Electric Highways and Harbors:
How Florida and Georgia can lead on Medium- and Heavy-Duty (MHD) Vehicle and Port Electrification
UPDATE: In anticipation of Hurricane Milton making landfall in the Southeast later this week, the Electrification Coalition has decided to move this event online. An updated agenda will be created and shared soon. We appreciate your understanding as we respond to these changing circumstances.
Join us on Thursday, October 10, 2024 from 2–4:30 p.m. for an afternoon filled with discussions and panels on the future of port and medium- and heavy-duty (MHD) vehicle electrification in Georgia and Florida. Learn from industry experts, network with local partners, and hear about the latest advancements in zero-emission transportation.
Agenda
Welcoming Remarks & Market Updates
Video Keynote
Rep. Earl L. “Buddy” Carter, U.S. House of Representatives, (R-GA 1st District)
Keynote
Mayor Cosby H. Johnson, Brunswick, GA
Panel #1: MHD Vehicle Electrification and Electric School Bus Deployment
This panel will address challenges in the deployment of medium- and heavy-duty electric vehicles, as well as short-term and long-term solutions. Our speakers will also highlight various projects being implemented across the Southeast, with a particular focus on electric school buses.
Speakers:
- Melanie Abrams, life scientist for U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Region 4
- Brad Beauchamp, EV product segment leader for Blue Bird Corporation
- Glemon English, EV transportation director for Savannah-Chatham County Public School System
- Shawn Jones, senior southern regional manager for Highland Electric Fleets
- Jared Schnader, senior director/bus initiative leader for CALSTART (moderator)
Keynote
Tal Loos, vice president of economic development for Savannah Technical College
Panel #2: Making Port and Freight Electrification Work
This panel will focus on the electrification of ports and freight systems, particularly in the Southeast, a region with a significant market for freight and port movement. Speakers will share lessons in barriers, planning, and deployment.
Speakers:
- Mike Anderson, vice president and COO for Go-Station
- Margaret Boelter, policy analyst for Zeem Solutions
- Tiffoni Buckle McCartney, manager of corporate sustainability for Georgia Ports Authority
- Nick Primrose, chief of regulatory compliance for the Jacksonville Port Authority (JAXPORT)
- Amira Streeter, senior government affairs and community engagement manager for Voltera
- Brad Whäm, director of business development for Orange EV (moderator)
Presentation: EC Technical Assistance and Resources
Carolyn Bidó, policy associate for the Electrification Coalition
Closing Remarks
Anne Blair, vice president of policy for the Electrification Coalition
Speakers
Rep. Earl L. "Buddy" Carter, U.S. House of Representatives
Earl L. “Buddy” Carter is an experienced businessman, health care professional and faithful public servant. For over 32 years, Buddy owned Carter’s Pharmacy, Inc., where South Georgians trusted him with their most valuable assets: their health, lives, and families. While running his business, he learned how to balance a budget and create jobs. He also saw firsthand the devastating impacts of government overregulation which drives his commitment to ensuring that the federal government creates policies to empower business instead of increasing burdens on America’s job creators.
A committed public servant, Buddy previously served as the Mayor of Pooler, Georgia, and in the Georgia General Assembly where he used his business experience to make government more efficient and responsive to the people. Buddy is serving his fifth term in the United States House of Representatives and is a member of the House Energy and Commerce (E&C) Committee and the House Budget Committee. He proudly serves as Chairman of the E&C Subcommittee on Environment, Manufacturing, and Critical Materials, where he prioritizes beating China, reducing emissions, unleashing American energy, and creating a pro-growth business environment. As a pharmacist serving in Congress, Buddy is dedicated to working towards a health care system that provides more choices, less costs, and better services.
A lifelong resident of the First District, Buddy was born and raised in Port Wentworth, Georgia, and is a proud graduate of Young Harris College and the University of Georgia where he earned his Bachelor of Science in Pharmacy. Buddy married his college sweetheart, Amy. Buddy and Amy have three sons, three daughters-in-law, and eight grandchildren.
Mayor Cosby H. Johnson, Brunswick, GA
On January 5, 2022, Brunswick native Cosby H. Johnson was sworn in as the second African American to hold the title of Mayor in the City of Brunswick.
Mayor Johnson comes from a family of public servants, raised by an educator and veteran who instilled in him the importance of serving your community. An amiable change-agent who ran under the platform of “Building a Better Brunswick,” Johnson strives to represent the voice of the people and is passionate about being a good steward.
Mayor Johnson is a proud Brunswick High School Pirate and graduated from Valdosta State University before beginning a career in government. He serves as Vice President for Government Affairs in the Georgia Chamber of Commerce and was influential in lobbying the Georgia Legislature to pass a hate crimes bill and repeal the state’s citizen’s arrest law.
Government accountability, transparency, education, and economic development are his top priorities.
