Opening Plenary - Driving the Transition to E-Mobility

Genevieve Cullen

Electric Drive Transportation Association (EDTA)

United States

Genevieve Cullen has led the Electric Drive Transportation Association, the Washington, DC, based cross-industry trade association promoting the electrification of transportation, as President since 2015. She previously served as Vice President, directing the organization’s policy and advocacy efforts. Prior to joining EDTA, Genevieve provided energy policy counsel in the Executive and Legislative Branches, including serving as energy counsel to two U.S. Senators. In these capacities, she developed and promoted policy solutions in diverse issue areas, including climate change and air quality, transportation emissions, energy efficiency and utility regulation. Genevieve Cullen has substantial experience as an advocate for private sector initiatives, with an emphasis on advanced technology solutions to energy and environmental challenges. A graduate of Washington College of Law and Bucknell University, Genevieve is a member of the District of Columbia bar.

Fiona Ma

State of California

United States

Fiona Ma is California’s 34th State Treasurer. She was elected on November 6, 2018 with more votes (7,825,587) than any other candidate for treasurer in the state's history. She is the first woman of color and the first woman Certified Public Accountant (CPA) elected to the position. One committee Treasurer Ma chairs, the California Alternative Energy and Advanced Transportation Financing Authority (CAEATFA), helps clean and green our state. It awards sales tax exclusions for manufacturers that reduce pollution, while retaining jobs, including to companies that make electric vehicles, turn farm waste into energy, and produce jet fuel out of renewable sources. Treasurer Ma has been a licensed CPA in California since 1992 and holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Accounting from the Rochester Institute of Technology (NY), a Master’s Degree in Taxation from Golden Gate University (SF), and an MBA from Pepperdine University. She is a Member of the Vatican’s Council for Inclusive Capitalism, Member of the California Society of Certified Public Accountants, serves on the Board of California Women Lead, is an Honorary Chair and Spokesperson for the San Francisco Hepatitis B Free Campaign, and is a member of the Screen Actors Guild. Treasurer Ma is also active with the National Association of State Treasurers (NAST): 2020 Chair of ABLE Committee and Member of the Legislative Committee; and a member of the CalCPA society. She is married to Jason Hodge, a full-time firefighter and Oxnard Harbor Commissioner.

Christopher Coes

U.S. Department of Transportation

United States

Christopher Coes serves as the Assistant Secretary for Transportation Policy in the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Transportation Policy. Coes previously served as Vice President for Land Use and Development at Smart Growth America (SGA), Senior Fellow at the Brookings Institute, Professor at George Washington University, and Deputy Director and Senior Advisor for the Transportation for America campaign.

Paul Lau

SMUD

United States

Paul Lau, who previously served as SMUD’s Chief Grid Strategy & Operations Officer, was named Chief Executive Officer & General Manager in October 2020. He reports to the SMUD Board of Directors. As CEO, he leads the sixth largest community-owned electric utility in the nation, serving a population of 1.5 million residents and managing a $2.1 billion budget. A 41-year SMUD veteran, Lau has held several other executive leadership positions, including Assistant General Manager of Power Supply & Grid Operations and Assistant General Manager of Customer, Distribution & Technology. Active in international energy issues, Lau serves as a delegate with the United States Energy Association, where he has helped with electrification, operations and demand-side management in countries such as Bangladesh, India and Jordan. A registered professional electrical engineer in the state of California, Lau received his bachelor’s degree in electrical power engineering from California State University, Sacramento. He is also a Senior Fellow of the American Leadership Forum

Patty Monahan

California Energy Commission

United States

In April 2019, Governor Gavin Newsom appointed Patty Monahan to be one of the five commissioners on the California Energy Commission. She serves in the Energy Commission’s Science/Engineering position and is the lead commissioner on transportation, industrial decarbonization, and the role of hydrogen in meeting California’s goals for a clean, safe, and reliable energy system. She has dedicated her career toward advancing clean energy technologies and cutting harmful pollution, with a focus on equity. Before joining the Energy Commission, she served as the transportation program director at the Energy Foundation, where she guided campaigns across the United States that advanced electric transportation and more efficient vehicles. She worked for the Union of Concerned Scientists in several roles, including director of the California office and deputy director of clean vehicles. She also worked at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, and several energy-related consulting firms. Commissioner Monahan received a bachelor of science degree from UC Berkeley and holds a master’s degree in energy analysis and policy from the University of Wisconsin, Madison.

Claas Bracklo

CharIN

Germany

Claas Bracklo is Chairman of the Charging Interface Initiative (CharIN e. V.) and Policy Director at BMW. Bracklo joined BMW in March 2005 and held various positions in research and development with focus on E/E-architectures, system design, hardware/software components and in car networking. Before his current position he was in charge of e-mobility within the powertrain development. He started his career at Mercedes Benz and Daimler in the development of data bus systems. He led several teams and departments in the area of system test, E/Earchitecture and ECU-development. Bracklo holds a degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of Dortmund.