Jury Alumni

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  Melissa Ruhl

  Emerging Mobility Researcher, Ford

  2020 Transportation Jury Captain

  Melissa Ruhl is an Emerging Mobility Researcher with Ford’s Research and Advanced Engineering division in Palo Alto. Her research focuses on new and emerging transportation trends, such as micromobility, microtransit, and autonomous vehicles initiatives. Previously, Melissa was a senior planner for Arup in San Francisco where she managed projects on transportation innovation. She regularly speaks in California and nationally on autonomous vehicles and the future of cities. She has published a number of articles on future mobility and most recently co-authored a chapter on mobility as a service in the recently published Disruptive Transport: Driverless Cars, Transport Innovation and the Sustainable City of Tomorrow. In 2019, Melissa was recognized on the "40 under 40" Mass Transit Magazine list.

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  Mollie D'Agostino

  Policy Director, 3 Revolutions Future Mobility Program, UC Davis

  2020 Transportation Jury Member

  Mollie Cohen D'Agostino's work focuses on the 3 Revolutions in Transportation: vehicle sharing, electrification and increased automation. These forces are profoundly changing how we travel and may cause unknown changes to traffic congestion, equity, air pollution, and energy use. Ms. D'Agostino leads the policy outreach component of the 3 Revolutions Future Mobility Program at UC Davis. Her work aims to convey academic research findings to inform policy makers and practitioners. She leads the annual 3 Revolutions Policy Conference, legislative briefings, and other outreach events, as well as leading in the publication of policy briefs and issue papers. She has also spoken at dozens of external events and conferences to represent the 3R Program and has provided expert testimony to the California Senate Transportation and Housing Committee.
  
  Her prior work spans several sectors and includes environmental policy, community development and transportation planning. She worked with the California League of Conservation Voters, the City of Oakland’s Department of Housing and Community Development and the Alameda County Transportation Commission. She carries a Master’s in Public Policy from the Goldman School of Public Policy at UC Berkeley, and a B.A. in Political Science and the Program for the Environment, from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. Ms. D'Agostino has a dual position in the Policy Institute for Energy, Environment, and the Economy, and at UC Davis and the Institute of Transportation Studies, at UC Davis.

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  Lisa McNally

  Engagement Lead, Lacuna Technologies

  2020 Transportation Jury Member

  Lisa McNally works at the nexus of transportation, technology, and social impact. Lisa has dedicated her career to designing programs that promote sustainable and equitable access to critical commodities such as clean energy and shared mobility—everyday services that significantly improve quality of life—especially for those who need it most.
  
  As Engagement Lead at Lacuna Technologies, Lisa helps cities make better use of streets and curbs through open technology while optimizing the benefits of emerging mobility for the public good.
  
  Bringing expertise in smart cities, livable communities, and climate change policy, Lisa has designed and delivered programs that provide meaningful solutions for everyday users of our built environment. Lisa holds a MS from the University of Oxford, as well as a BA in Anthropology and BS in Environmental Policy from UC Berkeley.

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  Jacob Bouchard

  Senior Industrial Designer, JUMP Bikes, Uber

  2019 Transportation Jury Captain

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  Elizabeth Costa

  Interaction Designer

  2019 Transportation Jury Member

  Elizabeth Costa is an industrial designer focused in experiential and environmental design.

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  Hannah Lueptow

  Design Researcher & Strategist, Questtono

  2019 Transportation Jury Member

  Hannah June Lueptow is a design researcher and strategist at Questtono in Brooklyn, New York. She utilizes in-depth user engagement to solve experience based design challenges across a wide spectrum of product categories. Excited about understanding people’s relationship with the products around them, Hannah works to develop empathetic user experiences in disruptive tech spaces. Hannah has conducted international research projects in India, China and Indonesia and has worked with companies such as LG, Ford, Anheuser-Busch InBev, leading mixed reality companies, and more. In her spare time, Hannah designs and slipcasts functional objects out of her Brooklyn-based ceramic studio.

