Jackie Burman

Vice President, Operations and Finance

Jackie Burman is the Vice President of Operations and Finance at Securing America’s Future Energy. In this role, Jackie oversees finances, human resources, and operations for the organization.

Prior to joining SAFE, Ms. Burman spent more than 4 years in Cape Town, South Africa where she assisted a wide range of non-profit organizations in reaching their funding goals. During her time abroad, she also helped create a fundraising academy to provide young adults with the skills necessary to begin careers in development. She worked in both marketing and fundraising in DC before this.

Ms. Burman holds a Bachelor of Art’s Degree from UNC-Chapel Hill and Masters’ degrees in business administration and Jewish Communal Service from Brandeis University.

Thomas Coleman

Executive Director, Grid Security Project

Thomas Coleman is Executive Director of SAFE’s Grid Security Project.

Prior to SAFE, he was the Chief Technical Advisor at NERC, where he worked with industry and stakeholders to assess, report on, and provide recommendations to ensure the reliability of the North American Bulk Power System. Mr. Coleman led the efforts around NERC’s natural gas risk strategy and was the NERC lead for NERC’s Electric Gas Working Group. He also led initiatives for the NERC Reliability Issues Steering Committee, identifying and providing solution sets for grid reliability and security risks as well as efforts around long term, short term and historical reliability assessments. Mr. Coleman joined NERC in 2014. Before joining NERC, Mr. Coleman traded power and natural gas commodities and directed long term origination at JP Morgan and Williams Energy.

He holds a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Florida and his MBA from Vanderbilt University.

Gourang Wakade

Vice President of Development

Gourang Wakade is the Vice President of Development for SAFE and its sister organization, the Electrification Coalition (EC).

He leads a lean development team to develop and execute a comprehensive fundraising strategy that yields sustained multi-year funding results.  Building on the success achieved to date by SAFE EC, Gourang manages a collective fundraising portfolio of $16 Million and is in charge of the overall development systems and strategy while focusing primarily on identifying, cultivating, and soliciting high net worth individuals and foundations, with particular attention on increasing unrestricted funding for both organizations.

He is an experienced fundraiser with a large and varied global network and has proven success in raising and securing multi-year six-figure plus funding commitments for complex and demanding projects across a variety of industries including non-profit, corporate finance, and higher education. Prior to SAFE, Gourang served as the Vice President of Development for the Council on Competitiveness, a non-profit membership association of CEOs, University Presidents, Labor Leaders, and National Lab Directors. In addition to managing membership, and development at the Council on Competitiveness, Gourang was the lead for the organization’s bi-annual fundraiser, the America Competes Award, that honored Business and Civic Leaders for their contributions to ensure American Competitiveness. He also produced and managed sponsorships for the organization’s Annual National Competitiveness Summit. Gourang also served as the Director of Conferences and Engagement, for the Global Federation of Competitiveness Councils where he actively recruited leaders from around the world to join and fund the establishment of the organization.

Gourang has a Bachelor’s in Arts degree from the College of Wooster, Oh. He also serves on the Fundraising Committee for the Spring Gala of the Hillwood Estate Museum and Gardens in Washington, DC.

Jeffrey Gerlach

Vice President, Policy Strategy 

Jeff Gerlach is Vice President of Policy Strategy at SAFE.

Prior to joining SAFE, Jeff worked at a management consulting firm, where he supported the Department of Energy’s Office of Petroleum Reserves and Office of Electricity Delivery and Energy Reliability. He previously interned and consulted for SAFE in 2013, contributing to the Oil Security Index and the Commission on Energy and Geopolitics’ Oil Security 2025. Additionally, he worked on multiple political campaigns in Minnesota and completed a year of service in AmeriCorps.

Mr. Gerlach received his Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and Anthropology from the University of St. Thomas in 2011 and his Master of Public Policy from the University of Chicago in 2014.

Alyssa Siddiqui

Managing Director of Corporate Engagements

Alyssa Siddiqui is Managing Director of Corporate Relations at SAFE and the Electrification Coalition (EC). She is responsible for identifying and implementing innovative strategies to enhance the organizations’ profiles, expand industry partnerships, and develop new opportunities for engagement and growth. Alyssa leads corporate partnerships for the EC’s medium and heavy-duty fleet electrification work and for SAFE’s autonomous vehicle initiative. In 2021 she launched the Electrification Coalition Business Council.

