015-2018).

Besides, she has coordinated the Urban and Environmental Recovery Program for the Guarapiranga watershed (1993-2000) and various projects financed by the World Bank, the Inter-American Development Bank and UN-Habitat in Mexico, El Salvador, Honduras and East Timor (2004 – 2007).

Nathaniel P. Ford Sr. is Chief Executive Officer of the Jacksonville Transportation Authority (JTA) and past Chair of the American Public Transportation Association (APTA). His distinguished career spans more than three decades, including tenures as CEO of the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency and the Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority.

Ford is a champion of multimodal transportation, walkable neighborhoods, public-private partnerships and transit-oriented development; and known for industry-leading insights and thought leadership on international transportation issues from trade and study missions around the world.

Under Ford’s leadership, the JTA was recognized as the winner of the 2016 APTA Outstanding Public Transportation System Achievement Award. He has received numerous awards for his transformational programs and initiatives, including the White House Champion of Change. He was named “Ultimate CEO” by the Jacksonville Business Journal, inducted into the First Coast Business Hall of Fame and was honored with the 2019 “Thought Leader” Award by The Eno Center for Transportation.

Carlos A. Gimenez is the Mayor of Miami-Dade County – Florida’s most populous county. He is Miami-Dade County’s highest-ranking elected official and chief administrator, who oversees a metropolitan government with more than 28,000 employees, and an annual budget of approximately $8.9 billion that serves 2.8 million residents.

Since assuming office in 2011 after a special election, Mayor Gimenez has continued to consistently hold the line on tax increases while pressing for more technology and innovation in County initiatives. Gimenez championed and secured approval for the largest tax cut in County history eight years ago, and collectively Miami-Dade taxpayers have saved more than $1.9 billion during his tenure. To date, the average homeowner has saved approximately $1,700 in property taxes.

Gimenez was re-elected as Mayor in 2012 and again in 2016 for two consecutive four-year terms. He brings with him more than 40 years of public service experience.

Among the County’s 25 departments that Gimenez oversees are the two largest economic engines in South Florida – PortMiami and Miami International Airport. He also oversees the County’s public safety departments, including Miami-Dade Police, Miami-Dade Fire Rescue, Corrections, and the Medical Examiner’s office. Collectively, between the airport and seaport, Miami-Dade County welcomes more than 50.5 million passengers a year, with the two facilities supporting more than 610,000 jobs throughout South Florida, either directly or indirectly.

Danielle J. Harris is the Director of Mobility Innovation at Elemental Excelerator, where she works with portfolio companies, partners, and cities to catalyze collaboration within the mobility industry. As a thought leader in new mobility with 10 years of experience in transit planning, street design and transportation policy, Danielle provides a systems approach to help both startups and incumbents strategize and thrive within the ever-evolving mobility revolution. Prior to Elemental Excelerator, Danielle was the Innovation Strategist for San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency’s (SFMTA) Office of Innovation, where she integrated her background in land use and transportation planning to create dynamic teams with both city departments and tech companies.

Mark Kaufman currently serves as Ford’s global director of electrification, leading the company’s overarching strategy for electrified vehicles and heading up Ford Team Edison. Formed in October 2017, Ford Team Edison is the company’s dedicated global cross- functional battery electric vehicle team who have been challenged to think big and move fast to deliver vehicles and experiences that are uniquely Ford and focused on the customer. In this strategic role Kaufman is responsible for leading dozens of teams around the world all working collaboratively to bring electric vehicles, technology and services to market.

Kaufman is no stranger to the electric vehicle world. He was one of the original Ford Team Edison members and previously fulfilled the role of global director, Marketing & Distribution. In this role he was responsible for launching Ford’s first global all-electric SUV, Mustang Mach-E, and integrating Ford’s marketing and sales services for EVs around the world in a new digital format, including an eco-system of customer-friendly services, including charging.