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  Michael Steiner

  Senior Designer, Infrastructure & Charging, JUMP Hardware

  2019 Transportation Jury Member

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  La Shirl Turner

  Head of Exterior and Interior Color and Materials, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles

  2018 Transportation Jury Captain

  La Shirl Turner is currently the Head of the Exterior and Interior Color and Materials team at FCA US LLC. She is responsible for the inspiration, research, development and coordination for all exterior and interior color and materials found in all FCA US vehicles. She has worked on vehicles such as the performance-driven 2018 Dodge Challenger SRT Demon, the iconic Jeep® Wrangler and the innovative Chrysler Pacifica minivan. She earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts with a focus on Fiber and Textile design from the College for Creative Studies.
  
  

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  Shady Elias

  Senior Designer, FCA US LLC

  2018 Transportation Jury Member

  Shady Elias is a senior designer in the Advanced Color and Materials studio at FCA US LLC. He is responsible for and provides input on all interior colors and materials used on Chrysler, Dodge and SRT (Street, Racing and Technology) vehicles. He also provides support for all exterior color and trim across those FCA US brands. As a senior designer in the advanced color and materials studio, he works side-by-side with interior and exterior designers, brand and materials engineering to develop new, innovative interior and exterior trims and finishes for each vehicle. Most recently, Elias worked on the all-new 2017 Jeep® Compass, Jeep Renegade and the Chrysler Portal concept vehicle.
  
  Elias earned a Master of Science in menswear design from the Academy of Art, San Francisco, and a Bachelor of Business Administration from The American University in Cairo. Prior to joining FCA, Elias was a children and menswear’s designer and has worked for Levi Strauss & Co. on their Levi’s and Dockers brands. He has also designed for brands such as Janie and Jack and The Northface.

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  Meredith Gannes

  Design Manager, FCA US LLC

  2018 Transportation Jury Member

  Meredith Gannes began her automotive design career in Shanghai and she has continued to explore the different facets of automotive design over the past decade. As a design manager in the advanced color and materials studio at FCA US, she oversees interior color mastering and program information for all NAFTA vehicle programs. She spends the majority of her day working with FCA designers and suppliers to execute color and material for vehicle production. Additionally, Gannes manages a separate team that creates documents illustrating FCA vehicle interiors for internal and external use. Most recently, Gannes designed the color and materials for the latest Jeep® concept car, the YunTu, revealed at the 2017 Shanghai Auto Show. She also worked on the new Jeep Compass, as well as variations of the Fiat 500.
  
  She earned her Bachelor of Arts in fashion and textile design from Michigan State University and her Master of Science in business administration from Wayne State University. She is passionate about design and enjoys working with her team of color, material and finish designers. When she is not working, she loves traveling and immersing herself in different cultures.

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  Kasia Lys

  Lead Senior Designer, FCA US LLC

  2018 Transportation Jury Member

  Kasia Lys is a Lead Senior Designer in the Advanced Color and Materials studio at FCA US LLC. While Lys is responsible for overseeing the selection of exterior body paint, trim and wheel finishes for all FCA US brands, she spends the majority of her time with the Ram Truck brand. From research to material development, she oversees design and creation of all colors and materials used within the interiors of the Ram Truck model lineup. She recently completed work on the all-new Ram 1500 unveiled at the 2018 North American International Auto Show.
  
  Lys earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts in interior design with a minor in textile design from the College for Creative Studies in Detroit. She enjoys a hands-on approach to design and appreciates highly crafted products and spaces.

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  Jackie Chang

  Project Lead Designer, Nissan

  2017 Transportation Jury Captain

  Jackie Chang is a Project Lead Designer at the Silicon Valley office of Nissan Design America (NDA), part of the global design organization of Nissan Motor Co. Ltd. (NML). He is responsible for leading cross-functional research and design activities to connect consumer experiences with future HMI/GUI design for Nissan and Infiniti products with a user-centered approach to lead and shape new mobility experience in the era of autonomous drive. The activities are already yielding positive results in the upstream design development process.
  
  Since joining Nissan Design America, San Diego, California, in 2001 as an automotive interior designer, Jackie participated and contributed in the design development of many key Nissan products, including the 2012 Nissan NV2500 commercial van, 2014 NV200 NYC Taxi and 2016 Nissan Maxima 4-door sports car. He also led the GUI design development of the 2015 Nissan IDS concept (debuted Tokyo Motor Show) and supported the GUI design of 2017 Nissan Vmotion 2.0 concept (North American International Auto Show).
  