Alyssa joined SAFE and the EC after over a decade at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, most recently as the Senior Director of Corporate Relations, where she led the strategy and execution of an integrated fundraising plan to achieve an annual revenue goal of over $9 million. She managed high-level corporate recruitment of new members, expanded relationships with existing clients and key stakeholders and launched the Let’s Rebuild America infrastructure initiative. Alyssa also oversaw the U.S. Chamber’s largest signature event, The Aviation Summit, held annually in Washington, DC which attracted over 900 attendees and participants, including top CEOs and industry leaders.

Alyssa began her career at the National Park Foundation working on the capital campaign for the Flight 93 National Memorial Fund. She graduated from Colby College with a Bachelors of Science in Government. She is a member of the Washington, DC chapter of Women of EVs and was named one of the Top Women in EV 2022 by The EV Summit.

Medina O’Rourke

Manager of Grants and Development Research

Ron Minsk

Senior Advisor

Isabelle Dupraz

Program Manager

Isabelle Dupraz joined the Coalition for Reimagined Mobility as a Policy Associate in September 2021. Prior to joining Reimagined Mobility, Isabelle trained and practiced as an urban planning consultant, both in Great Britain and the United States. Following her undergraduate studies, she joined Turnberry Planning as an Assistant Planner, where she supported the development of University redevelopment projects and masterplanned New Towns in Scotland. During her graduate studies, Isabelle worked on the launch of a major initiative to reimagine obsolete transportation infrastructure in New York State with Buro Happold and advised Rhode Island Department of Transportation on micromobility policy. Most recently, as a freelance consultant, she advised Manna Drone Delivery on physical and regulatory go-to-market strategy and worked with DUCKT on communications and government relations strategy. Isabelle serves as Deputy Director of Programs for the Young Professionals in Transportation Network in Western Europe. She is excited to continue her work on transportation policy, a field that she sees as foundational in facilitating and scaling socio-economic and environmental impact globally.

Jason Islas

Kaitlyn Meuser

Communications and Content Manager

Kaitlyn Meuser joined the Coalition for Reimagined Mobility as Communications and Content Manager in January 2022. She brings years of experience in communications, marketing, digital strategy, social media management, and content creation. She has a passion for telling the stories of how transportation affects our lives – and the need to make the system more equitable, sustainable, and accessible for everyone.

Before joining Reimagined Mobility, Kaitlyn spent nearly four years as the Digital Marketing Specialist at the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) where she created and implemented the association’s digital strategy and supported the marketing initiatives for 17 unique programs as well as two federally funded centers providing resources in everything from the environment, operations, workforce development, and finance to the 52 state departments of transportation across the United States, Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico. She has also worked for United Cerebral Palsy, one of the oldest disability rights organizations in the U.S., where she supported a variety of communications and marketing efforts, which included raising awareness around the need for more equitable and accessible transportation for people with disabilities.

Kaitlyn holds a bachelor’s degree in Psychology from The University of North Carolina at Charlotte. A native of North Carolina, she calls Washington, D.C. home. When she’s not working, you can often find her in the kitchen trying out new recipes, exploring the outdoors, or flipping through vinyl at her local record store.

Peter Flory

Senior Fellow and Director, American Semiconductor Center

A former senior Pentagon official, Peter has advised the Defense Department, U.S. Navy, and private industry on topics ranging from semiconductors — including development of the 2020 CHIPS Act — to management and organization, and strategy toward China.  He previously served as an Assistant Secretary of Defense, NATO Assistant Secretary General for Defense Investment, and Special Counsel to the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, and worked in industry as Vice President, International for QinetiQ North America.  Peter holds a J.D. from Georgetown and an Honors B.A. from McGill University.

Joe Quinn

Vice President of Strategic Industrial Materials

Joe Quinn leads the Center for Strategic Industrial Materials, a new policy initiative dedicated to advancing more secure and sustainable supply chains for aluminum and other industrial materials critical to America’s national and economic security.  Quinn is developing a framework designed to ensure resilient and domestic aluminum production. 

