Speakers

As the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Sustainable Transportation and Fuels, Michael Berube oversees the Vehicle, Bioenergy, and Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technologies offices within DOE’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, as well as the Joint Office of Energy and Transportation. This portfolio focuses on research and development to increase access to domestic, clean transportation fuels and improve the energy efficiency, convenience, and affordability of transporting people and goods to support U.S. energy security, economic productivity, and competitiveness. He brings more than 25 years of experience in the automotive industry to his EERE post, specifically in the areas of environmental compliance, energy and safety policy, product development, and marketing.

Ted Cannis is the CEO of Ford Pro, the global business and brand within Ford dedicated to delivering the world’s most comprehensive suite of solutions to government and commercial customers of all sizes. Appointed in June 2021, Cannis leads a global team that is redefining customer value by delivering a trusted platform of software, charging, financing and customer support, and will help lead the transition from gas to electric vehicles for fleets. From 2017 to 2020, Cannis was global director, Battery Electric Vehicles, leading strategy and business execution that helped develop the award-winning Mustang Mach-E SUV, F-150 Lightning and E-Transit. Cannis began his career at Ford in 1989 and has held key roles in finance, marketing, investor relations, and general management.

Thomas Healy is the founder and CEO of Hyliion, a provider of electrified powertrain solutions for the commercial transportation industry. A leader in the global fight against climate change, Hyliion delivers solutions that negate carbon emissions without sacrificing performance. Named one of Forbes “30 under 30,” Healy took Hyliion public in October of 2020. A serial entrepreneur, Healy founded two start-ups prior to Hyliion and holds five secured automotive device patents. Healy’s passion for racing and motorsports inspired him to pursue dual engineering degrees in mechanical engineering and engineering and public policy from Carnegie Mellon University.

Puneet Singh Jhawar is the General Manager, Global Spark-Ignited Business for Cummins Inc., including responsibility for the natural gas, propane, and octane product vision, competitive positioning, financial management and overall performance across the U.S. and international markets.

Over his 15-year career at Cummins, Jhawar has focused on managing and cultivating relationships with several of Cummins’ largest global customers and ensuring their success. His leadership and expertise has fueled growth of Cummins’ natural gas business in several key markets.

Jhawar holds a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering and an MBA from University of Leeds. Jhawar has extensive global work experience, with roles based in the Middle East, India, Europe, and the U.S with Cummins, MAN Diesel & Turbo and Ingersoll Rand.

Michael Lohscheller is president and CEO of Nikola Corporation, a global leader in zero-emissions transportation and energy supply and infrastructure solutions.

A 20-year global automotive industry veteran, Lohscheller has held a variety of high-ranking positions including executive vice president and chief financial officer at Mitsubishi Motors Europe, executive vice president and chief financial officer at Volkswagen Group of America, chief executive officer at Opel Automobile GmbH and member of the board at PSA Group and global CEO of VinFast.

Lohscheller graduated from Osnabrück University of Applied Sciences (Germany) and the University of Barcelona (Spain) in 1992. During his working years, Lohscheller completed a master’s program in European Marketing Management and obtained his M.A. at Brunel University London in 1996.

Jeff Nieman is a 17-year veteran of Hertz and is responsible for the Operations Initiatives team for the company’s North America region. Under Nieman’s leadership, the Operations Initiatives team is responsible for delivering successful development and deployment of Hertz’s fleet electrification strategic initiatives that includes managing electric vehicle partnerships with Tesla and Polestar. Nieman and his team also are responsible for working with other EV manufacturers to accelerate the adoption of electrification of Hertz’s fleet while promoting a lower carbon footprint.

Prior to his current role as Senior Vice President, Operations Initiatives, Nieman was Regional Vice President overseeing the company’s operations in the US Central Region and head of Hertz Canada. Before that, he led a series of key business transformation projects that strategically advanced the company’s operations and IT platforms. Earlier in his career, he was Vice President for Hertz’s Mid-Atlantic Zone and was also General Manager leading Hertz’s operations at both of Chicago’s airports (O’Hare and Midway).

