FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 8, 2021
NASHVILLE, TENN – TennSMART, a consortium of public and private organizations with a vision to elevate Tennessee and the Southeast to the forefront of intelligent mobility solutions, today announced five new members to its Board of Directors. While three of the five seats are renewed board members, TennSMART’s membership also voted to expand the number of board seats to allow for more representation. The expanded board will support the consortium’s mission to bring together leaders from the public and private sector to accelerate the development and deployment of new intelligent mobility innovations that improve safety, accessibility, and infrastructure while reducing emissions.
“We are pleased to have continued representation from active members and to welcome two new board members who will bring valuable expertise and insight to our mission,” said Dr. Claus Daniel, board president, TennSMART, and Director of Applied Energy Programs, Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL). “Our aim is to ensure that TennSMART’s board reflects the diversity of our membership from research institutions, private companies, state agencies, startups, and more, and these board members are no exception.”
The new board members who began their three-year terms with TennSMART on February 1, 2021 are:
Commissioner Clay Bright, Tennessee Department of Transportation
Phil Wade, Director of Innovation and Solutions Development, Bridgestone Americas
Jennifer Taylor, Vice President for Research, Tennessee Tech University
Susan Marlow, Principal, Stantec
Suman Kharbanda, Director, Operations Planning & Technology, FedEx
TennSMART also welcomed two new members as of January 1, 2021: HNTB Corporation; and Stansell Electric Company.
About TennSMART
TennSMART is a public-private consortium encompassing a growing number of organizations working together to assess, develop, and deploy new intelligent mobility innovations that could change how America transports people and goods. The consortium serves as a forum for organizations to share knowledge and leverage resources related to connected and autonomous vehicles, electric vehicles, cybersecurity, freight efficiency, and multi-modal commuting. TennSMART members also engage governments, academic institutions, and industry about the importance of investment in smart mobility technologies and their role in job creation, as well as position Tennessee as a model for other states. For more information, visit www.tennsmart.org.
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