And the journey begins! Our inaugural series features conversations on safety, heavy-duty trucking, strides in natural gas and oil, building government trust, designing with children in mind, and shifts to 5G. Host Grayson Brulte engages with leaders and innovators attending the SAE Government/Industry Meeting in DC. At the meeting, governments heard crucial industry input that can impact legislation or regulation. Listen and learn what inspires our guests to innovate today and where they see their field evolving tomorrow.
Mark R. Rosekind, Ph.D. | Zoox
Chief Safety Innovation Officer
Zoox
Zoox is driving autonomously in ways that no one else has shown. The company’s approach makes Chief Safety Innovation Officer Mark R. Rosekind, Ph.D, the perfect inaugural guest for SAE Tomorrow Today. Host Grayson Brulte sits down with Mark at SAE’s Government/Industry Meeting to discuss Mark’s unique background as a scientist studying sleep at NASA and at NHTSA, and how those experiences shaped his efforts at Zoox. Grayson and Mark focus much of their conversation on Zoox’s commitment to safety, including the importance of seatbelt usage and how different testing environments impact policy. Mark also dives into a deep discussion about the powerful impact that his father’s role as a police officer played in forging Zoox’s transparent partnership with law enforcement officials and why he “always counts progress in lives saved.”
Mark R. Rosekind, Ph.D., is a passionate safety professional with more than 30 years of experience promoting innovation through science and leadership in complex environments.
In April 2017, Dr. Rosekind joined the executive team at Zoox as the Chief Safety Innovation Officer. He leads efforts to safely develop, test, and deploy autonomous vehicles. Prior to Zoox, Dr. Rosekind was appointed by President Obama to be the 15th Administrator of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Serving from 2014 to 2017, Dr. Rosekind led significant transformation, 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.
Before becoming NHTSA Administrator, Dr. Rosekind was appointed by President Obama and served as the 40th member of the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) from 2010 to 2014. He was the on-scene board member for seven major transportation accidents and participated in almost 50 accident Board Meetings, along with numerous NTSB public events on diverse safety topics. Dr. Rosekind advanced the agency’s advocacy goals on substance-impaired driving, fatigue, fire safety, and rail mass transit.
Prior to his appointment to the NTSB, Dr. Rosekind founded Alertness Solutions, a scientific consulting firm that specialized in fatigue management, and served as the company’s first president and chief scientist. He previously directed the Fatigue Countermeasures Program at NASA’s Ames Research Center and was chief of the Aviation Operations Branch in the Flight Management and Human Factors Division. He launched his professional career as the director of the Center for Human Sleep Research at the Stanford University Sleep Disorders and Research Center.
Dr. Rosekind is an internationally recognized expert on human fatigue, credited with leading the field in innovative research and implementing programs in all modes of transportation. His work has been widely published, and his awards include the Lifetime Achievement Award from the National Sleep Foundation; NASA’s Exceptional Service Medal and six other NASA group/team awards; the Mark O. Hatfield Award for Public Policy from the American Academy of Sleep Medicine; two Flight Safety Foundation honors; and Fellow of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.
Dr. Rosekind earned his B.A. with honors from Stanford University, his M.S., M.Phil., and Ph.D. from Yale University, and completed a postdoctoral fellowship at the Brown University Medical School.Robert Brown | TuSimple
Head of Public & Government Affairs
TuSimple
Robert Brown, Head of Public & Government Affairs at TuSimple, joins host Grayson Brulte at SAE’s Government/Industry Meeting to discuss the current and future state of autonomous trucking. Robert shares TuSimple’s focus on achieving SAE J3016 Level 4 automation for heavy duty trucks, expansion plans into Australia, vision for using EVs for long-haul, last deployment and collegiate-level automated trucking program. Grayson and Robert also highlight the benefits of automation to everyday consumers and the economy. The conversation turns to the impact of automation on long-haul trucking jobs, the current state of the trucking industry and how TuSimple is learning from drivers to ensure that their trucks drive like a human. To close out the discussion, Grayson and Robert review the innovative features TuSimple is introducing to the market, safety culture and perception of autonomous trucking’s impact on the U.S. economy.
Mr. Brown is responsible for the federal, state, and local public and government relations for TuSimple. Working with legislators and regulators on best practices for safety, commercial viability, and policies. He works on building coalitions of industry, OEMs, Tier 1 providers, associations, and academics in the autonomous vehicle industry. Prior to TuSimple, he worked for the state of California, was Vice President at the Mitchell Firm, taught at Oxford University and University of California, San Diego.