Kaufman is uniquely positioned for his current global role having worked on five continents in senior roles in strategy, marketing, sales and service and product development. Prior to joining Team Edison, he served as President, Ford ASEAN based in Thailand. In that role, Kaufman was responsible for managing and growing Ford’s integrated operations that comprise the ASEAN region and the company’s Asia Pacific Emerging Markets (APEM) unit.

Prior to his posting in Thailand, Kaufman served as Vice President, Marketing, Sales and Service, Ford Southern and Sub-Saharan Africa supporting 27 countries. He was also Director of Marketing for Ford of South America, where he had responsibility for the marketing function of Ford Brazil and drove the successful consolidation of Ford’s previously independent marketing structures across the continent.

Kaufman joined Ford in 1989. He holds a Master of Engineering degree from the University of Michigan and an undergraduate degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Illinois, as well as an MBA from the University of Michigan. Kaufman’s personal interests include cycling and running. The two most challenging races during which he questioned his sanity for competing were the Ironman Triathlon World Championship in Kona, Hawaii and a multi-day 120-mile Trail Running Race through the Rocky Mountains.

Future Mobility Pioneer

Michael Hurwitz is passionate about socially-positive technology. An internationally recognised pioneer in future mobility, he created the UK’s national programmes on electromobility and autonomy and is now responsible for making sure transport in London is ready for the future. His team seeks out market innovators, encourages the testing and implementation of new business models or services that could help address the challenges facing the city and sets the policy frameworks to ensure new innovations work for all. Michael has brought an entrepreneurial spirit to public service, working tirelessly to realize the potential of low-emission vehicles, connectivity and other technologically advanced transportation solutions for London and the UK.

Beth Kigel, HNTB Corporation, serves as national practice leader, Intelligent Transportation and Emerging Mobility Solutions and vice president. She is based in HNTB’s Miami office.

Kigel is a global thought-leader in new mobility and smart city ecosystems and assists transportation agencies, cities and regions in developing smart and connected infrastructure solutions.

As a thought-leader in smart city solutions, Kigel delivers frequent public presentations to a variety of audiences ranging from the ITS World Congress, automated vehicle symposiums and Chambers of Commerce, to real estate and insurance organizations.

Kigel is active in numerous industry associations, including ITS World Congress Board of Directors; Freight Mobility Research Institute Advisory Board for Florida Atlantic University; Florida Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors; chair of the Autonomous Florida Program; University of Florida Transportation Institute External Advisory Board; Leadership Florida where she served as Chair, Board of Directors 2017-2018; the Florida Transportation Commission, appointed by Gov. Rick Scott, from 2012-2019; and more.

She received the 2018 Leadership and Innovation Award, presented at the Florida Automated Vehicle Summit. Kigel also is a published author in the Florida Engineering Society Journal, contributing an article, “Florida’s Global Competitiveness: Where do Autonomous Vehicles Fit In?” in 2017.

Greg Krueger is leading the charge for the deployment of smart cities and connected and automated vehicle technologies at the local, state and federal levels as the Director of Emerging Technology Programs at HNTB.  Greg is presently working on a variety of projects that aim to integrate technology with transportation and the surrounding infrastructure to improve the safety and mobility on our nation’s roadways  Prior to joining HNTB, Greg served as MDOT’s Program Manager for the statewide Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) program, overseeing all development, deployment, operations and maintenance of ITS throughout the State of Michigan and worked at the USDOT JPO on better integrating state DOT needs into the USDOT program.

Mr. Krueger received his Bachelor of Science degree in Civil Engineering from Colorado State University and his Masters of Science degree in Civil Engineering, with an emphasis on Traffic Engineering from Texas A&M University.

