On The Move

Justine Johnson
Chief Mobility Officer
Office of Future Mobility and Electrification

As Chief Mobility Officer for the state of Michigan, Justine leads the state’s Office of Future Mobility and Electrification in working across state government, academia and private industry to enhance Michigan’s mobility ecosystem, including developing dynamic mobility and electrification policies and supporting the startup and scale up of emerging mobility technologies and businesses. Justine plays a critical role in driving a first-of-its-kind partnership between the Michigan Economic Development Corporation, Department of Labor and Opportunity, Department of Transportation, Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy, and the Governor's Office.

Justine Johnson is an accomplished economic development and mobility executive with more than 10 years of experience in external affairs, strategy and government and community relations. Prior to joining Team Michigan as Chief Mobility Officer, Justine was appointed to the Los Angeles County Aviation Commission to advise the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors on the operations and development of the County’s five airports. In addition to this role, she served as the Director of Member Engagement at the California Mobility Center (CMC) which is a non-profit that promotes commercial interactions with new mobility companies and industry-leading entities to deploy new products, programs, and services in clean mobility in the State of California, and beyond.

Previously, Justine served as the Head of Mobility Engagement for the SoCal/Southwest Region at Ford Motor Company. This promotion was a result of her successful tenure as Ford’s Mobility Strategist. During her time in New York City, she served as Vice President of Government & Community Relations for the New York City Economic Development Corporation, managing government and community relations for Mayor de Blasio’s innovative commuter ferry system. However, her impact on transportation initiatives within NYC was initially established during her time with the New York City Taxi & Limousine Commission where she worked on the “Boro Taxi” project, also known as the Green Taxi program, which created a new for-hire vehicle and driver classification.

While she spent many years in NYC, Justine is a native of Los Angeles, CA, and believes in giving back to her community through her service. She was the Board Co-Chair of BlackSpace Urbanist Collective, an organization that challenges urban designers, planners, artists, and architects to build spaces that honor the culture and cultivate the talent of Black people. She also served as Board Chair of Urban Movement Labs, an organization that focuses on bringing new mobility innovation to Los Angeles by working at the intersection of government, technology innovation, and community. Most notably, she served as an adjunct instructor at USC Sol Price School of Public Policy.

Justine holds two Master of Arts degrees from the University of Southern California in Urban Planning and Public Administration. She also holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Hampton University in Political Science and Government.

If you want to connect with Justine, you can catch her at MIX Summit | Michigan Moves Demo Day (https://www.eventbrite.com/e/mix-summit-michigan-moves-demo-day-tickets-1992511818486)

Allanté Whitmore, PhD is a mobility research leader focused on how emerging technologies are adopted and implemented in real-world contexts. With a Joint PhD in Civil & Environmental Engineering and Engineering & Public Policy, she brings a data-driven understanding of transportation systems, policy, and technology deployment ensuring innovation translates into meaningful public benefit.

As Director of Research & Social Impact at The PLUM Catalyst, Dr. Whitmore leads national studies, evaluations, and knowledge-building initiatives that shape how mobility solutions are planned, delivered, and scaled. She collaborates with public agencies, private partners, and community organizations to turn insight into action supporting more informed decisions, better outcomes, and stronger alignment between technology and the communities it serves.Best, 

Beyond her research, Dr. Whitmore is the creator of The Whitmore Project, a powerful documentary chronicling her mother's journey through breast cancer and her triumphant final day of treatment. Learn more and watch at whitmoreproject.com.

Kristin White is a visionary change agent with two decades at the intersection of technology, policy, and public service, where she combines her federal, state, local government and nonprofit experience to challenge the private sector to advance public sector innovation.

