Originally elected to the House of Representatives in 2020, then again reelected in 2022, McFarland has served on a number of committees. Currently, she is the chair of the Transportation & Modals Subcommittee and is a representative of the Infrastructure Strategies Committee, Civil Justice Subcommittee, Energy, Communications & Cybersecurity Subcommittee, and the Regulatory Reform & Economic Development Subcommittee. 

Representative MacFarland’s thoughtful leadership in the Florida House of Representatives has propelled Florida towards a more innovative and tech-forward transportation landscape. 

Fiona is a 2008 graduate of the United States Naval Academy, where she majored in Political Science and was captain of the women’s crew team. She served for eight years on active duty as a Surface Warfare officer, completing tours of duty onboard the Arleigh Burke Class Guided Missile Destroyer USS Preble (DDG 88), as an inaugural crewmember on the Littoral Combat Ship USS Coronado (LCS 4) and in the Navy Office of Information in the Pentagon. While on active duty, she earned an MBA from the University of Chapel Hill’s Kenan Flagler Business School in 2013.

In 2016, Fiona transitioned to the US Navy Reserves. She participated in multinational antisubmarine warfare exercises above the Arctic Circle with the US European Command, as well as with the US Africa Command, promoting cooperation and understanding among regional African allies and partner nations.

In her civilian capacity, Fiona worked as a consultant with the global business management consulting firm McKinsey and Company, where she served clients across media, consumer goods, manufacturing, and advanced technology industries, among others, consulting directly with senior executives of Fortune 500 to solve business and operations challenges.

Fiona is married to fellow Naval Academy classmate and native Floridian Matthew Melton. They have three children. 

Greg Slater is the Executive Director and CEO of the Tampa Hillsborough Expressway Authority (THEA) – a dynamic transportation agency that owns, manages, and operates the Selmon Expressway, Meridian Avenue, Brandon Parkway, and the Selmon Greenway. With over 100,000 daily expressway commuters and thousands of pedestrians that utilize the agency’s network of trails for last-mile commutes and urban walkability, Slater oversees an agency focused on adding value to the community and offering transportation options that enhance quality of life.

Slater is a transportation leader with over two decades of public service experience in a variety of transportation modes, most recently serving as Secretary of the Maryland Department of Transportation (MDOT).

He and THEA are committed to bringing the best technology and most progressive concepts possible to address transportation challenges. The agency processes 58 million toll transactions each year on the Selmon Expressway. It serves almost 2 million annual customers with an investment plan to deliver over $1.2 Billion worth of capital improvements to the Selmon Expressway over the next 10 years.

Catherine Wood

Founder, Chief Executive Officer, and Chief Investment Officer

Cathie registered ARK Investment Management LLC (“ARK”) as an investment adviser with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission in January 2014. With over 40 years of experience identifying and investing in innovation, Cathie founded ARK to focus solely on disruptive innovation while adding new dimensions to research. Through an open approach that cuts across sectors, market capitalizations, and geographies, Cathie believes that ARK can identify large-scale investment opportunities in the public markets resulting from technological innovations centered around DNA sequencing, robotics, artificial intelligence, energy storage, and blockchain technology. As Chief Investment Officer (“CIO”) and Portfolio Manager, Cathie led the development of ARK’s philosophy and investment approach and has ultimate responsibility for investment decisions.

Prior to ARK, Cathie spent twelve years at AllianceBernstein as CIO of Global Thematic Strategies, where she managed over $5 billion. Cathie joined Alliance Capital from Tupelo Capital Management, a hedge fund she co-founded, which in 2000, managed approximately $800 million in global thematic strategies. Prior to her tenure at Tupelo Capital, she worked for 18 years with Jennison Associates LLC as Chief Economist, Equity Research Analyst, Portfolio Manager and Director. She started her career in Los Angeles, California at The Capital Group as an Assistant Economist. Cathie received her Bachelor of Science, summa cum laude, in Finance and Economics from the University of Southern California in 1981.

Cathie has been recognized as an influential fund manager across various outlets. In 2018, editors at Bloomberg acknowledged Cathie by selecting her to its second annual Bloomberg 50 list of people across business, entertainment, finance, politics, technology, and science who have defined global business. Additionally, Fortune named Cathie to its exclusive roundtable of experts in the annual Fortune Investors Guide: The Best Investing Advice for 2019 From Fortune’s Experts. In 2016, Cathie received the “Women in Finance – Outstanding Contribution Award” from Market Media. Cathie also has been a featured speaker at the World Economic Forum (China) in 2016 & 2017, the World Strategic Forum (Miami) in 2017, The Sohn Hearts and Minds Investment Leaders Conference (Australia) in 2018 and 2019, and Singularity University’s Exponential Finance in 2017 and Global Summit in 2019.

In 2018, Cathie launched the Duddy Innovation Institute at her alma mater, Notre Dame Academy in Los Angeles. The institute offers a challenging educational experience for young women eager to stretch their learning beyond the boundaries of traditional acquisition of knowledge, while influencing a new way of thinking and learning throughout campus.

*The Adviser did not pay a fee to be considered for or granted any awards. The Adviser did not pay a fee or was required to be a member of an organization to be invited as a speaker at any of the noted events. For full Award Disclosure please go to our Terms & Conditions page. Past performance is not a guarantee of future results.