Florian leads on all regional and urban mobility for NEOM. Prior to joining NEOM, Florian Lennert was founder and CEO at Future Lab Berlin, a sustainable innovation think tank and advisory firm focusing on sustainable innovation, urban tech and future mobility. Florian serves as chair of the European Commission expert group for smart mobility systems and services and is a member of the EU Commission expert assembly on smart and sustainable cities. He was chairman of the jury of 2017 Austrian National Mobility Award, member of the jury of the EU Transport Innovation Challenge 2017 and regularly advises research institutions, governments, municipalities, businesses and technology ventures on sustainable mobility and urban innovation. Previously, Florian led the design and implementation of a smart city district and living lab for smart mobility, renewable energy and future city design in Berlin, in cooperation with the Innovation Centre for Mobility and Societal Change (InnoZ), Deutsche Bahn, Siemens, Scheider Electric, DLR, WZB and many other partners. Working with industry, science and government, Florian also led the Intelligent City Forum which collaborated with MIT Media Lab, London School of Economics (LSE), UC Berkeley and a range of international partners in developing sustainable urban innovation, mobility and technology strategies.  Florian is a co-founder and fellow of the LSE Grantham Research Institute for Climate and Environment (2007-2011). He served as Director of Corporate Relations at the LSE from 1999-2007. Previously, he co-founded and coordinated the LSE Centre for Analysis of Risk and Regulation (1997-1999). A native of Berlin, Florian has in the past worked with the German Institute for Urbanism (1993-1994) and the German federal privatisation agency (1992-1993) He holds a B.Sc Economics (1992) and an MPA (1997) from the LSE.

Greg Lindsay joined NewCities in June 2015 as Senior Fellow to lead our Connected Mobility Initiative. Greg is a journalist, urbanist, futurist, and speaker. He is a non-resident senior fellow of The Atlantic Council in their Strategic Foresight Initiative. He is also a contributing writer for Fast Company, co-author of Aerotropolis: The Way We’ll Live Next, a visiting scholar at New York University’s Rudin Center for Transportation Policy & Management, and a research affiliate of the New England Complex Systems Institute (NECSI). His writing has appeared in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg BusinessWeek, and Fortune, among many other publications. He graduated from the University of Illinois with a degree in journalism.

Warren Logan serves as the Policy Director of Mobility and Interagency Relations for the Mayor’s Office of Oakland. Warren works closely with the City’s Department of Transportation, Public Works Department and other Bay Area public agencies to develop strategies that advance the city’s vision for safe and sustainable transportation for everyone. Through his Interagency work, Warren is responsible for developing interdepartmental and interagency working groups to deliver major capital improvements in Oakland and across the Bay Area.

Prior to the Mayor’s Office, Warren worked as a senior transportation planner for the San Francisco County Transportation Authority. There he managed the agency’s emerging mobility practice, researching how these services impact San Francisco’s long-range transportation goals, developing city and state policies and framing opportunities for public private partnerships.

Before working at the Transportation Authority, Warren helped design complete streets projects in Oakland and Berkeley at Community Design + Architecture and helped manage the value priced parking and travel demand management program for the City of Berkeley’s Transportation Division.

Warren received his Masters in City and Regional Planning from UC Berkeley’s College of Environmental Design and his B.A. in Urban and Environmental Policy from Occidental College.

Hugh Martin is chairman and CEO, of Lacuna Technologies, Inc, a services provider that helps transportation agencies better manage the public right-of-way.  Hugh joined Lacuna in November 2018.  Previously, Hugh was VP of Strategy for Verizon Smart Communities.  He joined Verizon through the acquisition of Sensity Systems by Verizon in October 2016.  sAs its founder and CEO, Hugh created the vision for Sensity Systems and the Light Sensory Network and is responsible for steering the company’s strategic course. His 35-year track record as an entrepreneurial leader of cutting-edge technology companies, new ventures, and high-growth businesses includes serving at the helm of numerous highly successful organizations. In 2011, he was named CEO for Fortune magazine’s ‘Executive Dream Team: The startup edition,’ acknowledged for his ‘management chops’ and for successfully taking public two companies, in two different industries. More recently, the World Economic Forum recognized Hugh and Sensity as a Technology Pioneer.  In addition, Hugh serves as the Chairman of Whole Biome, a startup in the Microbiome space and is also a board member of the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation.