As the Transportation Industry Executive for Google Public Sector, Kristin bridges the gap between Silicon Valley innovation and the public good. She is the architect of "Google for Transportation," a pioneering initiative that harmonizes Google’s Search, Maps, Cloud, and AI capabilities to tackle the world’s most pressing mobility challenges—from road safety to resilient operations. Kristin’s influence is rooted in unparalleled experience at all levels of government. She previously served as the youngest-ever acting Federal Highway Administrator, overseeing the nation’s largest transportation agency and managing a historic $300 billion investment portfolio. Previously, she served as: COO of ITS America; Executive Director of Minnesota’s Connected and Automated Vehicle Office; helped launch one of the nation’s first state-run tech startups and incubators at the Minnesota Department of Transportation; and worked at the City of Minneapolis. A lawyer and former US Department of State Fulbright Fellow, Kristin pairs rigorous policy expertise with a leadership philosophy rooted in servant leadership, human-centered design, and authenticity. She is a fierce champion for women and diversity in transportation, mentoring the next generation of leaders and founding a nonprofit dedicated to advancing women in mobility innovation.

As a recognized thought leader at the intersection of technology and transportation, Kristin is a sought after speaker at the national stage, regularly keynoting major industry conferences, where she challenges audiences to use innovation for good. She also serves as a board member of Forth Mobility, and a Senior Fellow at Berkeley and MIT. Known by many as "human sunshine," Kristin is an energetic force who believes in moving fast to solve big problems while always putting people first. Originally from the Black Hills of South Dakota, Kristin now lives in the Bay Area. In her downtime, she is a runner, yogi, a proud auntie, dog mom, and godparent, and an avid hiker who can often be found on the trails.

AMISHA VADALIA
VP of Operations and Program Management, PlusAI

As the Vice President of Operations and Program Management at PlusAI, Amisha helped build and now oversees industry-leading operations and program management, safety processes, trainings, and pilot programs that pave the way for the safe commercial rollout of PlusAI’s autonomous driving solutions. The operations team under Amisha’s leadership coordinates testing and data collection, manages the supply chain, and supports global customer
deployments of our AI-based virtual driver for factory-built autonomous trucks.

She previously worked in the renewable energy sector, leading operations at a solar monitoringand data analytics company.

Amisha graduated from the University of St. Andrews in Scotland, where she received a bachelor’s degree in International Relations and Management.

Amisha has been named one of the “Top Women to Watch in Transportation” by the Women in Trucking Association, “35 under 35: Rising Stars of the Self-Driving Industry” by Insider, and a 2023 “Women of Influence” by Silicon Valley Business Journal.

Elizabeth Krear is President and CEO of the Center for Automotive Research (CAR),
bringing more than three decades of experience in engineering, product development, and strategic leadership across the global automotive industry. She is widely recognized for guiding organizations through periods of transformational change, particularly in the evolution toward electrified, connected, and autonomous vehicles.

Prior to joining CAR, Ms. Krear served as Vice President of the Electric Vehicle Practice at JD Power, where she led efforts to leverage data and insights that supported clients in optimizing business performance during the shift to electrified product portfolios. Before J.D. Power, she was a Global Planning Program Vice President at Stellantis for the Jeep Grand Wagoneer and electrified body-on-frame SUVs and trucks, focusing on platform strategies that integrated electrification, autonomy, and connectivity. Earlier in
her career, she served as Chief Engineer for the Jeep Wrangler and Gladiator SUV
vehicles, as well as the Ram 1500 Light Duty Truck portfolio.
In recognition of her leadership and industry impact, Automotive News named her one of the Top 100 Women in the North American Auto Industry in 2020.
Ms. Krear holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in mechanical engineering from
Wayne State University and an MBA from the Michigan State University Executive MBA Program. As a proud alumna, she is passionate about mentoring future engineers and supporting the next generation of automotive leaders.

Thank you to infoedge LLC for supporting this episode. 

Dr. Frankie James is an automotive industry and innovation consultant providing expertise and insights into the state of the mobility industry and helping clients partner to achieve their goals. Her consultancy, FJ Mobility Innovation, is particularly focused on helping large corporations and startups work together by bridging the gap between their unique needs and approaches and improving user experiences inside and outside of the vehicle.

