Adam Sykes is Vice President of Corporate Communications for BMW of North America, LLC. In this role, Sykes is responsible for corporate communications for product, technology, production plants and business in the U.S. and the entire Americas region.

Adam has been with the BMW Group since 2004 and has spent the majority of that time working with and in markets across all global regions. Key roles have included Head of Strategy and Head of MINI Marketing in the UK, Head of Global Business Development for the MINI brand and, most recently, Head of Corporate Communications for the Asia Pacific, Africa and Importer Market region.

In addition, Adam has a strong background in strategy, including leading the team that facilitated the development of Strategy Number ONE NEXT. Through that he brings key insights into key future developments at the BMW Group and across the industry as well as a broad network across all divisions of the company. In that role, he additionally gained in depth knowledge of the US business whilst managing the strategy initiative for the market.

Elaine Borseth is the Electric Vehicle Association President. She has inspired leaders across the globe to form what is now more than 100 chapters all with the goal of educating their local communities about the benefits of clean transportation and driving electric.

Elaine is passionate about driving electric and works to inspire others to get involved in educating and advocating for the rapid adoption of electric vehicles wherever the road leads her.

Elaine has demonstrated her success in growing the adoption of electric vehicles and is past President of the Electric Vehicle Association of San Diego that is now the largest of the nonprofit’s chapters.

Elaine gives generously of her time to talk to both chapter leaders and Electric Vehicle Association members in the U.S. and around the world about their important role in encouraging their communities to grow the adoption of electric vehicles.

Terea Macomber is an accomplished sustainability advocate, currently leading clean mobility programs at Grid Alternatives. With a passion for history, data and sustainable energy futures, Terea has built a career embedded in equity and justice, and she works to challenge the norms of our built environment. As she leads the just transition of decarbonizing mobility, Terea leverages her position to remind stakeholders to use this moment for transforming our transportation system so that everyone’s movement is safe, inclusive and equitable.

Vaasha is the Senior Manager for the Dealership, Fleet and OEM team for the Clean Vehicle Rebate Project at the Center for Sustainable Energy. With her passion for clean transportation and project management she oversees developing resources for dealers to sell EVs nationwide and advance CSE’s goal to decarbonize our busy roads. Vaasha previously worked for six years at Tesla Motors and was responsible for standing up the global delivery hub infrastructure increasing delivery output of Model 3’s throughout North America, Europe, and Asia. Vaasha is a leader in project management and operations by specializing in process improvement design and program implementation. She holds a Master’s in Public Administration from California State University Northridge and a dual Bachelor of Arts degree in International Relations and Social Cinematic Technology from the University of Southern California. 

Ariane has held a number of positions during her tenure at Acterra. In her current role, she oversees the Karl Knapp GoEV program, which is helping accelerate the shift to electric vehicles through public outreach and education. For many years, Ariane directed Acterra’s Business Environmental Awards, and prior to Acterra, she managed alumni programming for UCLA. She holds a degree in Economics from Occidental College in Los Angeles, CA.

Hon. David Strickland serves as Vice President for Global Regulatory Affairs and Transportation Technology Policy for General Motors. He is responsible for regulatory agency advocacy at the local, state, national and international levels, focusing on GM’s transition to leading electric and automated vehicle manufacturing.

Prior to GM, Strickland served as Staff Director for the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation from 2019–2021. As part of the regulatory group at national law firm Venable LLP from 2014–2019, he focused on transportation policy, consumer protection, internet privacy, data security and legislative government affairs. Prior to joining Venable, Strickland served as the 14th administrator of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration from 2010–2014. Prior to NHTSA, he spent eight years with the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation as Democratic Senior Counsel.

Strickland graduated with a B.S. in Communication Studies and Political Science from Northwestern University and a J.D. from Harvard Law.

Josh Boone is the founding executive director of Veloz. Josh has worked in the zero-emissions vehicle field for more than 10 years, bringing the public and private sectors together to advance awareness, understanding and consideration for electric cars. He creatively brings his policy and technical background to grow engagement across a variety of networks to passionately implement Veloz’s Electric For All mission.

Previously, Josh was the deputy executive director of the California Plug-In Electric Vehicle Collaborative upon which Veloz was founded. He led all Veloz development efforts to foster the initial concept, including directing work efforts to give the organization a name, brand, visual identity, philosophy and workplan while also spearheading board development.

Josh holds MS and BS degrees from the University of California, Davis, and has authored several scientific publications. He and his wife have three children and drive electric.