WASHINGTON – The Intelligent Transportation Society of America’s (ITS America) new standing committees begin their work this week, with a lineup of leaders who have substantial expertise in their respective policy areas. 

ITS America created the six standing committees to reflect the views of the membership and to make recommendations to the Board of Directors. The committees’ scope includes policy development, advocacy, legislative and regulatory affairs, programmatic areas of focus, identification of potential research, and creation of workshops, roundtables, and educational initiatives. 

“We are excited to have such talented leaders and committee members,” said ITS America President & CEO Shailen Bhatt. “This new structure allows ITS America members to contribute more broadly to our policymaking process and help us identify key focus areas as we continue working toward our vision of a safer, greener, smarter future.” 

The Automated Vehicle Standing Committee advocates for policies and regulatory frameworks to facilitate the safe testing, deployment, and integration of highly automated vehicles into the surface transportation system. 

Chair: Nat Beuse, Aurora. Nat started last month as head of safety for Aurora and before that headed up safety for Uber’s self-driving unit. Previously, he was associate administrator for vehicle safety research at the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), responsible for directing NHTSA’s vehicle safety research activities in many areas including vehicle automation, cybersecurity, driver information systems, occupant protection and accommodation of driver and occupants with disabilities and other special needs. 

Vice Chair: Greg Winfree, TTI. As Director of Texas A&M’s Transportation Institute, one of Greg’s focus areas is connected and automated vehicles. Prior to TTI, he served as Assistant Secretary, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Research and Technology at the U.S. Department of Transportation. 

The Emerging Technologies Standing Committee identifies legislative and regulatory barriers and opportunities to safely advance emerging technologies, monitor national trends and related research, and promote best practices and private and public sector partnerships. 

Chair: Stan Caldwell, CMU Mobility21. Stan is the Executive Director of Traffic21 Institute, the T-SET National USDOT University Transportation Center for Safety, and Mobility21, a USDOT National University Transportation Center for Mobility. He is also an Adjunct Associate Professor of Transportation and Public Policy at CMU, where he teaches ITS courses and advises student projects. 

Vice Chair: Andrew Liu, AECOM. Andrew is Senior Vice President and Director of Growth for AECOM’s transportation business in the western United States. He has more than 20 years of experience working on large-scale transit, highways and bridges, and, airport projects. Andrew has also managed a global Intelligent Transportation System (ITS) business and co-founded both corporate new ventures, as well as venture backed startups, in emerging transportation technologies. Prior to his current role, he led new product development for Smart Mobility at another global infrastructure technology firm. 

The MOD Alliance identifies legislative and regulatory barriers and opportunities to advance Mobility on Demand, monitors national trends and related research, and promote best practices and private and public sector partnerships. It also serves as a forum to disseminate and exchange information and other innovations, addressing areas like transit and cargo delivery automation, payment integration, mobility wallets, accessibility, equity, data sharing, rural/suburban MOD, workforce, insurance, value/congestion pricing and privacy/cybersecurity. 

Chair: Andy Taylor, Cubic. Andy is Senior Director of Global Strategy for Cubic Transportation Systems, where he focuses on growing strategic partnerships, investing in new technologies, and exploring new markets. He also served as a board member of the MaaS Alliance for three years. 

Vice Chair: Sophia Mohr, COTA. As the first Chief Innovation Officer for the Central Ohio Transit Authority (COTA), Sophia is focused on developing innovative mobility solutions to support the growth and changing needs of people in central Ohio. 

The Smart Infrastructure Standing Committee advocates for automated, connected, shared, electrified transportation and broadband policies and programs that support the rapid deployment of intelligent transportation technologies leading to safer, greener, smarter, and more equitable communities. 

Chair: John Barton, HNTB. John is a Senior Vice President for HNTB and serves as its national Department of Transportation Market Sector Lead. Prior to joining HNTB, John was deputy executive director for the Texas Department of Transportation and held several roles within the Texas A&M University System. 

Vice Chair: Cordell Schachter, NYC DOT. As Chief Technology Officer, Cordell leads New York City Department of Transportation’s IT & Telecom organization which innovates IT services in mobility, software development, mapping, communications, on-site and cloud infrastructure, project management, public data, and customer support. He previously served on the ITS America Board of Directors. 

The Sustainability and Resiliency Standing Committee develops and advocates for legislative and regulatory policies that remove barriers and enhance opportunities to safely advance sustainable and resilient transportation technologies, frameworks, and best practices. It focuses on topics such as electrified vehicles, charging infrastructure, power generation, power grid capability and resiliency, infrastructure resiliency, roadside management, advanced materials technologies, mobility efficiency, and transportation sector emissions. The committee will also lead ITS America’s multi-committee working group on a Road Usage Charge system. 

Chair: Lori Pepper, CalSTA. Lori has been Deputy Secretary for Innovative Mobility Solutions at the California State Transportation Agency (CalSTA) since 2019. Before that, she was the senior federal policy specialist for Honda North America in Washington, DC, where she focused on technology and innovation. Prior to Honda, Lori worked on Capitol Hill for 10 years in various senior-level positions as well as for the Maryland State Legislature, where she began her career. 

Vice Chair: Jannet Walker-Ford, AECOM. Jannet is SVP & Transit Market Sector Leader for the Americas at AECOM. Before joining AECOM in 2020, she led transportation focused government affairs as VP for Cubic Corporation and previously served as VP & General Manager for the Eastern Region, Americas for Cubic Transportation Systems, earlier was deputy CEO and general manager of the Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA). 

The Vehicle-to-Everything (V2X) and Connected Transportation Standing Committee identifies legislative and regulatory barriers and opportunities to safely advance V2X and connected transportation technologies; develops and advocates for related legislative and regulatory policies; monitors national trends and related research; promotes the development of technologies, best practices, and private and public sector partnerships; and serves as a forum to disseminate and exchange related information and best practices. It focuses on such topics as spectrum allocation and use, standards development, V2X application priority, V2X technology deployment, and defining the future of connected transportation technologies. 

Chair: John Hibbard, Georgia DOT. John has 35 years of experience in technology-focused traffic management and currently directs transportation operations functions, including operations, ITS, maintenance and utilities for the Georgia Department of Transportation. He served as co-chair of ITS America’s V2X Task Force, the precursor to this new committee. 

Vice Chair: Steve Kuciemba, WSP USA. Steve is the National ITS and CAV Practice Lead, helping coordinate projects and resources for a wide variety of clients and disciplines, while also continuing to lend his state-of-the-practice expertise to project work. He has more than 30 years of leadership in the ITS field. 

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About ITS America 

The Intelligent Transportation Society of America advances the research and deployment of intelligent transportation technologies to save lives, improve mobility, promote sustainability, and increase efficiency and productivity. Our vision is a better future transformed by intelligent mobility: safer, greener, smarter. For more information, please visit www.itsa.org