Tomás is CEO and Co-Founder of Tembici, the largest micromobility company in Latin America. The company is present in the main capitals of Brazil such as Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo, in addition to Santiago in Chile and Buenos Aires in Argentina. Tembici is a Latin American company helping with urban mobility solutions in Latin America. Currently, the company makes more than 2.5 million rides a month with his shared bicycles and has increased 100% the number of users between 2018 and 2019. Graduated in International Relations from Fundação Álvares Penteado / SP (FAAP), Tomás is also a member of the board of the Institute for Leadership Training since 2014.

Peter, a born Brazilian from German family, is the Executive Director of DB Engineering & Consulting GmbH do Brasil, a company that belongs to the Deutsche Bahn Group, and which has its office in Rio de Janeiro. DB Engineering & Consulting offers worldwide recognized know-how in rail transport and logistics, from the design phase to the implementation of projects.

Master in Business Administration graduated from Johann W. Goethe Universität, Frankfurt, Germany, Peter started his career as a business consultant at Roland Berger Strategy Consultants, in the São Paulo office, where he carried out several Supply Chain optimization projects, in addition to other projects related to the steel sector. In 2005, he joined ThyssenKrupp, in the “Companhia Siderúrgica do Atlântico – CSA”, where he led the Business Process Management area. Since 2012 Peter has worked at DB International Brasil, since 2014 as Executive Director. He worked on projects related to integrated passenger transport and efficient logistics, such as the Strategic Logistics and Cargo Plan of Rio de Janeiro, for the State Government of Rio de Janeiro, in addition to projects with MetroRio and Supervia, among others. He is currently involved in the development of the Action Plan of the Macrometropole Paulista (PAM-TL), and in the International Improvement Course in Railway Systems Management.

Peter speaks fluent Portuguese, English, and German, as well as French and Spanish.

Joe Moye has over 30 years of experience as a business executive and entrepreneur across the technology industry serving both the private and public sectors.​

Before joining Beep, Joe was the General Manager of the Public Sector Business Unit and President of the Software Division for Virtustream, a leading enterprise cloud services and software company. He was a member of the executive team which successfully integrated the business, post-acquisition, into Dell Technologies.

Prior to that, Joe served as President of Blackbaud’s (BLKB) Enterprise Software Group where he led the transformation of the group’s migration to a leading SAAS platform and business model. Joe also previously held the position of CEO for Capgemini’s U.S. Public Sector Company where he led multiple strategic transformation programs for the Departments of Transportation, Defense, Homeland Security and Agriculture.

He originally founded Gazelle Consulting, a branded leader of strategic services in data modeling, data enrichment and analytics for the financial services industry. This business was acquired by Adjoined Consulting and ultimately by Capgemini in 2006.

Joe holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from Florida State University.

Mr. Mullings has Bachelors of Science Degrees in International Business and Trade and Marketing as well as 19 years of experience in Urban and Transportation Planning. He is a member of the AICP and is the current Project Director of the FDOT Program: South Florida Commuter Services. Before joining CTS Engineering, Inc., Mr. Mullings worked 6 years as a project manager at FDOT with his proudest achievements being the introductions of both the 95 and 595 Express Buses and Park-and-Ride Lots.

Ari Ojalvo led REEF Technology, the ecosystem that connects the world to your block, into becoming a global leader in tech-enabled parking and delivery and pickup kitchen services, receiving a significant investment from the SoftBank Vision Fund and emerging as the largest parking operator in North America. He began his career at A.T. Kearney, optimizing supply chains and last-mile distribution for retailers, leading post-merger integrations and negotiating and implementing warehousing and transportation contracts. Ojalvo also partnered with SUSHISAMBA to expand its business globally and currently serves as a board member. He holds M.S. and B.S. degrees in industrial engineering and economics from Northwestern University.

Jean Pejo is the Secretary General of ALAF – Latin American Railway Association. He has been in major leading positions in the public sector, such as the Brazilian National Secretary for Mobility and Urban Services of the Federal Ministry of Regional Development (2019), Member of the Fiscal Council to the power transmission and distribution company CPFL – CIA. Paulista de Força e Luz and former Director of Planning. Pejo also worked as Director of Planning and Management of FEPASA – Freight and Passenger Railway of the State of São Paulo.