Prior to joining SAFE, Quinn served as the Vice President of External Affairs & Industry Relations at the Aluminum Association. He raised the industry’s profile, created the Congressional Aluminum Caucus, set new membership records, and served as a strategic advisor to the industry on trade and energy issues.  

Previously, Quinn worked at public relations firms positioning organizations favorably with key opinion leaders to advance policy initiatives. He serves on the Board of Directors of the Public Affairs Council. A Cincinnati native, he received his B.A. in Journalism and Mass Communications from the University of South Carolina.  

Zoe Oysul

Senior Policy Analyst

Abigail Hunter

Acting Director, Center for Critical Mineral Strategy

In April 2023 Abigail Hunter became Director of International Affairs and Partnerships, a new position within the SAFE Center for Critical Mineral Strategy. Previously, Hunter led federal government affairs for nearly three years as the senior attaché in Washington, D.C., for Quebec, Canada’s most mineral-rich province. In Hunter’s new role she will sustain existing SAFE partnerships and develop new ones to reduce – in a sustainable and ethical way – the free world’s critical mineral dependencies on the People’s Republic of China and other Foreign Entities of Concern.   Hunter’s association with SAFE began as a student fellow in October 2022, when she began providing writing and research support to the SAFE Center for Strategic Industrial Materials, leading to C-SIM’s seminal report on aluminum supply challenges published in February.

Before joining Quebec’s DC office in 2020, she led international programs for the U.S. National Governors Association, where her portfolio included trade negotiations and overseas missions.  Hunter is completing a Masters in Sustainable Energy at the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies.  Her paper on North American grid connections was published by JHU’s Initiative for Sustainable Energy.

Ben Prochazka

Executive Director, Electrification Coalition 

Ben joined the EC as the Director of Strategic Initiatives, developing all EC programs outside of the beltway. Since 2013 Ben has continued to lead these efforts, now as the organization’s Executive Director. Ben has spent more than a decade working on environmental, human rights, and voter engagement efforts. His experience includes leadership roles as the Campaign Director for the Save Darfur Coalition, the Legislative Director for the Colorado Environmental Coalition, the Colorado State Director for the New Voters Project, and numerous public interest campaign efforts as the Western States Field Organizer for U.S.PIRG.

Prior to his experience at SAFE and the Electrification Coalition, Ben served in the role of Vice President at FieldWorks, a national political consulting firm. While at FieldWorks he led projects for a diverse group of corporate, non-profit, academic, and political clients. This included programs with SolarCity, the Environmental Defense Action Fund, and a recent joint pilot with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and University of California at Berkeley – Haas School of Business – to test encouragement models for federally funded low income weatherization.

Before joining FieldWorks, Ben served as the lobbyist for the Colorado Environmental Coalition (CEC) a statewide group representing more than 100 environmental, public health, and religious organizations. As lobbyist Ben was responsible for coordinating the development and implementation of the conservation community agenda at the legislature. During Ben’s two years with CEC, the conservation community passed over 100 “pro-conservation” bills including several first-in-the-nation efforts.

Ben also directed successful field and fundraising programs for national campaigns on behalf of The Save Darfur Coalition, The Genocide Prevention Project, the Human Rights Campaign, Dream for Darfur and many other national organizations. Ben also led numerous large scale rallies, grassroots advocacy campaigns, volunteer activities, and visibility events involving as many as 100,000 people.

Brianna Baker

Communications Associate

Brianna is a Communications Associate at the Electrification Coalition. She has written for local and national publications about solutions to environmental problems, with an emphasis on the human stories behind them. Most recently, she spent a year as a reporting fellow at digital magazine Grist. In that role, she helped to shape its new Fix program, which combines storytelling, networks, and events to inspire climate action.

Noah Barnes

Communications Director

Noah Barnes is the communications director for the Electrification Coalition, where he ensures that accurate, timely information about transportation electrification is distributed across multiple platforms.

Prior to joining the EC, Noah was the communications director for Plug In America, where he first became passionate about electric vehicles and their economic and environmental benefits. As that organization’s first full-time communications professional, he reached millions of consumers with messaging related to EV basics, programs like National Drive Electric Week and PlugStar, and EV advocacy. With nearly 20 years of nonprofit experience, he previously held communications and fundraising roles at Grantmakers in the Arts, the Frye Art Museum, and Lifelong AIDS Alliance.

