Zoox co-founders Tim Kentley-Klay and Dr. Jesse Levinson announced today that Dr. Mark Rosekind has joined the company’s executive team as the Chief Safety Innovation Officer. He will lead Zoox’s efforts to safely
develop, test, and deploy autonomous vehicles.
Dr. Rosekind joins Zoox following a successful tenure as the Administrator of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) at the U.S. Department of Transportation in Washington, D.C. While leading NHTSA, Rosekind championed the role that autonomous vehicle technology can play in improving roadway safety and reducing vehicle-related injuries and fatalities. There, he worked with government and industry stakeholders to craft and release the first-ever Federal Automated Vehicles Policy.
“Dr. Rosekind’s intellectual curiosity and lifelong passion for safety in mobility make him a natural fit for Zoox’s mission,” said Kentley-Klay, Zoox CEO. “His career has spanned remote vehicle operations at NASA, human factors research into fatigue, accident safety investigation at the NTSB, and finally, advancing the state of the art in AV policy while helming NHTSA. Mark’s diverse journey finds its zenith in Zoox’s mission: to create autonomous mobility. We are thrilled that his unparalleled experience, insight, and leadership will help ensure that our autonomous vehicle systems are developed, tested, and deployed with best-in-class safety principles.”
“Zoox has an integrated, full-system approach to transforming mobility that is unique across the autonomous vehicle landscape,” Rosekind said. “Their technology, creativity, and vision are impressive and coupled with a passion to improve the world.
Joining Zoox represents an opportunity to deliver on my deeply held belief that safety innovation will be critical in the transition to autonomous mobility.”
“Dr. Mark Rosekind is an exceptional talent and a great addition to Zoox,” said Anthony R. Foxx, former Secretary of the U.S. Department of Transportation. “As a highly regarded safety expert, he understands innovation and played an instrumental role in crafting the U.S. Department of Transportation’s groundbreaking approach to autonomous vehicles. I have no doubt that he’ll continue to exercise great leadership
in his new private sector role.”
In addition to overseeing the development of the Federal Automated Vehicles Policy, Dr. Rosekind’s tenure at NHTSA included initiating the Road to Zero coalition that is developing a 30-year plan to eliminate traffic fatalities, and safety oversight of the automobile industry, including leading the Agency through the nation’s largest product safety recall in U.S history.
About Zoox:
Zoox is a Menlo Park, Ca.-based robotics company founded by Tim Kentley-Klay and Dr. Jesse Levinson to create autonomous mobility. Operating at the intersection of computer science, electro-mechanical engineering, and design, Zoox is a multidisciplinary team working together to imagine and create an advanced mobility experience – one that will address the needs of urban mobility for both people and the environment.
About Dr. Rosekind:
Dr. Rosekind was appointed by President Obama to be the 15th Administrator of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Serving from 2014 to 2017, Dr. Rosekind led significant transformation, instilling a proactive safety culture while driving both the Agency and automobile industry to be future-oriented. His initiatives included the development and issuance of the first-ever Federal Automated Vehicles Policy, the founding of the Road to Zero coalition to develop a 30-year plan to eliminate traffic fatalities, and aggressive oversight of safety in the automobile industry, including leading the Agency through the nation’s largest product safety recall in U.S history.
Before becoming NHTSA Administrator, Dr. Rosekind was appointed by President Obama and served as the 40th member of the National Transportation Safety Board(NTSB) from 2010 to 2014. He was the on-scene board member for seven major transportation accidents and participated in almost 50 accident Board Meetings,along with numerous NTSB public events on diverse safety topics. Dr. Rosekind advanced the agency’s advocacy goals on substance-impaired driving, fatigue, fire safety, and rail mass transit.
Prior to his appointment to the NTSB, Dr. Rosekind founded Alertness Solutions, a scientific consulting firm that specialized in fatigue management, and served as the company’s first president and chief scientist. He previously directed the Fatigue Countermeasures Program at NASA’s Ames Research Center and was chief of the Aviation Operations Branch in the Flight Management and Human Factors Division.
He launched his professional career as the director of the Center for Human Sleep Research at the Stanford University Sleep Disorders and Research Center.
Dr. Rosekind is an internationally recognized expert on human fatigue, credited with leading the field in innovative research and implementing programs in all modes of transportation. His work has been widely published, and his awards include the Lifetime Achievement Award from the National Sleep Foundation; NASA’s Exceptional Service Medal and six other NASA group/team awards; the Mark O. Hatfield Award for Public Policy from the American Academy of Sleep Medicine; two Flight Safety Foundation honors; and Fellow of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.
Dr. Rosekind earned his B.A. with honors from Stanford University, his M.S., M.Phil.,and Ph.D. from Yale University, and completed a postdoctoral fellowship at the Brown University Medical School.