Pejo graduated in Mechanical Engineering from UNICAMP, and holds a MBA in Project Management, and a MBA in Logistics, both from FGV – Fundação Getúlio Vargas and an MBA in Entrepreneurship from Babson College, USA. He conducted internships and specialized courses on railways in Europe, North America and Asia.

Carsten has over 20 years of experience in the rail industry and holds a Master’s Degree in in telecommunications engineering, PMP certified and is an accredited FIDIC Adjudicator. He was formerly employed by Siemens, where he worked in two major metro turn-key projects in Colombia and USA. Moving on to other divisions in the area of telecommunication, electronic manufacturing and IT between 2002 and 2011 based out of Germany.
In 2011 he joint Sytecsa S.A. as COO and shareholder in Colombia/ South America. Sytecsa is a mid-size company focused on rail systems, rail maintenance and spare part management. Late 2014 he joint DB Engineering & Consulting as head of Saudia Arabia, including between others the prestigious projects of GCC Rail design and Haramain High Speed Rail Project. From 2017 to 2019 he build up the US business successfully (winning California High Speed – ETO and others). He is now responsible for DB Engineering & Consulting for Latin America. Based on numerous years’ experience, Carsten has proven track record to build up sustainable businesses by providing customer benefit with his team.

Tati Peralta-Quirós is a mobility, transport and technology specialist, with experience working across the private and public sector in US, LatAm and Asia, including technology start-ups, development finance institutions, and governments. She is the co-founder of Kinto-Costa Rica, Latin America’s first subscription-based Mobility as a Service (MaaS) company. Previously, she served as Senior Advisor for Urban Mobility and Technology to the President of Costa Rica. As a transport specialist at the World Bank, she leads the adoption of digital data and innovative technologies in transport and land-use projects. Tati has over 10 years of experience designing, monitoring and evaluating urban transport systems, as well as adapting the use of technology and digital innovation in the sector.

She holds a Master’s degree in Transport Engineering from MIT, where she worked as a researcher, and a BA in Applied Mathematics and Urban Planning from Harvard University.

Rafael is an architect graduated in Buenos Aires, Argentina with 12 years of professional experience in the private and public sector. Also he has been consultant for the German Council for Sustainable Construction. During his professional career the parameters of sustainability in urban planning and architecture have been align to private architectural projects and to public policies. In 2018 Rafael occupy the position of Secretary of Housing in the Ministry of Urban Development and Housing of Ecuador, supporting and generating the actual housing policy for the country. Currently, he serves the city of Quito, as Secretary of Territory, Habitat and Housing which is the local institution in charge of the public policy around urban planning and development for the capital on Ecuador.

As founding director of the Transit Tech Lab, Natalia works with technology innovators and leaders at the Metropolitan Transportation Authority to help shape the future of transit in New York City. Previously, she built and ran the Parity Professional Program, now Declare, a community of 500+ women in venture capital, private equity and technology across London, New York and San Francisco. She is a graduate of Columbia University.

Daniel Ramot is the Co-Founder and CEO of Via. Prior to Via, Daniel built supercomputers designed to discover new pharmaceutical drugs at D. E. Shaw Research, and developed avionic systems for F-15s and F-16s for the Israeli Air Force. He has a PhD in neuroscience from Stanford University and is a graduate of the Israel Defense Forces’ elite Talpiot program.

As Vice President of Business Development and Strategic Alliances, Alvaro is responsible for building the ecosystem of business and technology partners needed to deliver next generation mobility services. He is a proven mobility business strategist and leader, having worked with human-driven ridesharing and autonomous vehicle organizations, as well as major automotive manufacturers. Prior to joining Bestmile, Alvaro held the role of Head of Global Market Development and Partnerships at ridesharing pioneer MOIA. At VW he also set up Electrify America, the largest electric charging infrastructure in North America. Before working at VW, Alvaro served as Chief Marketing Officer at Daimler’s Car2Go business.