Mr. Nieman began his Hertz career as a management trainee immediately after graduating from the University of Iowa where he majored in Political Science and Psychology and earned a BA degree. He also holds a Lean Six Sigma Black Belt certificate. He currently resides in suburban Chicago with his wife, Tina and two children, Kavin (7) and Asha (5).

Mr. James (Jim) O’Leary is the Vice President of Assets at NFI. Jim is an industry veteran with close to 20 years of logistics experience in IT, Operations and Fleet Management. Most recently, Jim has led NFI’s efforts to decarbonize their fleet by participating in industry transforming projects such as Daimler’s Innovation Fleet, Volvo LIGHTS and JETSI. At NFI, Jim is a founding member of their Diversity & Inclusion Council & Sustainability Task Force both focused on executing NFI’s strategy of People, Innovation & Customer Value. In 2023, Jim will also serve on Fleet Owner magazine’s editorial advisory board.

Kim Okafor is the General Manager of Zero Emission Solutions for Trillium and Love’s Travel Stop. This includes the development and management of the EV charging, hydrogen fueling and solar businesses. She has been with Trillium since Love’s Travel Stop acquired the company in 2016. Kim also actively serves on the Board of Directors for the California Hydrogen Business Council. Kim has a degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of Houston. Kim’s goal as the General Manager of Zero Emission Solutions is to develop sustainable business opportunities that provide economic advantages for our customers.

Sherry Sanger is executive vice president of marketing for Penske Transportation Solutions. She leads the company’s strategic marketing function including efforts around connected, autonomous, shared, and electric vehicles; market intelligence; and customer experience.

Sanger joined Penske Truck Leasing in 1998. She was senior vice president of marketing, vice president of marketing, director of marketing and new products introduction manager.

Sanger began her career with General Electric’s Lighting and Capital divisions in their financial management program.

Sanger holds a bachelor’s degree in German from Kent State University, a master’s degree in international management from the Thunderbird School of Global Management, an MBA from Case Western Reserve University, and a Ph.D. in management from Case Western Reserve University.

Kash Sethi, Lightning eMotors’ new chief revenue officer, will be responsible for delivering a best-in-class customer experience to Lightning’s existing and potential customers. Most recently, Sethi served as vice president of sales at Motiv Power Systems (“Motiv”), an EV technology provider for commercial vehicles, where he spearheaded engagement with fleet customers, truck and bus vehicle partners, dealers, and policy stakeholders. He holds an MBA specializing in sales, marketing and general management; and a Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering. He is passionate about sustainability and green technologies, and wants to do his part to leave behind a safe and clean planet for our children.

Burr Tweedy is a Vice President on NY Green Bank’s Investment & Portfolio Management team, where he leads the origination, evaluation, and execution of scalable clean energy, efficiency, and clean transportation project investments across New York State.

Prior to joining NY Green Bank, he completed an Environmental Defense Fund Climate Corps Fellowship at Shorenstein Company while pursuing his MBA. Previously, Mr. Tweedy was an environmental design specialist at Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates.

Mr. Tweedy holds Master of Business Administration and Master of Environmental Management degrees from Yale University, where he focused on clean energy finance. He also holds a bachelor’s degree in Environmental Science from Colorado College.

As the VP of Operations at Plus, Amisha helped build and now oversees industry-leading operations, safety processes, trainings, and pilot programs that pave the way for the safe commercial rollout of Plus’s self-driving truck technology. The operations team under Amisha’s leadership coordinates testing and data collection, manages the supply chain, and supports national customer deployments of Plus’s first commercial product – a driver-in, highly automated driving solution called PlusDrive. Amisha previously worked in the renewable energy sector, leading operations at a solar monitoring and data analytics company.

Amisha was recently named one of the “Top Women to Watch in Transportation” by the Women in Trucking Association and “35 under 35: Rising Stars of the Self-Driving Industry” by Insider.