Melanie Abrams, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Region 4
Melanie Abrams is a life scientist in the Region 4 Air and Radiation Division (ARD) at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Melanie works on the Mobile Sources Team on various projects under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) and Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) to reduce diesel pollution in the southeastern United States.
Prior to working for the EPA, Melanie worked for Underwriter’s Laboratories (UL) as a licensed asbestos inspector addressing indoor environmental concerns in commercial buildings and working with UL’s indoor environmental verification program.
Melanie has a Bachelor of Science in Biological Sciences from Florida State University.
Mike Anderson, Go-Station
Mike Anderson is an accomplished entrepreneur and business executive, having previously owned his own business in the automated material handling industry. Mike has been involved with the EV industry since 2011, and until July of 2019, he served as CEO of Efacec USA, a subsidiary of Portuguese EV charger manufacturer Efacec. While at Efacec, Mike not only created a charging equipment reseller network across the United States and Canada, but was also responsible for the sale and deployment of over 700 charging stations.
At Go-Station, Mike oversees and manages the utilization of available charging technology, the deployment of charging stations, and the maintenance and operation of all installed charging assets.
Brad Beauchamp, Blue Bird Corporation
Brad Beauchamp has been engaged in alternative fuels and infrastructure projects for over 25 years, and has worked in the the automotive and vocational vehicle sectors for over 35 years. He has experience with a wide array of advanced propulsion technologies, ranging from early electric vehicles (EV1 and S10), two-mode and hydraulic hybrids, E85, biodiesel, propane, CNG, HCCI, and hydrogen fuel cell vehicles. His rich experience encompasses direct collaboration with major OEMs, government, and startups, as well as partnership programs and numerous component suppliers. This involvement extends to assisting with dealer setup, training, and support for sales and service.
These endeavors led him to a role in GM’s research and development for the Project Driveway Fuel Cell program and his role as a project officer for the U.S. Department of Energy. During his tenure at Roush Clean Tech, Brad was instrumental in launching Blue Bird and Ford Propane offerings.
More recently, he played a key role in launching GM BrightDrop, and worked as a product and marketing manager in the vocational medium-duty vehicle space. Central to Brad’s approach is that “educational outreach in a wide variety of venues is the key to tracking toward success.”
Brad holds a Bachelor of Science in industrial engineering from Central Michigan University, along with an MBA in Global Management from the University of Phoenix. Enthusiastically, Brad aims to apply his comprehensive expertise to the school bus industry and is honored to contribute to Blue Bird’s journey toward its centennial year.
Margaret Boelter, Zeem Solutions
Margaret is a policy analyst at Zeem Solutions with a strong background in clean transportation incentives and policy. Throughout almost three years at Zeem Solutions she has managed incentive programs and grants worth millions of dollars and led transformative policy advocacy efforts. Her responsibilities at Zeem include policy work, government relations, grant management, and research.
Margaret graduated from the University of Michigan LSA College with a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Science and a computer science minor. Margaret was interviewed for Environmental Directions Radio and has been featured as a panelist on various transportation electrification workshops.
Tiffoni Buckle McCartney, Georgia Ports Authority
Tiffoni Buckle McCartney is an experienced environmental health and safety professional, sustainability leader, and certified maritime port executive (MPE). She works for Georgia Ports Authority as the corporate sustainability manager, collaborating with businesses and stakeholders to maximize environmental and health programs.
Tiffoni previously worked as the sustainability manager for Georgia Southern University campuses in Statesboro, Hinesville, and Savannah. Before working in Georgia, she was a consultant for the United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP) and the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB). Tiffoni has worked with Sandals Resorts International as their environmental health and safety regional manager, coordinating environmental and risk management programs. She has experience working in both the private sector and public sector in the Caribbean, Latin America, the United States of America, and the United Kingdom on environmental health and safety.
Trained as a natural resource manager and environmental engineer, Tiffoni holds a Bachelor of Science in environmental and natural resource management, a Master of Science in environmental engineering, and a Master of Business Administration.
Glemon English, Savannah-Chatham County Public School System
Glemon English currently serves as the lead fleet director for Savannah-Chatham County Public School System, where he responsible for the operation of a large mixed fleet of gas, diesel, and EV buses.
Glemon came to Savannah-Chatham with over 18 years of fleet management experience in the private and government sector where he assisted in EV implementation.
Shawn Jones, Highland Electric Fleets
Shawn Jones is the senior regional manager for Highland, overseeing fleet-electrification-as-a-service market development in the Southern United States. He has over 25 years of experience developing and implementing technology evaluation and market development strategies for private companies, research institutions, local/state governments, the U.S. Department of Energy and the U.S. Department of Defense.
Prior to joining Highland, Shawn most recently oversaw the launch of BlueWave’s standalone utility-scale energy storage division while simultaneously managing Northeast U.S. site acquisition, permitting, interconnection, and revenue offtake contracting activities.