Mr.Jorge Rebelo, was responsible either as a Team Manager or a Lead Specialist for most of the major mass transit projects financed by the World Bank in Latin America in the last 30 years.  Presently, he is a Lead Consultant mainly for the World Bank but also for the IDB, CAF and EIB in ongoing several metrorail projects in Brazil, Ecuador, Peru, Colombia, Argentina, China, India, Kenya and Ethiopia. Mr. Rebelo’s expertise both in urban mass transport and in freight logistics areas was key for the success of major projects such as the PPP for São Paulo’s Line 4 and 5, Line 1 of Salvador da Bahia, the modernization and/or concession of suburban railways in São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Belo Horizonte and Recife. He was the Bank team leader in projects that financed  transport master plans for São Paulo, Rio, Belo Horizonte and Recife in Brazil using specialized software packages and modeling techniques. Before joining the World Bank in 198, Jorge Rebelo worked in the private sector, government and academia in various senior technical positions for  Canadian Pacific, a major freight intermodal company in the world and for Bombardier, Ltd, a rail manufacturer, in the development of an Intermediate  Capacity Transport System (ICTS). He taught in Canada at McGill University, in Finland at Aalto University and in Mozambique at the Universidade de Lourenço Marques. He is also invited many times as key speaker in conferences and international fora on urban and railway transport matters such as Alamys, Latin Rail, UITP, ANTP, ANPTrilhos and PTV’s Shaping Transportation among others. He is the author of many publications in urban transport both on busways and metrorail and transport planning which are available in the internet. Mr. Rebelo was the recipient of several Bank excellence awards and was decorated by the Federative Republic of Brazil, by the State of Rio and Confederation of National Transport for his distinguished services in the transportation field. He is also an Honorary member of the Latin America Association for Metros (ALAMYS).

Seleta Reynolds has over 17 years of transportation experience throughout the United States in both the public and private sectors. Prior to her current position, Seleta was a leader in the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency’s Livable Streets section, coordinating streets projects citywide.

B.A. American History, Brown University.

Karina Ricks formally served as the Director of Transportation Planning for the District of Columbia before becoming the Inaugural Director of the City of Pittsburgh’s Department of Mobility and Infrastructure. The Department of Mobility and Infrastructure purview includes design and implementation of a “complete network”; resiliency projects around landslides and flooding; policies and programs to manage emerging transportation including shared services and autonomous vehicles; and strategies to address long term sustainability. A graduate of Cornell University, Michigan State University, and a Fulbright Scholar.

John Rossant personally leads the CoMotion team. He is the Founder and Chairman of the NewCities Foundation, a major global non-profit institution dedicated to improving the quality of life and work in cities. He previously led the team producing the famous World Economic Forum Annual Meeting in Davos, Switzerland every January and has been been the producer of major World Economic Forum conferences in China, Latin America, Southeast Asia and Africa. He has also played key roles in Monaco, with the Monaco Media Forum and the ongoing Prince’s Roundtable on Philanthropy. In 2010, French President Nicolas Sarkozy asked John to organize the first global summit on the future of the Internet, the e-G8. John has worked with heads of state and government and leading CEOs from around the world.

Bryan is passionate about incorporating promising robotics technology into products and systems that will improve safety and productivity while enhancing people’s lives. While at Carnegie Mellon University’s National Robotics Engineering Center (NREC), Bryan managed a portfolio of the center’s largest commercial programs, including autonomous mining trucks for Caterpillar. In 2007, Bryan led software engineering for Tartan Racing, Carnegie Mellon’s winning entry in the DARPA Urban Challenge. Bryan departed NREC and joined the Google self-driving car team in 2011 to continue the push toward making self-driving cars a reality. While at Google, Bryan was responsible for the development and manufacture of their hardware portfolio, which included self-driving sensors, computers and several vehicle development programs. Bryan graduated from the University of Pittsburgh with a bachelor’s degree in computer engineering in 2002.