Philip Brady is a US Acquisitions and Partnerships Manager for Skyports Infrastructure. Philip heads up the
company’s efforts in the east of the US, where he leads on the acquisition, design & build, and operation of vertiports for air taxis. Philip’s team addresses real estate agreements, local stakeholder engagement, regulatory approvals, airport planning, operational procedures, and enabling technology required to develop and operate safe, efficient, passenger-friendly vertiport infrastructure. Philip began his career as a tenant broker with Savills in Washington, D.C. Following that, he worked in property management and construction at industry-leading companies, including Gilbane Building Company. Philip holds a Master’s in Real Estate Development from George Mason University.

Deana Haynes is a real estate executive with nearly 20 years of broad experience in the industry. As Director of Commercial Real Estate at ChargePoint, she’s expanding ChargePoint’s leadership in the Commercial Real Estate segment through the development of new technology solutions and business models that allow real estate organizations of all kinds to capitalize on the growing need for EV charging at their properties.

Throughout her career, she has led global and domestic transformative business initiatives and strategic projects for high-profile clients and multi-national corporations. Her professional career includes tenure at leading organizations including JLL, Lendlease and Ernst & Young. And she has worked with a number of clients across industries, including financial services, insurance, technology, consumer products, public sector, and non-profit, among others.

As a consultant with JLL and EY, Deana advised Fortune 500 executives on industry best practices and led consulting engagements to provide sustainability, workplace and real estate portfolio solutions that contributed to enterprise strategies and goals. Additionally, she advised internal stakeholders on sustainability trends and best practices for real estate portfolio and capital projects. A member of the extended global leadership team on JLL’s P&G account, she led global initiatives and global communications across 68 countries to drive business performance, client satisfaction and employee engagement.

An experienced sustainability leader, Deana led the development and implementation of key corporate sustainability and green building transformation initiatives for Lendlease’s Project Management & Construction division in the U.S. She also consulted on high-profile construction projects to meet client sustainability and green building requirements, including several LEED Platinum certified projects. She began her career in construction management on an iconic, 92-story skyscraper, the second tallest building in Chicago.

Deana holds an M.B.A. from Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management and earned a Bachelor of Science in Architectural Studies from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

As Director of Public Affairs & Government Relations, Morgan Crapps leads external affairs for Redwood Materials in the Southeast. Redwood Materials is developing a fully closed-loop, domestic supply chain for lithium-ion batteries. Redwood combines recycling, refining and remanufacturing on the same continent to return critical battery components to local battery manufacturers in a sustainable, closed-loop fashion. Today, Redwood is headquartered in Nevada and is in the process of building battery materials campuses in Northern Nevada and South Carolina. At each campus, Redwood plans to produce over 100 GWh of cathode and anode components per year – enough to power more than two million EVs. Prior to joining Redwood, Morgan was a principal at Parker Poe Consulting, where she led site selection and incentive negotiation projects for manufacturers across the country. She has also practiced law at a large regional law firm and served as a project manager and international business recruiter for the South Carolina Department of Commerce. She is a graduate of Clemson University and the University of South Carolina School of Law.

Lee White is an Autonomous Trucking & Logistics expert with deep strategy and operations expertise in the AV trucking space. With four decades of experience, he works at the forefront of the autonomous trucking industry to position stakeholders in the AV ecosystem for long-term success.

Lee’s own career is an authentic success story. Starting out as a peak-season driver for UPS during college, he went on to progress through multiple leadership positions to be the senior engineering leader in multiple operating areas. He has a track record of achieving improvements in service, production, and cost results. He developed and led programs that laid the foundation for future successful deployments. Directing the transportation technology projects required him to work across technology, strategy, and engineering disciplines, and his successes include managing the Autonomous Trucking Project Charter, leading the platooning project, and deploying systems and new business models globally.

More recently, as the Vice President of Strategy for TuSimple, he built the autonomous freight network business model, partnerships, operations, and ecosystem, enabling multiple customers to test autonomous trucking for hundreds of thousands of miles with real freight on real lanes. His mandate spanned all aspects of the network—from defining the business model to engaging and onboarding partners—resulting in a $9 million network with 15+ customers across 11 states.

Today, as the President of LM White Consulting, Lee works with fleets, OEMs, and carriers in developing forward-looking strategies, business models, and roadmaps for AV operations. His unique background allows him to bring all systems, planning, operations, and structures together to allow his clients to rapidly adopt, integrate, and scale the technology.

Lee earned a bachelor’s degree in economics at the University of Georgia. He is a recognized expert in the autonomous vehicle space and has given numerous media interviews, as well as presentations at industry conferences.

Crystal Stiles is executive director of development for Distributed Technologies and Mobility (DT&M) at Florida Power & Light Company (FPL). In this role, Crystal leads DT&M functions that enhance programs and offerings for customers. Under her leadership, DT&M is expanding FPL EVolution, a growing electric vehicle (EV) network including public charging, residential charging and fleet electrification. Crystal is also responsible for microgrids and emerging technologies.

Crystal joined FPL in 2012 and led FPL’s Office of Economic Development. Under her guidance, the economic development team received repeat recognition by national economic development organizations and helped hundreds of companies locate or expand in Florida, resulting in over 30,000 new job opportunities. She also led the 2020 launch of 35 Mules, an innovation hub powered by FPL. 35 Mules provides resources and support to invited startups to grow Florida’s next generation of world-changing companies.

Crystal serves on the board of directors for Enterprise Florida, the Aerospace Alliance and the Electric Drive Transportation Association. She is vice-chair of the Florida delegation of the Southeast U.S./Japan Association and a past chair for the Florida Economic Development Council.

Crystal is a graduate of Leadership Florida Cornerstone Class XXXVII. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in communication from Mary Baldwin College in Staunton, Va., and a Master of Business Administration with a focus in international business from Florida Atlantic University.