A Seattle native and graduate of the University of Washington, he now resides in the sunnier climate of Los Angeles.

Anne Blair

Policy Director

Anne serves as the EC’s policy director, with a focus on promoting policies and programs that will transform the transportation sector. Prior to joining EC, Anne was the Director of Energy Efficient Transportation at the Southeast Energy Efficiency Alliance, overseeing strategy, programming and outreach for all of SEEA’s transportation initiatives. Before SEEA, Anne worked at the Southern Alliance for Clean Energy (SACE) as its clean fuels director, working on transportation and clean energy policy for fifteen years. She has also previously worked at The Coca-Cola Company, The Fund for Public Interest Research, Americorps and the River Network. She serves on multiple boards including the EV Club of the South, Mothers and Others for Clean Air and EarthShare of Georgia. Anne holds a bachelor’s degree from Randolph-Macon Woman’s College, and a Master’s degree in environmental law and policy from Vermont Law School. When not working on environmental and energy issues, she enjoys hiking, cycling, traveling, reading, drinking IPAs and spending time with her son, husband, Australian Shepherd and friends.

Will Drier

Policy Manager

Will is a policy manager for the EC Policy Program. His work is focused on conducting research and analysis to help leaders and decision makers create ambitious policy opportunities to advance the EV market.

Before joining the Electrification Coalition, Will worked as an EV Research Analyst with Navigant Research, a market research and consulting firm. While there, he led the Commercial Transportation Electrification research suite, providing qualitative and quantitative market analysis and technical insights. Prior to his work at Navigant, Will served as a Program Manager for Smart Commute Metro North, working with local stakeholders to drive behavior changes and reduce single-occupancy vehicle trips.

Will holds a Master of Public Administration from the School of Public Affairs at the University of Colorado Denver, and a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Sciences from the University of Idaho.

Sarah Fischer

Electric Vehicle Specialist

Sarah Fischer is an Electric Vehicle Specialist for the Electrification Coalition. Her work is focused on supporting the Climate Mayor’s EV Purchasing Collaborative in facilitating fleet electrification across the country.

She has worked in energy and alternative fuels since 2015, most recently completing an AmeriCorps term serving at the City of Cincinnati’s Office of Environment and Sustainability.  At OES, she helped implement an energy management system for 400+ municipal utility accounts and assisted in the creation of an electric vehicle educational program called EV Cincy. Prior to that, Sarah also worked in LEED for Homes consulting, nonprofit communications and event planning, and energy efficiency program management. Sarah holds a Bachelor of Science in Sustainability Economics & Business and a minor in Nonprofit Management from the Ohio State University.

Emma Heins

Executive Project Associate

Emma Heins is an Executive Project Associate with the EC, where she provides logistical and research support for the leadership team. Based in Madison, Wisconsin, Emma is passionate about utilizing EV technology to improve health outcomes from air pollution, particularly in historically marginalized neighborhoods. Before joining the EC, Emma was a Science Policy Fellow for Clean Wisconsin, where she used quantitative and qualitative analysis to identify and monetize the positive impacts of EVs and biofuels. Prior to that, she worked at a small research group conducting indoor air quality research. 

Emma holds a Masters in Public Affairs and an Energy Analysis certification from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and a Bachelors in Environmental Studies and minor in Public Health from the University of Tennessee-Knoxville. 

Brandt Hertenstein

Programs Manager

As a Programs Manager, Brandt accelerates the implementation of EV infrastructure at the local, state, and federal levels. As federal funding becomes available to states nationwide, Brandt supports policy work that will maximize federal investments and catalyze EV infrastructure deployment. 

 Prior to joining the EC, Brandt was a project coordinator for Metropolitan Energy Center and the Kansas City Regional Clean Cities coalition. He led a variety of projects focused on EV and EVSE education, awareness, and development. 

 Brandt holds a Professional Science Masters Degree in Bioenergy and a Bachelor of Science Degree in Molecular and Cellular Biology, both from the University of Illinois. 

 Brandt currently resides in Madison, WI with his wife and two kids. 

