FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 20, 2024
NASHVILLE, TENN.— TennSMART, a statewide consortium working to elevate Tennessee to the forefront of smart mobility solutions, recently announced several new board members and elected officers to advance the organization’s mission and growth amid the state’s focused investment on the industry.
Joining the board for three-year terms are:
Dr. Kendra Abkowitz, the Chief Sustainability and Resilience Officer in the Mayor’s Office for the Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County; and
Lang Wiseman, a Shareholder at national law firm Baker Donelson and former Deputy Governor and Chief Counsel to Governor Bill Lee.
Directors who were reelected to serve on the board include: Deputy Commissioner Preston Elliott, TN Dept. of Transportation; Suman Kharbanda, FedEx; and Terry Saltsman, Tennessee Tech University. Cara Ince, Director of Research and Innovation Public Partnerships at Vanderbilt University, has taken over Vanderbilt’s board seat.
"TennSMART is thrilled to welcome our newest board members who will bring vast knowledge and expertise to the table. Together with our returning board members, we will continue to position TennSMART as a forum for public and private partners to come together and accelerate transformative transportation solutions,” said Dr. Rich Davies, TennSMART board chair and director of the Sustainable Transportation Program at Oak Ridge National Laboratory.
In addition to the new board members, TennSMART’s board of directors elected new officers. Longtime board member Andy Lucyshyn, Middle Tennessee Area Transportation Leader at Gresham Smith, has stepped into the role of board president. Davies returns as chairman, after previously serving in both capacities. For the past two years, Lucyshyn has served as chairman of the Tennessee Smart Mobility Expo, Tennessee’s premier event showcasing smart mobility technologies and research, produced by TennSMART. Ryan Stanton, Senior Project Manager for the EV Evolution Initiative at Tennessee Valley Authority, will continue to serve as treasurer.
"I am honored to serve the organization as president and look forward to working with our board members to deepen our partnerships, particularly with the private sector, to advance the industry in Tennessee,” said Lucyshyn.
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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