Matthew Land leads Government Relations and Public Policy for Eve Air Mobility focused on issues at the federal, state, and local level throughout the United States while providing strategic political support globally. Eve is an independent company that recently spun off from Embraer and dedicated to accelerating the Urban Air Mobility (UAM) ecosystem through an advanced electric vertical takeoff and landing vehicle (eVTOL) project, a comprehensive global services and support network, and a unique air traffic management solution. He has worked in various capacities in politics for more than fifteen years including working on campaigns and as a lobbyist before municipalities throughout Florida and before the Florida Legislature.

Brian Cronin is the Director of the Office of Safety and Operations Research and Development, Federal Highway Administration (FHWA). In this capacity, he provides executive leadership and guidance for improving and advancing transportation safety and operations-related technologies and innovations through research, development, and testing.

Prior to his appointment to the SES, Brian served for 8 years as the Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) Research Team Leader in the ITS Joint Program Office (JPO). In this position, he provided strategic leadership and direction in the development of ITS solutions to improve transportation mobility, safety, and the environment. Brian provided technical leadership for the development of the connected vehicle research program and, most recently, the Secretary’s Smart City Challenge.

Prior to joining FHWA in 2003, Brian served as the Advanced Public Transportation Systems Team Leader with the Federal Transit Administration, where he oversaw the research and deployment of transit-related ITS technologies to improve transit operations.

Brian holds a Master’s Degree in Civil Engineering from Texas A&M University and a Bachelor’s Degree in Civil Engineering from Virginia Tech. Brian is also a licensed Professional Engineer in the State of Maryland.

Eran is an executive with over 20 years of experience in sales management for software (SaaS), information systems, and medical device companies. Prior to joining Driivz, Eran was the General Manager of Equashield US, the Managing Director of Priority Software US, and owned his own Consulting firm. Eran holds a degree in Economics from Bar Ilan University as well as an MBA from the University of Derby.

Dr. Parrish has recently been appointed as the Chief Economist at the Metro Atlanta Chamber.  He was previously the Director of State and Local Policy Analysis at the Florida Institute of Government at Florida State University.  Dr. Parrish is also a Faculty Adjunct in the Master’s of Applied Economics Program at Florida State University.  He also serves as the economist for Florida’s Small Business Development Center (SBDC) and is an economic consultant for The Able Trust.  

He previously was the Chief Economist and Director of Research for the Florida Chamber Foundation.  Previous to that position, Dr. Parrish was the Chief Economist and Director of the Center for Competitive Florida at Florida TaxWatch.  Prior to that position, he served as the Associate Director of the Center for Economic Forecasting & Analysis (CEFA) at Florida State University.  He has many years of experience in the private sector in management roles at international manufacturing companies.

He earned a B.S. in Agricultural Business and Economics from Auburn University, an M.B.A. from Bellarmine University, an M.S. in Economics from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, and a Ph.D. in Economics from Auburn University. 

Alix Miller is the President and CEO of Florida Trucking Association, the sole state liaison between the trucking industry and the legislative, regulatory and judicial branches of state and federal government. She serves on a number of state and national committees, including FDOT’s Florida Transportation Plan Committee; Florida Fruit and Vegetable Association’s Supply Chain Committee; American Trucking Associations’ Legal Reform Advisory Committee and Women in Motion. In 2021, Senate President Wilton Simpson reappointed her to the Florida Council on Arts and Culture. She was recently named to the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta’s Transportation and Logistics Advisory Council. She holds a Bachelor’s degree from Tulane University and both an MFA and Ph.D. from Florida State University.

Mike McGhan is RRAI’s Commercial Growth Lead and Head of Business for the yard truck vertical, focusing on OEM and customer partnerships, and adoption of automated vehicles into revenue service. Prior to joining RRAI in 2022, Mike led the Navy business and worked with multiple government customers over 6 years with Palantir. He was previously a US Navy pilot, including a tour as an operational test pilot with manned and unmanned aircraft.

Mike holds a Bachelor of Science in Information Technology from the United States Naval Academy, and an MBA from the University of North Carolina Kenan Flagler Business School.

Steve Kenner is the Chief Safety Officer at Cruise. Steve is a widely-respected automotive and autonomous vehicle safety executive with 40 years experience at technology and automotive giants, including Apple, Uber, Ford, General Motors, and more. In his role, Kenner oversees safety across all areas of Cruise’s operations, including fleet and driver operations, safety management systems, and safety policy.

Brad Templeton founded ClariNet Communications Corp., the first internet-based content company. (Sold to Individual Inc/Newsedge Corp.) ClariNet published an online electronic newspaper delivered for live reading on subscribers machines. He has been active in the internet community since 1979, participated in the building and growth of USENET from its earliest days and in 1987 he founded and edited rec.humor.funny, the world’s most widely read computerized conference on that network, and today the world’s longest running blog, and declared by the BBC as the first subject of an internet cancel campaign. He has founded 2 software companies and is the author of a dozen software packages.

He is Chairman Emeritus of the Electronic Frontier Foundation, the leading civil rights advocacy group for cyberspace. He is the founding computing faculty at Singularity University, a new school of rapidly changing technology, and was chair for computing starting in 2010. He writes and researches the future of automated transportation at Robocars.com and Forbes.com and worked for two years on Google’s team building these cars, now Waymo. He is a fellow and former board member of the Foresight Institute (A nonprofit Nanotech/Futurist think-tank) and technical advisor to Starship Technologies (Delivery Robots), Deepen.AI (AI Tools), Tilt5 (AR) and others. He is also a well known photographer and artist at Burning Man, and a popular speaker at international events on cars, online rights and other topics.