Steve King

Sr. Manager, Freight Electrification

Steve King is Senior Manager of Freight Electrification for the Electrification Coalition. He works with industry leaders like Nestlé, FedEx, Meijer and Volvo to reduce the sector’s reliance on petroleum fuels.

Prior to joining the EC Steve’s previous work centered on workforce development, sustainability, entrepreneurship and equity. He is the founder and former CEO of the Barack Obama Green Charter High School, New Jersey’s first charter high school focused on sustainability. He also developed and managed a Union County, N.J., workforce development program focused on conservation, climate change and clean energy skills. As a community organizer, King worked on environmental justice issues in New York City, focusing on health impacts of diesel emissions from bus and truck depots in Black and Brown communities. He interned at the Hong Kong Transport Department’s sustainability unit, where he worked to reduce petroleum use in passenger buses.

Celia Kosinski

Policy Analyst

Celia Kosinski is an EV policy analyst for the Electrification Coalition policy program. Her focus is on policy research and analysis to support ongoing work in the EC’s accelerator states, in addition to contributing to the development of EC policy recommendations to strengthen the case for transportation electrification. As a Connecticut native, Celia has previously worked in the energy sector through local advocacy measures at the city and town level, along with leading educational environmental programs. Celia holds a Master’s in Energy and Environmental Management and Geographic Information Systems from the University of Connecticut, and a Bachelor of Arts in Environmental Studies from the University of Vermont.

Alyssa Lenkel

EV Infrastructure Associate

Alyssa Lenkel is an EV Infrastructure Associate for the Electrification Coalition. She works on accelerating EV Charging deployment through outreach and projects at the local, state, and federal levels. 

After serving as an EC Programs intern in 2021, Alyssa worked for the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, ensuring compliance with state and federal regulations for drinking water, wastewater, and storage tank systems. Alyssa holds a bachelor’s degree in Environmental Studies and Marine Biology from Florida Southern College and is in active pursuit of a Masters’s degree in Environmental Engineering at the University of Florida. 

Mary Linn

Campaign Organizer

Mary is a Campaign Organizer for the Electrification Coalition, focusing on Florida and Georgia. She works to increase community support for the adoption of electric vehicles and mobilize EV stakeholders.  

Before Mary came to work for the EC, she worked for the Environmental Defense Fund (EDF). From hosting events such as Climate and Cupcakes, an electric golf cart rally, and a concert powered off a solar-charged Tesla battery, Mary found ways to involve Florida communities in local, state, and federal climate legislation. 

Will Marshall

Program Associate 

Will Marshall is the Program Associate of Freight Electrification for the Electrification Coalition. He supports efforts to advance the electrification of the goods movement industry and other critical EV policies and programs.  

Prior to joining EC, Will was the Senior Legislative Assistant at Kountoupes Denham Carr & Reid, a bipartisan lobbying firm, supporting a portfolio of clients in the energy sector. In this role, he assisted in the development and advocacy of his clients’ federal policy and regulatory priorities.  Will graduated from the George Washington University with a masters in Environmental Resource Policy where his research focused on fleet electrification, specifically the electrification of medium- and heavy-duty vehicles. He also holds a bachelors degree in Government and Politics from the University of Maryland, College Park. 

Marie McConnell

Campaigns Organizer 

Marie is a Campaigns Organizer for the Electrification Coalition. She mobilizes EV stakeholders and advocates in the EC’s accelerator states around various electrification campaigns and policy opportunities.

Prior to joining the EC Marie was the Organizing Manager for Drive Electric Ohio. There she oversaw 6 community-based EV advocacy groups and worked with them to conduct consumer education, encourage development of EV charging, and address local and state policy. Beyond advancing EV adoption in Ohio, Marie supported Drive Electric USA, a DOE Clean Cities Coalition partnership that established similar ‘Drive Electric’ programs in 14 states.

Alma Meckler-Pacheco

Freight Electrification Associate

Alma is a Freight Electrification Associate at the Electrification Coalition. Alma’s work is focused on supporting the Electric Freight Consortium in accelerating freight electrification at scale. 

