WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Transportation (U.S. DOT) announced today that it is establishing a new advisory committee focused on automation across a number of modes. The committee, which includes leading professionals and experts in their field, will hold its first meeting on January 16th, 2017 to immediately begin work on some of the most pressing and relevant matters facing transportation today, including the development and deployment of automated vehicles, and determining the needs of the Department as it continues with its relevant research, policy, and regulations.

The new committee members are:

  1. Co-Chair: Mary Barra- General Motors, Chairman and CEO
  2. Co-Chair: Eric Garcetti- Mayor of Los Angeles, CA
  3. Vice Chair: Dr. J. Chris Gerdes- Stanford University, Professor of Engineering
  4. Gloria Boyland- FedEx, Corporate Vice President, Operations & Service Support
  5. Robin Chase- Zipcar; Buzzcar; Veniam, Co-founder of Zipcar and Veniam
  6. Douglas Chey- Hyperloop One, Senior Vice President of Systems Development
  7. Henry Claypool- Community Living Policy Center, Policy Director
  8. Mick Cornett- Mayor of Oklahoma City, OK
  9. Mary “Missy” Cummings- Duke University, Director, Humans and Autonomy Lab, Pratt School of Engineering
  10. Dean Garfield- Information Technology Industry Council, President and CEO
  11. Mary Gustanski- Delphi Automotive, Vice President of Engineering & Program Management
  12. Debbie Hersman- National Safety Council, President and CEO
  13. Rachel Holt- Uber, Regional General Manager, United States and Canada
  14. Lisa Jackson- Apple, Vice President of Environment, Policy, and Social Initiatives
  15. Tim Kentley-Klay- Zoox, Co-founder and CEO
  16. John Krafcik- Waymo, CEO
  17. Gerry Murphy- Amazon, Senior Corporate Counsel, Aviation
  18. Robert Reich- University of California, Berkeley, Chancellor's Professor of Public Policy, Richard and Rhoda Goldman School of Public Policy
  19. Keller Rinaudo- Zipline International, CEO
  20. Chris Spear- American Trucking Association (ATA), President and CEO
  21. Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger- Safety Reliability Methods, Inc., Founder and CEO
  22. Bryant Walker Smith- University of South Carolina, Assistant Professor, School of Law and (by courtesy) School of Engineering
  23. Jack Weekes- State Farm Insurance, Operations Vice President, Innovation Team
  24. Ed Wytkind- President, Transportation Trades Department, AFL-CIO
  25. John Zimmer- Lyft, Co-founder and President

As technology develops, automation may play a larger role in a number of modes of transportation, including cars, buses, trains, planes, and UAS (drone) systems. This committee will play a critical role in sharing best practices, challenges, and opportunities in automation, and will open lines of communication so stakeholders can learn and adapt based on feedback from each other.