Cemre KAVVASOGLU is the Product Management Director, North America at ADASTEC Corp (www.adastec.com). Mr. Cemre Kavvasoglu has 5+ years of experience in autonomous vehicles in the private sector as well as working with autonomous technologies during his undergraduate and graduate education. Prior to joining ADASTEC, Mr. Kavvasoglu worked as an Autonomous Driving Development Engineer at AVL. After that, he worked as Autonomous Driving Software Engineer and Technical Product Manager at ADASTEC in Istanbul, where he managed several EU deployments. In 2022, Kavvasoglu was promoted to Product Management Director, North America, where he is responsible for managing deployments and OEM relations in North America, such as the one at Michigan State University.  Mr. Kavvasoglu has a Bachelor of Science in Mechatronics Engineering and a Master of Science in Power Electronics and Clean Energy Systems, and he is currently pursuing his Ph.D. in Mechatronics Engineering.

Michael “Mike” Plasencia is Managing Director of RyderVentures and New Product Strategy at Ryder System, Inc. He is responsible for coordinating the ideation and development of new products in the Ryder pipeline, along with Ryder’s Autonomous Vehicles partnerships and product strategy. Mike also leads operations for RyderVentures, a $50M Corporate Venture Capital fund focused on investing in startups who are driving and tackling disruptions across the supply chain.

Most recently, Mike was Senior Finance Director of the Center of Excellence within the Maintenance organization, where he and his team of data scientists were responsible for advanced financial and data analytics for a nearly $1B cost center. He also held successive roles in Operations within Ryder’s Dedicated Transportation Solutions segment, where he led the ground-up development of a Common Carrier Trucking operation in the Oil & Gas industry and managed several key account operations. Mike began his career with Ryder in 2010 as a Manager within the Corporate Strategy and Development group. Before Ryder, Mike held various roles within the Industrial Engineering function at UPS and several startup ventures.

 Mike has an MBA from Harvard Business School and a Bachelor of Science degree in Computer Engineering, cum laude, from the University of Miami.

Racquel firmly believes that a comprehensive approach to implementing autonomous mobility needs to include a community-focused education and readiness effort to increase rider adoption and understanding.

Prior to joining Beep, Racquel was an award-winning transportation journalist at the forefront of every major transportation development and initiative in Florida, operating as one of the most well-informed sources in the industry.  It was during her time as a journalist that she covered the launch and growth of Beep, extensively covering the first vehicles launched in Lake Nona. She has since helped Beep launch every project site across the country with a community-first approach across six states.

Racquel has been recognized by the Orlando Business Journal, Women In Transportation, and Congressional leadership during Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month.

Her advocacy for safer streets and new innovative solutions to improve mobility align with Beep’s mission to create a transportation solution that is safe, sustainable, and efficient. Racquel holds a Master of Science degree in Broadcast Journalism from Syracuse University, and a Bachelor of Arts in degree in Philosophy, Politics, and Law

Tara Olds is the Director of MnDOT’s Connected and Automated Vehicles Office. Tara leads Minnesota’s CAV engineering, policy, planning, and research and deployment programs. She works to create programming to advance the safe deployment of CAV technologies to promote equitable and sustainable transportation while partnering on regional and national research and policy development.

Tara’s background spans across engineering, construction, project management, community engagement, and traffic safety. She is passionate about creating meaningful and inclusive public engagement to ensure our transportation programs and projects meet the diverse needs of our communities. Tara has a degree in civil engineering from the University of Iowa (Go Hawkeyes!) and a Master’s in Public Affairs from the University of Minnesota’s Humphrey School of Public Policy. Outside of work, Tara enjoys spending time working out, playing broomball, watching sports, visiting family, and spending time with her wife and kids.

As the City Manager of Altamonte Springs (FL), Frank Martz brings more than 30 years of industry expertise, P3 creation, strategic direction, and executive management experience to his role. His blend of vision, empowerment, and fiscal management produced one of the most innovative cities in the world while at the same time lowering the Altamonte Springs’ property tax rate to one of the lowest in Florida and remaining a completely debt-free city. During Mr. Martz’s tenure, the City has expanded its’ portfolio and collaborated with businesses and entities across a large spectrum of industries to develop top-notch amenities for residents.

Frank is a former minor league infielder and brings that work ethic and focus on team building and execution to everything he does. Responding to a community need, Martz collaborated with corporate businesses, educators, professionals and volunteers to create a private sector-funded/city-run practical STEM education experience for Seminole County students. The Altamonte Springs Science Incubator (AS2I) is an innovative program promoting career-readiness in the high-tech, high-demand fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. This past year, Martz expanded that program to include high school classes to train graduating seniors to become licensed wastewater operators. Frank has managed and overseen the planning, engineering, financing, and/or development of nearly $2.7 billion of public, public/private or private projects. In partnership with the Secretaries of the Florida Departments of Transportation and Environmental Protection, Mr. Martz led the development of an innovative project, A-FIRST, that captures and treats stormwater from the I-4 Ultimate project, creating more than 1 billion gallons of new alternative water for the region every year. In 2016, Frank led the formation of the first community-wide congestion management and connectivity pilot in the world with Uber Technologies, Inc.