Prior to the EC, she conducted research on electric vehicles at the Institute of Transportation Studies (ITS) at the University of California, Davis (UC Davis). At ITS, she assisted researchers on a variety of research projects focused on increasing consumer engagement and awareness of light-duty electric vehicles. Alma holds a bachelor’s degree in Environmental Science and Management and a minor in Economics from UC Davis. 

Nick Miller

Policy Analyst

Nick is a Policy Analyst for the Electrification Coalition. His focus is on policy research and analysis to help decision makers create opportunities that reimagine our transportation system. 

 Prior to the EC, Nick was an Executive Policy Specialist at the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation. He focused on developing state policies and programs to electrify the Commonwealth, including assisting local governments, utilities, and the private sector. Much of Nick’s work involved strategic planning, technical analysis, and building partnerships to position Pennsylvania as a leader in our electrified future. 

 Nick holds a Master’s in Public Administration from the Pennsylvania State University, and a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Washington College 

Sarah Reed

Sr. Program Manager

Sarah Reed is a senior program manager at the Electrification Coalition. She is responsible for guiding public and private fleets through the transition to electric vehicles and specifically supports the EC’s Climate Mayors Electric Vehicle Purchasing Collaborative. Sarah was previously a program coordinator for the National Association of Regional Councils (NARC), where she managed NARC’s largest federal grant, Fleets for the Future. Sarah coordinated the project which made alternative fuel vehicle procurement more affordable and streamlined for public fleets. She also tracked legislative issues that matter to NARC’s members, including transportation and economic development.

Prior to NARC, Sarah completed an environmental planning internship with a consulting firm working on large public infrastructure projects. Ms. Reed also worked at the National Center for Sustainable Transportation organizing research releases and information sharing between researchers and policy makers. She has a B.S. in Environmental Policy Analysis and Planning from the University of California, Davis.

Torin Spencer

Electric Vehicle Specialist

Torin Spencer is an Electric Vehicle Specialist for the Electrification Coalition. His work is focused on supporting the American Cities Climate Challenge in Orlando as well as working directly with Orlando Utilities Commission on customer electric vehicle adoption.

Torin has been in the automotive sector for the last few years. He has been a sales representative at two Orlando area auto dealerships and worked directly with the public. In years prior, he assisted with conservation projects as a zoologist with the Walt Disney Company. Torin is a native Floridian originally from Tampa. He graduated from the University of Central Florida in 2012 with a Bachelor’s Degree in Environmental Science.

Matt Stephens-Rich

Sr. Program Manager

Matt has worked in transportation, energy, and alternative fuels since 2012 at the local, state, and federal levels and serves the EC as a senior program manager. Matt worked as Electric Vehicle Specialist for the Smart Columbus program, and coordinates various electric vehicle fleet deployments and charging initiatives, while also providing insight to consumer adoption. Collectively, these efforts help Columbus achieve a Smart City status that has reduced greenhouse gas emissions in the transportation sector through electrification and decarbonization.

Prior to joining the Electrification Coalition, Matt served as Project Manager at Clean Fuels Ohio, the nation’s largest U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Clean Cities Coalition.  In this role, Matt helped hundreds of fleets across Ohio cut their dependency on petroleum through deployment of alternative fuel and fuel efficient technologies, helping secure over $25 million in state and federal grant funding through the process. Matt was also a lead grant writer for the City of Columbus’ Smart City Challenge Grant Application. Matt holds a Masters in Public Administration from the John Glenn College of Public Affairs at The Ohio State University with a focus in Energy Policy, and a B.A. in Communication with Public Relations Certification from the University of Cincinnati.

Jessica Stoll

Program Specialist

Most recently, Jessica was a Trinity Fellow at Marquette University, completing an intensive two-year program dedicated to developing urban leaders. While in Milwaukee, she served as the operations and membership coordinator for the Wisconsin Sustainable Business Council, driving sustainability and equity in business operations across the state. Before that, her experience includes serving as an AmeriCorps VISTA for the City of Indianapolis. There she supported energy policy and electric vehicle adoption projects under the American Cities Climate Challenge. She is passionate about delivering a clean future for people and our planet.

Jessica holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Economics and Sustainability from Xavier University and a Master’s Degree in Public Service and Nonprofit Management from Marquette University. She resides in Indianapolis, IN, and enjoys hiking, cooking, traveling, and doing yoga in her free time.