Dr. R. Dean Foreman | API
Chief Economist
API
Dr. R. Dean Foreman, Chief Economist at API, talks with host Grayson Brulte at SAE’s Government/Industry Meeting about the strides the natural gas and oil industry has made over the past decade to drive innovative solutions to the real-world problems of today. Dean discusses the efforts that the industry is focusing on to remain part of the climate change solution, while looking at the new technologies being employed to deliver results. As the automotive industry shifts priorities to electric vehicles, Dean speaks to the immediate market trends to focus on the increasing market share of natural gas for power generation as a cost alternative option for today’s needs and the supply chain issues impacting the EV market. Grayson and Dean wrap up their conversation exploring the future of the changing industry in the U.S.
Dr. R. Dean Foreman is API’s chief economist, specializing in global business and energy. With a Ph.D. in economics from the University of Florida, he came to API from Saudi Aramco Strategy & Market Analysis in Dhahran, where he managed short-term market monitoring and the long-term oil demand outlook. Foreman has more than 20 years of industry experience in corporate strategic planning, market analysis & forecasting, finance and risk management at ExxonMobil, Talisman Energy and Sasol North America.
Brad Stertz | Audi
Director, Government Affairs
Audi
The career journey of Brad Stertz, Director of Government Affairs at Audi, took him from the news desk to a leadership role in the automotive industry. Brad joins host Grayson Brulte at SAE’s Government/Industry Meeting to talk about the importance of showcasing autonomous technology to local government officials as a way to create understanding and develop legislation. Throughout the conversation, Brad shares his insights on a number of government-related topics, including the differing AV policy laws in New York, California and Florida, as well as how the deployment of scooters in cities compares to AVs. Grayson and Brad discuss the importance of the perception of AV safety among public and government officials, focusing on the false narratives in the Autonomous Vehicle Engagement Reports, building trust and the AV Start Act.
Brad Stertz is Director of Audi Government Affairs in the Washington D.C. office. He represents Audi interests on a range of rapidly evolving topics, including automated vehicle testing and deployment, electric vehicles and charging infrastructure, connected vehicle technologies, safety, cybersecurity, emissions regulations and trade.
Notably he has framed early public perceptions of automated driving, including the first opportunity journalists had to experience hands-free performance at highway speeds during a January 2015 test drive from Palo Alto, CA to Las Vegas. Currently, he is co-chair of Partners for Automated Vehicle Education (PAVE), a coalition of diverse innovators and mobility stakeholders uniting to better equip the public and policymakers about the transportation revolution ahead.
He has been instrumental in furthering partnerships between Audi and leading technology innovators, while remaining closely aligned with the AUDI AG global government affairs and technical development teams in Ingolstadt, Germany.
In 2008, Stertz joined Audi to lead Corporate Communications. In that role he was responsible for building awareness about the progressive strides made by Audi advanced technologies.
Before joining Audi, Stertz held a variety of management, editing and reporting positions at prominent U.S. newspapers. He was a senior manager with Tribune Company, led award-winning coverage as assistant managing editor in charge of news, Washington bureau chief and automotive editor at The Detroit News. His extensive experience with the automotive industry began with his stint as a staff reporter in the Wall Street Journal’s Detroit bureau.
Mr. Stertz is the co-author of the best-selling book Taken for a Ride: How Daimler-Benz Drove Off With Chrysler. Fortune magazine counted this account of the ill-fated DaimlerChrysler merger among history’s 75 “Smartest Books We Know.”
Mr. Stertz graduated with a bachelor’s degree from the University of Kansas. He lives with his family in Purcellville, VA.
Valentina Graci, Ph.D. | Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia’s (CHOP) Center for Injury Research and Prevention (CIRP)
Research Scientist
Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia's (CHOP)
Center for Injury Research and Prevention (CIRP)
Hospitals aren’t often associated with mobility innovation. Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia’s (CHOP) Center for Injury Research and Prevention (CIRP) shifts that thinking. Valentina Graci, Ph.D., a research scientist at CIRP/CHOP, sits down with host Grayson Brulte at SAE’s Government/Industry Meeting to discuss all things child safety in vehicles, including her research efforts on automotive safety, autonomous vehicles warnings, safe seat design and position, seatbelts and why AV designs should consider the current and future unique safety needs of children. Valentina details why CHOP is focusing on AV research, discusses the proper use of booster seats for keeping children safe and looks to when children might ride in an AV without a parent.
Valentina Graci, PhD is a Research Scientist I in Biomechanics at the Center for Injury Research and Prevention (CIRP) at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP). Dr. Graci’s research explores age-related differences in bracing behavior during pre-crash maneuvers while driving, such as emergency braking and evasive swerving. Through funding from the Center for Child Injury Prevention Studies, a National Science Foundation Industry/University Cooperative Research Center, Dr. Graci is also examining the role of the startle reflex in take-over reaction time in critical autonomous driving scenarios. Her current research interests also include the influence of automatic emergency braking pulses and novel seating configurations on occupant kinematics and muscle activity.