In 2017, the City created pureALTA, a project that converts reclaimed water to purified drinking water without reverse osmosis and exceeds all drinking water standards. pureALTA became the first project in Florida to ever win the national water reuse award. Frank has served as a member or chair of numerous regional committees relating to land use, transportation and mobility, fiscal planning, opioid addiction, mental health, and other issues relating communities. In 2016, Frank formed a partnership with Uber to create the first community-wide mobility program in the world. The pilot with Uber was replicated nationally and internationally, and served as the basis  to  change Florida law to support transportation network companies. To scale the pilot with Uber, he formed a mobility group that serves nearly 150,000 residents within five cities spanning two counties. In September 2018, pureALTA won an international innovation award in Tokyo, Japan, beating out projects from 45 other countries. He also led the formation of the Altamonte Electric Utility, which seeks to develop sustainable energy solutions for the City’s operations. Under his leadership, the City was named a “Utility of the Future Today” by the Water Environment Federation for the City’s transformational programming. At the outset of the COVID pandemic, Frank and his team became one of the first cities in the world to deploy RNA analysis using ddPCR protocols of wastewater.

In partnership with the University of Arizona, they developed the Altamonte Springs COVID-19 Predictive Model which accurately forecasted new cases based on viral concentrations in wastewater. Like a “Doppler Rader” for COVID, the model is now being used in other areas of the United States. Frank also developed a communications structure to inform international organizations like the WHO, national agencies such as the CDC, state, regional and local governments, as well as hospitals and research universities. The City of Altamonte Springs partnered with the CDC to help create the National Wastewater Surveillance System, and he is currently working with the White House and the CDC on revisions to the national readiness program. Mr. Martz participates on various innovation committees across the world, including: Technology and Entrepreneurial Center at Harvard University; Cities Today Institute; as a Board Member for the Urban Leadership Foundation; as an executive cohort member for Meeting of the Minds; as a Global Founding member of MasterCard City Possible Program; and he was named one of the Top 10 Public Sector Transportation Innovators in the United States by the Eno Center for Transportation. Altamonte Springs was one of only three cities in Florida to be ranked by Money Magazine in the top 50 cities in America in which to live, and was ranked the 19th best city in the United States for small business investment by WalletHub.

In 2023, the City of Altamonte Springs and the Florida Department of Transportation launched an autonomous vehicle program, the first to be funded by the state over multiple years.  It will operate in mixed traffic alongside mixed modes, and in both public rights-of-way and private properties.  The City chose Beep as the AV operator.  Frank and his team also have launched the Altamonte Global Innovation Lab (AGīL) to create, curate and host the development of both public and private sector mobility, environmental, technological, and data-driven innovation solutions that can be scaled and implemented in other communities nationally and internationally.

Nicola Liquori, appointed in August 2019, serves as the Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer of Florida’s Turnpike Enterprise. She has over 20 years of experience in the transportation industry. The Enterprise is part of the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) and encompasses 511 centerline miles of Turnpike System facilities and touches 20 of the State’s 67 counties.

The Enterprise is also responsible for tolling operations statewide, primarily through the SunPass system. On a daily basis, the Enterprise processes three million toll transactions and is home to the largest single back office in the country. The Enterprise is also home to SunTrax, a facility that embodies the future of transportation technology in a multi-modal environment. The SunTrax mission is to advance technology solutions that improve transportation safety and efficiency. 

Ms. Liquori serves on the boards of the International Bridge Tunnel and Turnpike Association (IBTTA), the Alliance for Toll Innovation (ATI) and the Transportation and Expressway Authority Membership of Florida (TEAMFL). She chairs the IBTTA Government Affairs Committee and is the current Chair of TeamFL. She also serves on tolling peer review panels for Washington DOT and Oregon DOT. 

Nicola believes transportation has an exciting future and there has never been a better time to be a part of this ever-changing and complex industry. She looks forward to the next several years as technology becomes more embedded in delivering critical infrastructure.

Gina Evans Dew has served as the Director of Government and Community Relations for the Hillsborough County Aviation Authority since December of 2012.  In this role, Mrs. Dew represents the Authority’s four airports at the local, state, and federal level while managing the airport’s community efforts.  She Co-Chairs the Authority’s internal committee on Advanced Air Mobility and oversees the airport’s minority contracting efforts.

In addition to her duties at the Authority, Mrs. Dew was recently appointed by Governor DeSantis to the Florida Commission on Community Service.  She also serves as Chair of the Development Committee for the Museum of Science and Industry, Policy Committee member for the Crisis Center of Tampa Bay, member of the Hillsborough Transportation Policy Organization, and is a member of both The Junior League of Tampa and Florida Blue Key.

Mrs. Dew earned her Bachelor of Science in Public Relations and Master of Arts in Mass Communications degrees from the University of Florida. She was named one of Tampa Bay Business Journal’s Up and Comers for 2015, Top 10 under 40 for South Tampa Magazine in 2019, and is a graduate of Leadership Tampa Class of 2019.

Gregory Crandell is the General Manager of HOLON US.  He began his career as a 3^rd generation GM employee which grounded him with a historical automotive perspective and through his mother’s foresight, Gregory was able to experience a behind-the-scenes view into the challenges executive leaders encounter changing large organizations.

Driven by a kaizen approach to life, he takes pride in developing teams and processes that encourage educated risk taking to reach goals by living in the moment but planning for tomorrow.

After living/working abroad for 12 years in 3 countries, his goals include localizing innovative solutions, reinforcing the importance of the “3-GEN Principle” (GENba, GENbutsu, GENjitsu) and expanding Green Space in metropolitan areas.

In addition to his professional career, Gregory enjoys impromptu outdoor adventures and spending time with his family, especially his 6-year-old son that’s keeping him challenging life.