Lilly joined Urban Movement Labs as Interim Executive Director in May 2020 working at the intersection of public and private transportation innovation in Los Angeles. This first-of-its-kind initiative is accelerating the deployment of public-private solutions to solve urban mobility challenges. Previously she led transportation policy, partnerships, and community engagement teams at Lyft and served in the Office of Policy at the US Department of Transportation in Washington, DC.  She is an Adjunct Faculty member at USC’s Sol Price School of Public Policy and holds a Master in City and Regional Planning from the University of Maryland at College Park and a Bachelor of Arts in Economics and Public Policy from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Chris Teale is associate editor at Smart Cities Dive, a trade publication based in Washington, D.C. covering the latest news and trends in urban mobility, sustainability, resilience, governance and tech. He has been with the publication since February 2018 after several years in local journalism.

Julia recently joined Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti’s Office, where she is liaison to the transportation technology community, and drives public-private initiatives focused on mobility innovation. Previously, Julia led Innovation and Technology for Cities at Siemens US, managing a team of designers, engineers, and researchers in consulting, development, and implementation of infrastructure technology projects. Projects were cross-sector, spanning energy, mobility, buildings, and the Internet of Things (IoT) and ranging from planning for electric, autonomous, and shared mobility, to designing use cases for data platforms and advanced analytic applications. Julia has authored more than 20 publications on the topic of technology and cities; has been featured in FastCo, Quartz, Washington Post, and CityLab, among other media outlets; and has been recognized as a subject matter expert and as a young leader by universities and organizations in Chicago, London, Los Angeles, New York City, and Washington, DC. She holds a Master’s degree in City Design, with Distinction, from the London School of Economics & Political Science and a Bachelor’s degree in Economics, Summa Cum Laude, from Emory University in Atlanta.

Sandra Watson is an economic development professional with 28 years of leadership experience in business attraction and expansion, innovation, entrepreneurship, economic policy and workforce development. She and her teams have worked with more than 1,000 companies that have committed to creating more than 160,000 quality jobs and investing more than $15 billion in capital in the state.

Currently, Ms. Watson serves as the President & CEO of the Arizona Commerce Authority (ACA), a public-private partnership that leads statewide economic development. The unique structure of the ACA brings together leaders from private industry, academia and all three branches of state government.

In addition to leading the ACA and serving on its Board of Directors, Ms. Watson also serves on Arizona Governor Doug Ducey’s leadership team as his Senior Economic Policy Advisor. She was instrumental in advancing Governor Ducey’s vision for the Institute for Automated Mobility (IAM) in Arizona and is a Founding Partner on the IAM Board of Directors. She is also a current member of the National State Science and Technology Institute Board of Trustees. Ms. Watson also served as Executive Director of Arizona Governor Janet Napolitano’s Council on Innovation & Technology which advanced Arizona’s first innovation and technology roadmap.

David Zipper is a Visiting Fellow at the Harvard Kennedy School, where he focuses on the interplay between urban policy and new mobility technologies. David’s perspective on urban development is rooted in his experience working within city hall as well as being a venture capitalist, policy researcher, and startup advocate. He has consulted with numerous startups and public officials about regulatory strategy.

David’s articles about urban innovation has been published in The Atlantic, WIRED, Slate, and Fast Company. He has written about topics including Mobility-as-a-Service, the uses of transportation data, the future of micromobility, and linkages between public transit, city regulations, and private shared vehicles.

From 2013 to 2017 David was the Managing Director for Smart Cities and Mobility at 1776, a global entrepreneurial hub with over 1,300 member startups. At 1776 David connected hundreds of entrepreneurs to urban leaders eager to deploy their solutions, and he closed millions of dollars in partnerships with cities and corporations worldwide. He continues to be a partner in the 1776 Seed Fund.

David previously served as the Director of Business Development and Strategy under two mayors in Washington DC, where he led support to Washington’s first startup incubators and guided the city’s response to the emergence of ride hail services.

David holds an MBA with Highest Honors from Harvard Business School, an M.Phil from Cambridge University, and a BA with High Honors from Swarthmore College.