Aaron Viles

Campaigns Director

Aaron Viles is the campaigns director for the Electrification Coalition, focused on helping accelerate community efforts to increase adoption of EVs. He is based in Lexington, KY.  With over 20 years of experience in advocacy, Aaron comes to the EC from a stint in electoral politics, recently working with the Kentucky Democratic Party. Aaron brings experience with environmental, energy, and online advocacy to the EC team. He is currently the volunteer chair of the board of directors of Healthy Gulf, a New Orleans-based regional environmental group.

Steph Wagner

Technical Program Specialist

As the Technical Program Specialist, Steph Wagner performs analyses to determine the right fit for fleet electrification as well as assists in the development of tools and resources.

Avery Ash

Executive Director, Coalition for Reimagined Mobility and Senior Vice President of Government Relations and Special Initiatives, SAFE

Prior to joining SAFE, Avery Ash served as the Vice President of Global Public Policy and Product Strategy at INRIX, the global leader in connected car services and intelligent movement. Previously, Ash was Director of Federal Relations for AAA, where he was responsible for the Association’s federal advocacy on transportation, vehicle technology, mobility, and energy issues.

Ash serves in numerous leadership positions including as a founding steering committee member for Partners for Automated Vehicle Education; a member of Texas Department of Transportation’s Texas Technology Task Force; and board member at the DC-based arts non-profit, CulturalDC. He has previously served on the executive working group of the World Economic Forum’s initiative on the Future of Urban and Autonomous Mobility, as co-chair of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s Technology Engagement Center’s workgroup on autonomous vehicles; on the Board of Directors of the Electric Drive Transportation Association; and been selected as an Aspen Institute Socrates Scholar and SAFE Energy Security Fellow.

He is a frequent speaker and recognized expert on issues surrounding automated, connected, and electric vehicles; transportation policy; and urban mobility. On Capitol Hill, Ash served as Legislative and Special Assistant for Congresswoman Chellie Pingree, where he focused on financial services and economic development issues. Prior to that he supported Congressional Affairs at the US Chamber of Commerce where he managed a portfolio that included technology, transportation, financial services, and anti-counterfeiting issues. He is a graduate of Bowdoin College with a joint degree in Economics and Anthropology.

Ashley Simmons

Deputy Director, Coalition for Reimagined Mobility

Ashley Simmons joined the Coalition for Reimagined Mobility as its Director of Strategic Communications in March 2021. Representing a cross-section of industry, public sector and academic leaders, the Commission is shaping a comprehensive new vision of transportation policy that enables technology to foster more inclusive and accessible communities, and the safe, secure and clean movement of people and goods.

With more than a decade of experience specializing in public relations and public affairs, she’s developed winning communications strategies that elevate reputations, shape advocacy efforts and expand global influence. An expert in strategic communications, Ashley is also the Founder and CEO of REVVIT Public Relations – a consultancy that provides counsel on media strategies and integrated communications campaigns to educate the public and policymakers on technology centric legislative and regulatory policy issues.

Before joining Reimagined Mobility, Simmons led communications teams at advocacy organizations representing the technology, telecommunications and transportation industries. As vice president for External Communications at the Telecommunications Industry Association (TIA), Simmons transformed and modernized TIA’s communications function to develop integrated strategies and data-driven campaigns that framed key policy debates on supply chain security, spectrum allocation, net neutrality and broadband deployment, and elevated issues important to the telecom standards and technology community. Under her leadership, TIA grew it’s reach and the impact of its work to deliver exceptional member value.

Earlier in her career, Simmons spent three years as director of communications for the Intelligent Transportation Society of America (ITS America), where she oversaw cross-functional marketing, events and communications and led a successful campaign for the ITS World Congress in Detroit, Michigan. Prior, she was an account director and digital media consultant for the David All Group and cultivated her PR and media relations skills as communications manager for the Information Technology Industry Council (ITI) and with the Motion Picture Association. Before coming to the nation’s capital, Simmons held communications advisory roles for mayoral and county political campaigns in her hometown of Buffalo, New York.