Zeke Reyna works as an Emerging Technology Portfolio Project Manager for the Texas Department of
Transportation’s Strategic Planning Division focusing on connected and automated vehicles, advanced
air mobility, and other emerging technology-related policies at the state and federal level. In this role,
he serves as the principal staffer for the statewide Texas Connected and Automated Vehicle Task Force,
which was created in January 2019. Additionally, Zeke heads up the department’s internal Connected
and Automated Vehicle Workgroup. Zeke also led the Texas Transportation Commission’s Urban Air
Mobility Advisory Committee, which was legislatively created to help prepare Texas for the next
generation of aviation. Finally, as TxDOT’s chief staffer serving on the RUC America pooled fund
consortium since 2014, Zeke currently serves as Chair of the steering committee.

Previously, Zeke worked as a staffer in both the Texas Senate and Texas House of Representatives, most
recently as the Senior Transportation and Licensing Policy Advisor to former Texas Speaker of the House,
Joe Straus. In previous positions at TxDOT, Zeke served as the commission aide to former Texas
Transportation Commissioner Fred Underwood. Zeke graduated from the University of Texas at Austin
with a B.A. in Government. He resides with his wife and three children in Austin, Texas.

Reilly P. Brennan is a founding partner at Trucks, a seed-stage venture capital fund for entrepreneurs changing the future of transportation. He has over 50 venture investments in transportation, including Roadster, Gatik, May Mobility, JetZero, nuTonomy, Zendrive, AEye, Bear Flag Robotics, Universal Hydrogen and Joby Aviation.

Reilly taught classes at Stanford University (2013-2021), in the School of Engineering and the d.school, focused on transportation, design and entrepreneurship. Prior to Trucks, Reilly was Executive Director for Stanford’s automotive research program, Revs.

His influential newsletter FoT is a radar for what’s happening in transportation. He was a member of the Le Mans-winning factory Corvette C5-R program. His personal land speed record is 168 mph, behind the wheel of a Chaparral 2E.

Matt Broffman is the Head of Partnerships and Network Development, Americas at Lilium Aviation, developer of the first all-electric vertical take-off and landing (“eVTOL”) jet. In his role, Broffman is focused on aligning all elements necessary for Lilium’s US launch. Broffman previously served as Director of Innovation for Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer. He was responsible for creating and leading the city’s innovation portfolio and team, including Orlando’s Advanced Air Mobility work. Matt has more than two decades of experience building products and services that help organizations and communities take advantage of emerging innovations.

Christian Bauer has more than 15 years of experience in the mobility sector. He worked for  Daimler in various functions including Business Development and M&A, where he participated in merger, venture, fundraising and IPO projects including Airbus, myTaxi, HERE Technologies, Renault/Nissan and others. Before joining Volocopter he was heading a department for High- Tech cooperations at Mercedes-Benz, pushing to bring innovations to series maturity. An economist and information technologist by training, Christian is responsible for all commercial aspects at Volocopter and making Urban Air Mobility Services an integral part of transportation systems across the globe.

Trey provides statewide technology leadership for the Florida Department of Transportation, including information technology, operational technology and emerging technology initiatives. Trey is responsible for FDOT’s Office of Information Technology, Civil Integrated Management Office, and Emerging Technologies Office including groups providing statewide leadership in transportation data analytics, geographic information systems, and surveying and mapping. He also provides strategic leadership in the areas of automated vehicles and electric vehicle infrastructure.

Previously, Trey served as FDOT’s Director of Traffic Engineering and Operations and State Traffic Operations Engineer for over six years. Trey has expertise in the areas of traffic engineering, traffic safety, transportation systems management and operations, connected vehicles, managed lanes, commercial vehicle operations, and incident management. Over his career, he has managed the planning, design, deployment, integration, operations, and/or maintenance of dozens of intelligent transportation systems and traffic signal projects in Florida. During emergencies, Trey is part of the transportation and engineering support team for Florida’s State Emergency Operations Center and has worked many hurricane events.

Trey’s transportation career spans over 29 years in the public and private sectors. Trey received his Civil Engineering degree from Georgia Tech and is a registered Professional Engineer in Florida and Georgia. He is a member of the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials Committee on Transportation Systems Operation, the Transportation Research Board Vehicle-Highway Automation Committee, and the Institute of Transportation Engineers, as well as having served on many National Cooperative Highway Research Program project panels.

Raj V. Ponnaluri is the Manager of Emerging Technologies at the Florida Department of Transportation. After previously leading the state’s connected and automated vehicles (CAV), arterial management, managed lanes and connected vehicle programs, and assisting with the development of the transportation system management and operations (TSM&O) initiatives, Raj now bring his leadership and experience to implementing the latest in advanced transportation technologies. Of note, he is leading Florida’s National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) program to deploy electric vehicle charging infrastructure across the state of Florida.

Raj holds a BS, MS, and PhD in transportation engineering and an MBA. He is a registered P.E., PTOE and PMP. He has over 25 years of experience in Traffic Engineering and Operations, intelligent transportation system (ITS), TSM&O, CAV, wrong-way driving (WWD), public transportation, and projects and contract management. Raj has published his work in several journals, and has authored a book titled, Connected and Automated Vehicles: Developing Policies, Designing Programs, and Deploying Projects.

Alex Roy is co-founder of Johnson & Roy advisors, the Autonocast podcast, The Drive, and the Human Driving Association. Roy is Chairman Emeritus of The Moth, has set 7x Cannonball Run endurance driving records, and spent 4 years at Argo AI. He is also the author of The Driver, producer of APEX: The Secret Race Across America, and often cited as the godfather of Universal Basic Mobility.

