USDOT Launches ‘Transportation Innovation’ Advisory Committee

“We are living in a time filled with unprecedented opportunity and unprecedented challenges in transportation,” Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said during the Dec. 29 announcement of USDOT’s new Transforming Transportation Advisory Committee. “The deep expertise and diverse perspectives of this impressive group will provide advice to ensure the future of transportation is safe, efficient, sustainable, equitable and transformative.”

The U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) has formed a committee to advise on “plans and approaches for transportation innovation,” which it said comprises 27 members who were selected across sectors, geographies and areas of expertise.

According to USDOT, the Transforming Transportation Advisory Committee (TTAC) will explore and consider issues related to:

• “Pathways to safe, secure, equitable, environmentally friendly and accessible deployments of emerging technologies.
• “Integrated approaches to promote greater cross-modal integration of emerging technologies, in particular applications to deploy automation.
• “Policies that encourage innovation to grow and support a safe and productive U.S. workforce, as well as foster economic competitiveness and job quality.
• “Approaches and frameworks that encourage the secure exchange and sharing of transformative transportation data, including technologies and infrastructure, across the public and private sectors that can guide core policy decisions across DOT’s strategic goals.
• “Ways the Department can identify and elevate cybersecurity solutions and protect privacy across transportation systems and infrastructure.
• “Other emerging issues, topics, and technologies.”

TTAC members are experts from academia, think tanks, the public sector, labor, and industry covering topics such as automation, cybersecurity, safety, accessibility, law, government, entrepreneurship, privacy, and equity, USDOT reported Dec. 29. They will serve two-year terms and may be reappointed; their committee positions are unpaid. The first TTAC meeting will be held Jan. 18.

Following are the TTAC members:

1. Nat Beuse, Vice President of Safety, Aurora
2. John Bozzella, President and CEO, Alliance for Automotive Innovation
3. Jim Burg, President and CEO, James Burg Trucking Company
4. Laura Chace, President and CEO, ITS America
5. Mark Chung, Executive Vice President of Roadway Practice, National Safety Council
6. Matthew Colvin, Chief of Staff of the Transportation Trades Department, AFL-CIO
7. Steve Dellenback, Vice President of Intelligent Systems, Southwest Research Institute
8. Thomas Dwiggins, Chief Fire Officer, Chandler (Ariz.) Fire Department
9. Carol Flannagan, Research Professor and Director of the Center for the Management of Information for Safe and Sustainable Transportation, University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute
10. Shelley Francis, Co-founder and Managing Partner, EV Noire
11. Kelly Funkhouser, Associate Director of Vehicle Technology, Consumer Reports
12. Mayor Kate Gallego, Mayor, City of Phoenix, Ariz.
13. Kim Lucas, Director of Mobility and Infrastructure, City of Pittsburgh, Pa.
14. Tekedra Mawakana, Co-Chief Executive Officer, Waymo
15. Swati Mylavarapu, Co-Founder, Incite
16. Raj Rajkumar, Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Carnegie-Mellon University
17. Bryan Reimer, Research Scientist, Center for Transportation and Logistics/AgeLab at MIT
18. Catherine Ross, Harry West Professor of City and Regional Planning, Georgia Institute of Technology
19. Cole Scandaglia, Senior Legislative Representative and Policy Advisor, International Brotherhood of Teamsters
20. Steve Shladover, Research Engineer, University of California Berkeley
21. Bryant Walker Smith, Associate Professor, University of South Carolina School of Law
22. Bernard Soriano, Deputy Director, California DMV
23. Amie Stepanovich, Vice President of U.S. Policy, Future of Privacy Forum
24. Jeffrey Tumlin, Director of Transportation, San Francisco (Calif.) Municipal Transportation Agency
25. Carol Tyson, Government Affairs Liaison, Disability Rights Education and Defense Fund
26. Eileen Vélez-Vega, Secretary, Puerto Rico Department of Public Works and Transportation
27. Maria Trinidad (“Triny”) Willerton, President and Founder, It Could Be Me

“We are living in a time filled with unprecedented opportunity and unprecedented challenges in transportation,” Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said. “The deep expertise and diverse perspectives of this impressive group will provide advice to ensure the future of transportation is safe, efficient, sustainable, equitable, and transformative.”

In a related development, President Biden and U.S. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg on Nov. 27 announced the launch of the Office of Modal Freight Infrastructure and Police (Multimodal Freight Office) to “oversee the maintenance and improvement of the nation’s freight network and supply chains.”