  All Nissan and Infiniti products and concept cars are designed and developed in global collaboration under the leadership of Shiro Nakamura, Senior Vice President and Chief Creative Officer of NML.
  
  Born in Taiwan and growing up in Argentina and Spain, Jackie moved to the United Stated in 1998 after being accepted by the Art Center College of Design, Pasadena, California. He graduated in 2001 with BS in Transportation Design.

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  Norio Fujikawa

  Creative Director, Astro Studios, Inc.

  2017 Transportation Jury Member

  Norio Fujikawa is an award winning industrial designer currently working as a Creative Director at Astro Studios in San Francisco, where he has designed products for many of the world’s leading companies. Microsoft, Intel, HP, P&G, Samsung, Disney, Nike, and Nissan have all benefitted from Norio’s keen eye for innovative design. He has worked across a wide range of businesses and industries that include consumer electronics, home goods, appliances, toys, equipment, and automotive. Norio has also mentored start-ups with his 20 years plus of knowledge in developing products, brands, and experiences.
  
  
  Born and raised in Chicago, Norio studied at the Institute of Design. At the heart of it all, Norio is an artist. When he isn’t designing, he is either professionally illustrating or hanging his paintings in better art galleries around San Francisco. Norio has also been a semi-professional tumbler, and is a fully-professional fish monger.

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  Ken Mak

  Co-Founder, daCompany

  2017 Transportation Jury Member

  Ken Mak is co-founder of daCompany, an upcoming start-up delivering insights for cannabis patients into their consumption to disrupt the medicinal distribution model. He is concurrently developing With Eaze, a housewares company emphasizing clean solutions for the home. His work has spanned across industrial design, software development, product management and product marketing.
  
  In addition to these ventures, Ken is principal of Orenga Design, a product consultancy in San Francisco helping technology companies deliver innovative user experiences. He is currently leading industrial design for Cisco's Unified Computing System’s division, responsible for a $4B portfolio. Prior to this group, he was Senior Creative Lead for Cisco's flagship Telepresence system, garnering a Red Dot Best of the Best Award.
  
  Over the past 15 years, he has released 75+ products in the electronics and hard goods space for the likes of HP, Sony, Google, Disney, Black & Decker and a multitude of startups, earning iF Design, R&D 100, and CES Innovations Awards.
  
  Ken holds a Bachelor of Science from the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena and has been a senior lecturer at the California College of Arts in San Francisco.

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  Eric Noble

  Professor, Vehicle Technology, Art Center College of Design

  2016 Transportation Jury Captain

  Eric is founder and president of The CARLAB, an advanced automotive consulting firm which helps manufacturers and suppliers plan and design new vehicles. Founded in 1999, it is the most influential auto product consultancy in North America, serving carmakers from Nissan to Ferrari, Toyota, VW, Honda and Subaru, in addition to industry suppliers such as Continental, global auto clubs and the energy industry.
  Eric is also Professor of Vehicle Technology at Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, where most of the world’s top car designers are trained.
  He is a frequent media commentator and analyst on the auto industry, and a member of the Motor Press Guild.
  In addition to his professional activities, Mr. Noble is a longtime environmental volunteer with the Sierra Club, and enjoys surfing and off-road camping with his wife and two sons.

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  Alex Alexiev

  Automotive Designer, McLaren

  2016 Transportation Jury Member

  Alex is a designer at McLaren Automotive in the UK since 2013. His work at McLaren includes, production, advanced and bespoke customer projects through McLaren Special Operations.
  
  Prior to joining McLaren he worked with a So-cal EV start-up to develop an electric platform for limited production in Newport Beach. He has worked in a variety of studios such as Polaris Industries, Volvo (VMCC), Toyota ADV Design (Tokyo), and Misha Design (LA) during his studies.
  Alex is a Graduate with Honors (12’) of Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, where most of the world’s top car designers are trained. Some of his work can be seen in the Petersen Automotive Museum, within the design process showcase. In addition to his professional activities, Alex is a outdoor fanatic, tennis player, and dedicated car enthusiast.