John “Jay” B. Rogers, Jr., CEO & Co-Founder, grew up a lover of woodworking, machines, and a student of industry; his grandfather owned the legendary Indian Motorcycle Company, founded concrete and steel giant Texas Industries, and was the first Cummins Engine Distributor in the United States. Jay’s grandfather is also credited with saving the Public Broadcasting System during the Nixon Administration and co-founding the Children’s Television Workshop, which is best known for Sesame Street. In embracing his family legacy of manufacturing and innovation, Jay has added his military leadership, entrepreneurship, and education, in order to hand-select a team of co-founders and set forth on a most ambitious plan: Creating Haddy – manufacturer of heroic, beautiful, durable furniture for retailers, to their design, built locally in the most resilient and sustainable manner.

He graduated from Princeton University and went to a startup in China and then to Ewing & Partners where he became a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA). After that, he went on to the US Marine Corps where he served for 8 years in the infantry in the western Pacific and Iraq, to Harvard Business School and to become a consultant for McKinsey & Co. Most recently, he founded and led Local Motors, a next generation vehicle OEM. It was there that Jay first employed the basic technology of Direct Digital Manufacturing (DDM), and in 2021 he handed over the reins of Local Motors to a new investor group and left to start Haddy full-time. He has spoken at BIF, PopTech, TedX, Picnic in Amsterdam, Do Conference in Wales, St Gallen Symposium, the White House conference on making, CES, CeBIT, IMTS, Singularity University, and many more conclaves. Additionally, the story of American innovation, co-creation and digital manufacturing has been shared on Discovery, PBS, Fox, CNBC, and Speed Channel. In 2020, he was awarded the honor of leading Local Motors to one of the top 10 global innovative transportation companies by Popular Science.

Jay is a director of the RBR Foundation, which gives annually to the cause of childhood education and development. He is the father of 4 boys who are growing up in a connected age and whom, he hopes, will take advantage of the incredible opportunity that the internet has given the world. He loves to learn languages, read widely, and to design and build projects of all kinds from leather to wood, and of course, 3D Printing.

A Massachusetts native with an interest in public service, Pam Miniati graduated from
Tufts University with a degree in American Studies before heading to Washington, DC
to work on Capitol Hill. Her experience in Congress is where she learned the art and
influence of bringing people together.

Miniati would continue her education and obtain an MBA in finance, marketing, and
policy at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business.
Miniati put her talents to use at Ernst & Young Healthcare Consulting, where she helped
a major West Coast hospital system develop a state-of-the-art shared services center
for non-clinical services. Miniati was instrumental in growing the business from 0 to 400
people within two years.

For more than two decades, Miniati worked with startups and spearheaded programs in
technology, healthcare, and non-profit industries. Her experience includes six years at
the San Jose, California-based startup Neoforma, Inc., a leading provider of supply
chain management solutions for hospitals and their suppliers. She managed their
largest customer, served as Director of Product Management and Product Marketing,
and successfully orchestrated the launch of four major software releases for their supply
chain e-commerce platform.

Miniati relocated to Tampa with her husband and, in 2016, became the final member of
FIBA’s inaugural team.  Miniati has directed 5 FIBA programs with 60 Israeli companies
and is now Co-Executive Director along with Rakefet Phillips. As Co-Executive Director
of FIBA, Miniati overseas program development and management, operations, and
ongoing collaboration with the Israeli startups.

Tomer Shahaf, CEO & Co. Founder, has more than 15 years of experience in high-level management and business development in the energy infrastructures & fuel sectors and the electric vehicle market.

Tomer previously served as Natali Healthcare Solutions’ VP of Business Development. Additionally, Tomer was the VP of Business Development at Petroleum & Energy Infrastructures Ltd. Tomer holds an MA in Energy Management from the University of Haifa and a BA in Management from Ben-Gurion University.

Prashanthi Raman has nearly 15 years of experience navigating challenging, highly charged, and complex political environments. As the Vice President of Global Government Affairs for Cruise, an all-electric, autonomous vehicle company, she oversees public policy and regulatory issues for the company worldwide. Prior to Cruise, Prashanthi served as Head of State and Local Government Relations at Lyft, where she played a pivotal role in creating and expanding the ridesharing industry across North America. She is a graduate of Northwestern University and Chicago-Kent College of Law and received her Masters in Public Health from the University of Illinois at Chicago.

Tim Kustka has over 20 years in enterprise sales ranging from Satellite & Fiber and drone technology to EV and electrification of fleets. Upon moving to Israel 10 years ago, he quickly gained global experience through European and African initiatives.

Prior to joining Make My Day, Tim was Head of Global Sales at FlightOps which is the flight stack for Walmart last mile ecommerce drone deliveries and was the key contributor involved with building the relationship with Qualcomm. Tim is all about technology and solutions which make our lives better.

Beth Kigel is a global thought leader in new mobility and smart city ecosystems and is responsible for assisting transportation agencies, cities and regions in developing smart and connected infrastructure solutions. 

Previously, Beth served as Florida Transportation Commissioner from 2012-2019. Prior to this role, she served as a Chamber Executive and in various private-sector leadership positions, within engineering and other firms, in areas such as finance, business development, and quality assurance, to government relations.

