Apple VP Lisa Jackson Named to USDOT Federal Committee on Automation

Lisa Jackson, Apple's Vice President of Environment, Policy, and Social Initiatives, has been named as a committee member of the U.S. Department of Transportations' new Federal Committee on Automation.

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.

“During my time at the Department, we have fostered some of the most significant technological changes to ever take place in transportation, and we did so while keeping our focus on the safety of the American people,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx. ”This new automation committee will work to advance life-saving innovations while boosting our economy and making our transportation network more fair, reliable, and efficient.”


Committee Members:
● Co-Chair: Mary Barra- General Motors, Chairman and CEO
● Co-Chair: Eric Garcetti- Mayor of Los Angeles, CA
● Vice Chair: Dr. J. Chris Gerdes- Stanford University, Professor of Engineering
● Gloria Boyland- FedEx, Corporate Vice President, Operations & Service Support
● Robin Chase- Zipcar; Buzzcar; Veniam, Co-founder of Zipcar and Veniam
● Douglas Chey- Hyperloop One, Senior Vice President of Systems Development
● Henry Claypool- Community Living Policy Center, Policy Director
● Mick Cornett- Mayor of Oklahoma City, OK
● Mary “Missy” Cummings- Duke University, Director, Humans and Autonomy Lab, Pratt School of Engineering
● Dean Garfield- Information Technology Industry Council, President and CEO
● Mary Gustanski- Delphi Automotive, Vice President of Engineering & Program Management
● Debbie Hersman- National Safety Council, President and CEO
● Rachel Holt- Uber, Regional General Manager, United States and Canada
● Lisa Jackson- Apple, Vice President of Environment, Policy, and Social Initiatives
● Tim Kentley-Klay- Zoox, Co-founder and CEO
● John Krafcik- Waymo, CEO
● Gerry Murphy- Amazon, Senior Corporate Counsel, Aviation
● Robert Reich- University of California, Berkeley, Chancellor's Professor of Public Policy, Richard and Rhoda Goldman School of Public Policy
● Keller Rinaudo- Zipline International, CEO
● Chris Spear- American Trucking Association (ATA), President and CEO
● Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger- Safety Reliability Methods, Inc., Founder and CEO
● Bryant Walker Smith- University of South Carolina, Assistant Professor, School of Law and (by courtesy) School of Engineering
● Jack Weekes- State Farm Insurance, Operations Vice President, Innovation Team
● Ed Wytkind- President, Transportation Trades Department, AFL-CIO
● 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. In addition, the committee will help the country prepare for a population growth of 70 million more people in the next three decades and a freight volume increase of over 40%.

It was widely rumored that Apple had been working on a self driving electric vehicle; however, recent reports have suggested that the company has drastically scaled back those plans and is now refocused on autonomous driving.

Please follow iClarified on Twitter, Facebook, or RSS for updates.


Read More