Internationally Recognized Transportation and Safety Expert Dr. Mark Rosekind to Lead the California Mobility Center
Dr. Rosekind will be the CMC’s first CEO starting October 3rd
SACRAMENTO, Calif.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–The California Mobility Center (CMC) publicly announced today that Mark R. Rosekind, Ph.D., has taken the position as the first Chief Executive Officer of the 18-month-old mobility innovation and commercialization center starting on October 3, 2022. The announcement was made at the ITS World Congress in Los Angeles, CA, an event that brings together diverse stakeholders in the intelligent transportation systems industry.
CMC Board Chair Arlen Orchard made the announcement, stating, “Mark’s career includes decades of diverse experiences in complex, high-performance environments that required innovation, data-driven strategies, and strong leadership. It’s this combination that has led to an impressive set of achievements. His skill set, experiences, and expertise developed in academia, NASA, the NTSB, NHTSA, and autonomous vehicles brings to the CMC an unparalleled set of tools and knowledge at a time when we are ready to expand the CMC’s impact, scale, and reach.”
Dr. Rosekind comes to the nonprofit, public benefit corporation that launched commercial operations in Q1-2021 with a goal of pursuing innovation and ways to leverage and integrate efforts across the areas of safety, sustainability, and equity. “The accomplishments the CMC has achieved in a very short time are remarkable,” said Rosekind. “In only a year and a half and during a pandemic, the CMC created a portfolio of people, projects, and networks that position it for tremendous future success. We will build on that momentum, while evolving and expanding the CMC’s enormous potential to affect change in the complex and challenging arenas of transportation safety, sustainability, and equity.”
Dr. Rosekind is an internationally recognized transportation safety professional with over 30 years of experience. He comes to the CMC from Zoox, an autonomous mobility company where he served as the Chief Safety Innovation Officer since 2017. He was the 40th member of the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) from 2010 to 2014 and 15th Administrator of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) from 2014 to 2017, appointed to both positions by President Obama. He also served as the Distinguished Policy Scholar in the Department of Health Policy and Management at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health for 2020-2022.
“The CMC represents a tremendous opportunity to enhance societal safety, sustainability, and equity through new mobility innovations,” Rosekind said. “These are big, bold opportunities that can leverage California’s innovation, technology, expertise, and resources for meaningful national and global impact.”
Dr. Rosekind led significant transformation at NHTSA, instilling a proactive safety culture while driving both the Agency and automobile industry to be future-oriented. His initiatives included the development and issuance of the first-ever Federal Automated Vehicles Policy, the founding of the Road to Zero coalition to develop a 30-year plan to eliminate traffic fatalities, and aggressive oversight of safety in the automobile industry, including leading the Agency through the nation’s largest product safety recall in U.S history. His leadership earned him the distinction of being named the 2015 Industry Leader of the Year by Automotive News. As a member of the NTSB, he was the Board Member on-scene for seven major investigations and advanced the agency’s advocacy goals on substance-impaired driving, fatigue, fire safety, and rail mass transit.
The CMC also announced that Neal Best has been appointed chief operating officer. From the CMC’s initial conception, Best has provided leadership in establishing founding partnerships, securing funding, strategizing, and onboarding new clients. He has over 20 years of global experience in international corporate business consulting and economic development. Best replaces Mark Rawson who held the position of COO for the CMC since 2018. Rawson will be joining GridCure, an electric vehicle charging optimization platform, as Senior Vice President of Strategy and Partnerships in October. He will continue to support the CMC as a Senior Advisor through the remainder of the year.
Rawson and Best are credited with leading the CMC through its formative stage that included expanding the CMC’s strategic business, member, and partner relationships, overseeing the lease agreement for the CMC’s Ramp-Up Factory at Depot Park in Sacramento, CA, and spearheading the CMC’s official commercialization launch in March 2021.
“The full potential of the CMC is unlimited,” Rosekind said. “The societal needs are great and the opportunities for the CMC to deliver meaningful outcomes is tremendous.”
About the California Mobility Center (CMC): The CMC is a nonprofit, public-private entity providing future mobility innovators and industry incumbents access to programs and resources that accelerate the pace of commercialization worldwide and aspires to be the leading innovation center for global mobility success. The CMC was founded by industry thought leaders in clean technology including California State University, Sacramento, EnerTech Capital, PEM Motion, Sacramento Municipal Utility District (SMUD) and the Greater Sacramento Economic Council (GSEC). The CMC is strategically located in Sacramento, CA. Its location puts the CMC in close proximity to California government, which leads the United States and the world in producing policies around green mobility and technology. For more information, visit californiamobilitycenter.org.
Contacts
Christine Ault, 916.803.1413
christine@christineault.com