Simmons earned a Master of Arts in Media and Public Affairs from the School of Media and Public Affairs at the George Washington University, and Bachelor of Arts in Public Communication with a minor in Political Science from SUNY Buffalo State College.

Rachel Aland

Program Manager, Freight, Coalition for Reimagined Mobility

Rachel is Transportation Policy and Strategy Manager with the Coalition for Reimagined Mobility. Throughout her 10+ years of experience as a transportation planner/economist, she has advised governments, private investors, and international institutions on solutions to transportation issues in both the US and Asia. Rachel brings to Reimagined Mobility expertise in freight, aviation, cross-border infrastructure investment, and public-private partnerships.

Prior to joining Reimagined Mobility, Rachel was a Principal Consultant with CPCS, a freight-focused, Canadian-headquartered transportation strategy consulting firm. There she led C/AV and EV business development efforts and managed freight-related analyses throughout the US including the Southern California Freight Strategy, Texas-Mexico Border Transportation Master Plan, Ohio State Freight Plan, and North/West Passage Freight Task Force, among others. Before CPCS, Rachel spent four years in Singapore working for the World Bank’s Infrastructure, PPP, and Guarantees team as well as AECOM. During her time in Asia she advised governments on regulatory and institutional changes to mobilize private sector resources, helped launch a pipeline of infrastructure projects for the ASEAN Secretariat, and led an autonomous vehicle system planning and implementation study for a densely population innovation district in Singapore, among other projects. She also has prior US-based experience producing research and analysis on a broad range of transportation policy and strategic initiatives in aviation, transit, and transportation safety.

In previous roles in transportation consulting and working for international organizations, Rachel has collaborated with diverse partners and clients on complex transportation strategy projects and believes in the power of clear, concise, and visually interesting communication of recommendations through reports, presentations, and community meetings.

Rachel holds a Master of City Planning from the University of Pennsylvania and a Bachelor of Arts in Urban Studies from Brown University.

Dominic Mathew

Manager, Shared Mobility Policy, Coalition for Reimagined Mobility

Kim Watts

Program Manager, Passenger Transportation

Kim is Passenger Transportation Program Manager at the Coalition for Reimagined Mobility. She brings many years of varied international experience in legal practice, academic research, the non-profit sector, regulatory projects and consulting.

Prior to joining Reimagined Mobility, Kim was a Doctoral Research Fellow at the University of Antwerp’s Faculty of Law, and the recipient of a foreign researcher scholarship from Research Foundation Flanders (FWO). Her doctoral research was an international study of alternative liability systems and their application to mobility developments, including automated vehicles and micromobility. Before this, she worked in Ireland for the Public Interest Law Alliance, a special multi-stakeholder project of FLAC (Free Legal Advice Centres).  There, she managed specialist legal and digital projects, coordinated communications strategy and helped develop funding and development strategy. She also spent time working on a project for Ireland’s competition law regulator, adapting European Union regulations into domestic law. She also has extensive experience as an independent legal, communications and strategy consultant for clients in Europe, Asia and the Pacific.  As a New Zealand-qualified barrister and solicitor, Kim began her career as a lawyer at the firms Simpson Grierson and Russell McVeagh. There she worked on complex litigation, competition (antitrust) and regulatory matters.

Kim holds a PhD in Law from the University of Antwerp, Belgium. She also holds a Master of Laws in Commercial Law (First Class Honours) and a Bachelor of Law/Bachelor of Arts from the University of Auckland, New Zealand. Her diverse career and life spent in Africa, Asia, Europe and Oceania is what drives her interest in finding solutions to humanity’s biggest challenges in transport.

Allanté Whitmore

Director, Autonomous Vehicle Initiative

Allanté Whitmore completed a Joint Ph.D. in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering and the Department of Engineering and Public Policy at Carnegie Mellon University. She brings autonomous vehicle technology and policy expertise from researching the environmental, equity, economic, and ethical impacts of autonomous vehicles. During her tenure at CMU, Allanté was awarded multiple fellowships including the K&L Gates Presidential Fellow and Dwight David Eisenhower Transportation Fellowship in addition to interning at Argonne National Laboratory.  Whitmore also was a member of the Pittsburgh Micromobility Collective and AV Policy Advisory Group.