Beth is active on numerous appointed boards and industry associations, including ITS World Congress Board of Directors; Chair, ITS America Emerging Technologies Committee; Vice Chair of Florida Polytechnic University Board of Trustees; University of Florida Transportation Institute External Board of Advisors; Freight Mobility Research Institute Advisory Board for Florida Atlantic University; Florida Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors; chair of the Autonomous Florida Program; Leadership Florida where she served as Chair, Board of Directors 2017-2018; and more.

Beth received the 2018 Leadership and Innovation Award, presented at the Florida Automated Vehicle Summit, and is recognized as one of the Florida 500, Florida Trend’s recognition of Florida’s 500 most influential executives.

Richard Willder is Uber’s Global Head of Regulatory and Autonomous Policy. Working at the intersection of corporate affairs, geopolitics, strategy and operations, Richard leads public policy and government affairs for Uber’s Autonomous Mobility & Delivery business, as well as Uber’s broader global priorities for regulatory affairs and policy.

Prior to this, Richard led major regulatory reform for ridesharing in key global markets. He was Head of Public Policy in North Asia, based in Hong Kong, and represented Uber’s public policy team in Australia and New Zealand, one of Uber’s most developed and successful markets. Before joining Uber, Richard worked as a policy, political and strategic adviser to the Hon Josh Frydenberg MP and the Coalition Government across a wide array of portfolio responsibilities.

Ariel Wolf

Ariel Wolf leads Venable’s Autonomous and Connected Mobility group, where he counsels clients facing complex legal and policy issues at the intersection of automation, electrification, connectivity, data privacy, and cybersecurity. Ariel is a recognized thought leader who works closely with vehicle manufacturers, technology companies, advanced equipment suppliers, and software developers to navigate the emerging landscape being transformed by autonomous vehicles (AVs) and mobility technology.

Ariel’s legal work includes serving as general counsel to the Autonomous Vehicle Industry Association (AVIA), the nation’s leading coalition of AV developers, to advance federal, state, and international regulatory priorities for the AV industry. He provides sophisticated legal counseling to clients through the application of general transportation law to novel use cases and technologies and is a seasoned advocate who represents clients before agencies that include the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. Previously, as a senior official in the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT), Ariel launched the Department’s Non-traditional and Emerging Transportation Technology (NETT) Council, oversaw the Department’s efforts on spectrum policy, and developed policies governing automated vehicles, drones, hyperloop, and other innovative technologies.

In addition to his legal work, Ariel leverages nearly two decades of government affairs experience to engage with federal and state policymakers and negotiate regulatory frameworks that govern AVs and related emerging mobility technology. He has testified before the U.S. Congress and across the country on autonomous and connected vehicle legislation and is frequently quoted by national media outlets on transportation developments. Ariel is a member of Venable’s Privacy Group and his work has been recognized by Legal 500.

Senator Jeff Brandes is a highly respected and accomplished leader who served in the Florida Legislature from 2010 to 2022. He represented District 24, which covered a majority of Pinellas County, and was known for his innovative and independent policy-making. Throughout his tenure, he consistently advocated for solutions to address Florida’s most challenging issues.

Brandes is a strong advocate for free market principles and has worked to reduce regulations and taxes to promote business development in Florida. He is a vocal supporter of cutting-edge technologies and has played a vital role in the state’s advancing self-driving vehicles, rideshare, and other emerging technologies. For over a decade, he has hosted the Florida Automated Vehicle Summit, which assembles industry leaders from around the world to address transportation technologies, operations, and policy issues.

He is a veteran, having served as an Army officer in the 101st Airborne Division in Iraq. This experience gave him a unique perspective on leadership and public service. He has also been an advocate for prison reform and worked to increase public safety through improvements in the criminal justice system. The former Senator continues to be an expert leader in property insurance reform.

Brandes is a business owner and serves on the boards of several community organizations. Senator Brandes lives in St. Petersburg and is dedicated to making Florida a better place to live, work, and raise a family. Since leaving office, he has founded the Florida Policy Project, a not-for-profit, non-partisan organization that researches best practices and better outcomes in housing affordability, property insurance, criminal justice, and transportation. The Florida Policy Project is working to impact state policy-making on these pillars.

As founder & CEO of The Road to Autonomy, Grayson Brulte is an expert on what happens next. His vision and insight have established him as one of the world’s leading authorities on the emerging universe of autonomous vehicles and trucks.

Grayson has leveraged his understanding of this dynamic and disruptive market to create a powerful and respected integrated data analytics and media platform – The Road to Autonomy®.

The platform includes the main components: The Road to Autonomy Index®, calculated by S&P Dow Jones Indices, which tracks the 40 most influential companies investing in technology research and development of autonomy; The Road to Autonomy® Podcast, an award-winning program with nearly 200 episodes featuring the industry’s most influential voices; and a new The Road to Autonomy® video series featuring in-depth looks at the players behind the trends, whose game-changing technologies will drive autonomy beyond what currently seems possible.

Grayson advises the executive teams of many of the leaders in the autonomy space, and he is in demand as a speaker at industry events and an expert source for the media. His insights and perspectives have been featured In The Wall Street Journal, The Financial Times, The Los Angeles Times, Bloomberg News, Reuters News, Forbes, CNN, and The Hollywood Reporter.

Grayson has deep experience in autonomy and other disruptive technologies. He is former co-chair of the City of Beverly Hills Mayor’s Autonomous Vehicles Task Force and a member of the city’s Smart City/Technology Committee. In these roles, he helped Beverly Hills become one of the country’s digital capitals as ranked by Google. Grayson started his career at Sony Music Entertainment at a time when technology and platforms such as YouTube were changing the dynamics of the music business and reshaping the relationships between artists and record companies.