Shawn is known by his colleagues as a change agent, a strong equity and inclusivity advocate, and for having an undying commitment to accelerating the just transition to a carbon-neutral economy to address climate change and positively impact society and the planet.
When not watching movies, reading comic books, listening to live music, or trying new and old sports, Shawn enjoys spending his free time with his wife and three kids traipsing around the lacrosse fields and volleyball courts near their home in Durham, North Carolina.
Jared Schnader, CALSTART
Jared Schnader is the senior director and bus initiative leader for CALSTART, the industry-building non-profit focused on decarbonizing transportation for all. His team oversees the planning, procurement, and deployment of hundreds of zero-emission transit and school buses across the country; conducts research and demonstrations for various state and federal agencies; writes industry-leading reports that have led to notable state and federal policy alterations; and manages more than $1 billion in funds for the California Air Resources Board and the California Energy Commission for electric school bus and infrastructure procurement. Jared is also the producer and host of the “Transition to Zero” podcast, the transit industry’s only podcast dedicated to zero-emission buses.
Prior to joining CALSTART, Jared was a co-founder and CFO of a non-emergency medical transportation company, developed a SaaS start-up catering to bus dealers, and led a start-up bus manufacturing operation in the U.S. for a Chinese-based bus manufacturer.
Jared holds a bachelor’s degree in finance from the University of Alabama. He is a member of MENSA, a Returned Peace Corps Volunteer (Ukraine), and a Transportation Disadvantaged Board Member in Walton County, Florida
Tal Loos, Savannah Technical College
Tal Loos has worked in the technical college system of Georgia for 21 years. For 14 years of that, he has been at Savannah Technical College (STC), serving as the dean of industrial technology for three years, dean of aviation for 10 years, and in his current role as vice president of economic development for one year.
During his tenure as dean of aviation at STC, he oversaw the design and building of the Aviation Training Center, successfully led STC through the Federal Aviation Administration Part 147 certification, and worked with local industry to help develop technical certificate programs to support industry needs. In his current role, he oversees the following divisions: Aviation, Continuing Education Training, Business and Industry Training, Adult Education, Driver’s Education and Safety, Childcare Resource and Referral, Pathways Home Grant, and Strengthening Community Colleges Grant.
Tal has an Associate of Applied Technology in aviation from Middle Georgia Technical College, a Bachelor of Science in sports management from Erskine College, and a master’s degree in aviation science from Everglades University. He holds a Federal Aviation Administration Mechanic’s Certificate with an airframe and powerplant rating and an inspection authorization, and is a certificated designated mechanic examiner by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).
Tal has been married to his lovely wife Rita for the past 10 years and lives in Pooler, Georgia.
Nick Primrose, Jacksonville Port Authority (JAXPORT)
Nick Primrose is the chief of regulatory compliance at JAXPORT. He oversees the port’s compliance in the areas of maritime law, environmental policy, safety, and risk management. He also serves as JAXPORT’s liaison with the Jacksonville City Council’s Special Committee on Resiliency and the City of Jacksonville’s Office of General Counsel.
Prior to joining JAXPORT, Nick served as Deputy General Counsel for Florida Governors Ron DeSantis and Rick Scott, and General Counsel for the State of Florida’s Division of Emergency Management. In these positions, he provided oversight and regulatory strategy on transportation, emergency preparedness, the economy, and other matters impacting the people of Florida.
Nick is currently the Chair of the Florida Freight Advisory Committee, a position appointed by the Florida Secretary of Transportation, and a Board Member on SelectFlorida, the state of Florida’s official international commerce organization, serving as a catalyst for economic development, economic diversification into targeted industries, and high-wage job creation for Floridians.
Nick is a member of the Florida Bar and holds a Juris Doctor from Barry University, a Master of Public Administration from DePaul University, and Bachelor of Arts in political science and communications from Lake Forest College.
Amira Streeter, Voltera
Amira Streeter brings a wealth of expertise in government policy, community empowerment, and collaborative problem-solving to her work. She is the senior government affairs and community engagement manager for Voltera, an electric vehicle infrastructure company that serves a multitude of different types of fleets.
Amira holds a Juris Doctor and Certificate in Environmental and Natural Resources Law from Lewis & Clark’s Northwestern School of Law, as well as a degree in ecology and environmental science from Skidmore College. With a dual background in law and science, she strives to make a positive impact with a career focused on public policy.
Brad Whäm, Orange EV
Brad Whäm has more than 30 years of business development, sales leadership, logistics management, and rental and leasing experience in the transportation sector. During his tenure at Orange EV, Brad has progressed from regional sales manager to Central U.S. sales team manager to director of business development. During this time, he played an integral part in developing Orange EV’s rental and leasing program. His current responsibilities include managing Orange EV’s sales and fleet customer relations.
Previous roles include area vice president with Idealease, director of sales at Murphy-Hoffman Company (MHC—Truck and Rental Leasing) and leadership roles at Penske Truck Leasing and Ryder Systems, Inc.