Dr. Graci graduated with a degree in Experimental Psychology from the University of Milano-Bicocca (Italy). She received her PhD in Vision and Mobility at the University of Bradford in the UK where she investigated the role of vision in controlling human movement. During her post-doctoral training, she examined postural perturbations in older adults and stroke survivors that are linked to an increased risk of fall and injury.
At CIRP, Dr. Graci is applying more than 10 years of experience in investigating human motion in a variety of biomechanics arenas, such as gait and posture, age-related falls, musculoskeletal and neuromotor disorder, to understand injury prevention in the automotive safety field.
Jeff Stewart | AT&T
Assistant Vice President, Global Public Policy
AT&T
Technological advancements are the backbone for mass deployment of connected solutions. When Jeff Stewart, Assistant Vice President of Global Public Policy at AT&T, joins host Grayson Brulte at SAE’s Government/Industry Meeting, they run the gamut of innovations impacting the world around us. As the world shifts focus to 5G, Jeff shares AT&T’s 5G policy, explores what the town of the future looks like and digs into the importance of fiber backhaul for continued advancement. Grayson and Jeff talk about the importance of cyber security as it relates to developing public trust of technology and bridging the gap between politicians and connectivity. Jeff then provides details on the AT&T Drive Studio Lab that has positioned the company in the AV sector with its first facility solely dedicated to connected car innovation and research.
Jeff Stewart develops public policy positions and coordinates advocacy support for a wide range of issues affecting AT&T’s wireless businesses at federal, state, and local levels domestically, and internationally. He addresses all policy matters affecting AT&T’s Internet of Things businesses, with a particular focus on the transportation and connected vehicles sectors. Jeff represents AT&T before many government entities and policymakers, including the U.S. Department of Transportation and its agencies, other Federal agencies, and state and Federal legislators. He also represents AT&T in various industry groups and served as the Chairman of the Affiliate Advisory Board and on the Executive Committee of the Automotive Information Sharing and Analysis Center (AutoISAC) in 2018.
Jeff regularly advises AT&T’s business unit leadership on legislative and regulatory issues that impact product and strategy development. Prior to this role, he held positions in product marketing and operations.
Jeff earned an MBA with a concentration in Technology Innovation and Strategy from Georgia Tech’s College of Management and a Bachelor of Arts with Honors in History from the University of Chicago. An artillery officer in the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve, he is currently assigned to the Marine Corps Cyberspace Operations Group and is also currently earning a Master’s in Strategic Studies at the U.S. Army War College.
Vince Lichtinger | Marathon Petroleum Corporation
Manager, Fuels and Emerging Technology Group
Marathon Petroleum Corporation
To close out the first series of SAE Tomorrow Today, Vince Lichtinger, Manager of Fuels and Emerging Technology Group at the Marathon Petroleum Corporation, talks with host Grayson Brulte at SAE’s Government/Industry Meeting about the changes in the petroleum business over his 31-year career and the impact that Marathon has had on the industry. Vince discusses the ever-increasing importance of educating consumers about petroleum technology as the demand for energy continues to grow. Grayson steers the conversation to get Vince’s thoughts on the industry’s shift to autonomy and how that impacts the future of Marathon.
Vince Lichtinger is the manager of the Fuels and Emerging Technology group for Marathon Petroleum Corporation. He graduated with Honors from Case Western Reserve University in 1989 with a B.S. in Chemical Engineering and began work at Marathon Oil Company as an Associate Chemical Engineer creating process simulations of refineries. Vince then spent 6 years in the upstream side of the business, providing process engineering support for Marathon’s gas processing plants and compression facilities in Michigan, Oklahoma, and Kansas. In 1995, he returned to Findlay and worked in the Product Quality group for about 10 years.
He was then manager of the Corporate HES Auditing group for two years and audited all MPC’s operations, including refineries, terminals, and pipelines. Vince spent the following six years in Terminal, Transport, and Rail leading trucking logistics and terminal operations. From 2015-2017, he led Operational Excellence across all of Logistics & Storage. In November 2017, he was named Manager of Fuels and Emerging Technology for MPC.
SAE Tomorrow Today, is a new podcast featuring anthology series of episodes centered around key topics or events that impact the advancement of mobility knowledge and solutions for the benefit of humanity. Join host Grayson Brulte as we provide unique and dynamic perspectives from innovative industry leaders on the challenges of tomorrow.
Subscribe now on your favorite podcast platform to stay up-to-date!
Grayson Brulte is an Innovation Strategist and Co-Founder of Brulte & Company, an autonomous mobility advisory and consulting company.
In addition he is the Host of the SAE International Tomorrow Today Podcast.
Previously, Grayson served as the Co-Chair of the City of Beverly Hills Mayor's Autonomous Vehicle Task Force and was an active member of the city’s Smart City / Technology Committee which advised the Beverly Hills City Council on technology.