Frankie’s career has spanned roles in corporate innovation and R&D, including 17 years at General Motors’ Silicon Valley innovation office. In that role, she led a team that worked to identify startups with promising new technologies and trends and establish relationships back to the GM business units to develop prototypes and potentially work towards commercialization. Among other successes, Frankie’s team was responsible for identifying Cruise Automation as a potential acquisition target for GM and initiating the work that led to GM commercializing the first in-vehicle wireless device charging solution.

Frankie received her Ph.D. in Computer Science from Stanford University for research on audio interfaces for blind users. She has strong expertise in accessibility and usability, particularly multimodal and divided attention situations such as found in automotive HMI and infotainment.

Lauren Harper is the Chief of Staff at Kodiak Robotics, a leader in autonomous trucking technology. She holds a BBA in Finance with a specialization in Alternative Assets from Southern Methodist University and an MBA from the Yale School of Management.

Raised in a trucking family, Lauren developed an early appreciation for the challenges of the transportation industry. She began her career in finance and entertainment, spending six years building a strong foundation before pivoting to autonomous trucking.

Lauren joined TuSimple, the first publicly traded autonomous trucking company, as a member of the Corporate Strategy team focused on launching the company’s Autonomous Freight Network. She also played a key role in Investor Relations, supporting the IPO process and transition to a publicly traded company.
In 2022, she joined Kodiak Robotics as a Senior Strategist in Business Operations, working closely with the executive team to accelerate the commercialization of autonomous trucking and contributing to Kodiak’s collaboration with the U.S. Army on unmanned ground vehicles. Today, as Chief of Staff, she partners directly with CEO and Founder Don Burnette to advance the company’s most critical strategic initiatives.

Lauren lives in Dallas, Texas, with her husband, young son, and dachshund.

Berveleen Mashonga, is an R&D Product & Strategy Manager, driving innovation in automotive technologies including in‑cabin systems, V2X communication, and ADAS/AD solutions. Recognized for her industry leadership and advocacy for diversity in STEM, she serves on the AutoSens Advisory Board and is a frequent speaker at global automotive conferences.

She is the founder of Women in Automotive & Beyond, a LinkedIn group, aiming to mentor and empower girls and women pursuing STEM careers while contributions to mobility innovation and community impact have earned her industry recognition and awards, positioning her as an influential voice shaping the future of transportation and inclusion in tech.

Thank you to infoedge LLC for supporting this episode. 

Thank you to Breakaway Communications for sponsoring our podcast. 

Road trip, anyone? As AI takes the wheel, our vehicles are learning and adapting to their surroundings. Cars are evolving into data-gathering machines but at what cost? Are we heading towards secure connectivity and personalized mobility, or socially segregated and congested cities under data surveillance? This panel of influential experts will explore advancements in AI, cybersecurity within the automotive space to help shape a future where vehicles will be your best friend and not Big Brother.

Thanks to Breakaway Communications & infoedge LLC for supporting this episode!

Meet Shivani Mouleeswaran and Ritika Shrivastava, the powerhouse duo behind Ember Robotics, the Y Combinator-backed startup making robot diagnostics smarter, faster, and way less painful.

Before teaming up, Shivani was building computer vision systems at Simbe Robotics, engineering Autopilot at Tesla, and even interning at NASA. Ritika also spent time at Tesla’s Autopilot team, taught robotics at UC Berkeley, and cracked security challenges during internships at Microsoft and GoDaddy.
 Now, as Co-Founder/CEO (Shivani) and Co-Founder/CTO (Ritika) of Ember Robotics, they’re bringing real-time, edge-first monitoring to robotics teams everywhere — think “Datadog for robots.”

In this episode, they share their wild ride from top engineering gigs to launching a startup, their biggest lessons learned, and why scaling robot reliability is the next big frontier.

Thanks to Breakaway Communications & infoedge for supporting this episode.