Partners & Advisors ∨

John Waters - PHEV

Currently CEO and President of Bright Automotive™. Mr. Waters is an entrepreneurial and business development professional with over 25 years experience in enterprise development, strategic planning, and high-volume production of engineered products and solutions. Mr. Waters is currently leading a "dream team" of advanced automotive experts in the research and development of lightweight, Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicles (PHEVs).

Previously, Mr. Waters was Vice President and founder of the Transportation Practice at Rocky Mountain Institute, which provided advanced energy strategy consulting to Fortune 500 companies (e.g., Alcoa, Pacific Gas & Electric, Wal-Mart.).

Prior to RMI, Mr. Waters was the Vice President of Business Development for EnerDel, Inc. – a lithium battery joint venture with Delphi Corporation. He led establishing the joint venture and was responsible for developing new markets, commercial sales, strategic markets, partnerships, and state and federal lobbying efforts. As Manager of Product Engineering at Delphi Corporation (2001–2004), Mr. Waters initiated strategic customer partnerships and launched a new lithium battery business. He was responsible for the design, building, testing, and production of multiple lithium battery products for the Segway® Human Transporter and the iBOT® medical device. As Manager of Advanced Engineering (1997–2001), Mr. Waters also led the design, analysis and advanced manufacturing of advanced energy storage system products for use in hybrid-electric automotive applications.

Prior to Delphi, Mr. Waters worked for a division of General Motors where he led numerous projects, including the development and production of the battery pack system for GM's first electric vehicle and subsequent electric vehicles (i.e., GM EV1, and the Electric S-10).

He began his career at Texas Instruments, Inc., designing and implementing automated (robotic) manufacturing processes for the US Air Force and General Motors Engine Division. Mr. Waters has been awarded four U.S. patents, two international patents, holds two defensive papers in battery pack designs, and has received numerous industry awards. He is a graduate of the University of Arkansas with a Bachelor of Science degree in mechanical engineering and a member of Pi Tau Sigma Mechanical Engineering Honorary Society.

Jeff Ronning - Vehicle Electrification

Jeff Ronning, PE, is a hybrid vehicle systems architect and thermal systems expert at Bright Automotive. His experience in systems development and thermal, fluid dynamics, as well as chemical modeling tools is strongly rooted in physical validation. He performs vehicle system simulation and hybrid architecture research in his position as Hybrid Systems Architect.

In 1995, Mr. Ronning developed a passion for an improved hybrid vehicle configuration that was widely unknown at the time. It was then that he individually developed the concept of a “battery-dominant” hybrid and became one of a handful of pioneers to advocate what would later be commonly known as the “plug-in hybrid vehicle” (PHEV).

Before joining Bright Automotive, Mr. Ronning served as Senior Consultant at Rocky Mountain Institute, providing advanced systems engineering and design concept validation in multiple industries. He provided technical direction on the PHEV Team, he worked to validate client concepts, developed the design parameters for two unique PHEVs, and performed research in “vehicle-to-grid” (V2G) systems. He is highly regarded for his understanding of the multiple aspects of vehicle fuel economy, having served in this capacity in the Automotive X-Prize energy and emissions working group.

Mr. Ronning has also served at Delphi Corporation, General Motors Research Labs, Chevrolet, Pontiac, and GM Canada.

Mr. Ronning received a B.S. Mechanical Engineering from Kansas State University in 1988. He is a registered Professional Engineer in the state of Indiana and served as an SAE Industrial Lectureship Speaker in 1998. He authors many publications, including a seminal 1997 PHEV work “The Viable Environmental Car: The Right Combination of Electrical and Combustion Energy for Transportation,” SAE 971629. Mr. Ronning holds eight U.S. patents, primarily related to hybrid vehicle components and systems.

Steve Williams - Trucking

Steve Williams is Chairman and CEO of Maverick USA, Inc.

Founded in 1980, Maverick USA, Inc. is the parent of three transportation companies. Maverick USA, Inc. operates over 1,500 power units providing flatbed and specialized services to the steel, glass, machinery and building materials industries throughout the United States, Canada and Mexico.

The company has invested in state of the art technologies that allow it to operate as safe, efficient and sustainable as possible.

Williams is active in trade associations, serving three terms as the chairman of the Arkansas Trucking Association and is a past chairman of the American Trucking Associations. In addition, Williams is a member of the Board of Directors of the American Transportation Research Institute and an Executive Committee member of the Transportation Research Board of The National Academies.

He has a bachelor's degree in marketing from Missouri State University located in Springfield, MO.

Auden Schendler - Corporate Sustainability

As Executive Director of Community and Environmental Responsibility, Auden Schendler oversees Aspen Skiing Company's environmental efforts, corporate contributions, and civic engagement. He also serves as Director of Aspen Sustainability Associates, a green business consulting practice. A LEED certified professional, Auden was previously a research associate in corporate sustainability at Rocky Mountain Institute.

Auden's work at Aspen Skiing Company has been covered widely, in magazines including Outside, Fast Company, Businessweek and Travel and Leisure, on Nightline and The Jim Lehrer News Hour.

Named a "Climate Crusader" in TIME magazine's 2006 special issue on climate change, Auden is also a recipient of the 2007 EPA Climate Protection Award.

Auden speaks internationally on sustainable business issues, and has lectured at Yale, Harvard, Bowdoin and Colorado College. His writing has been published in journals ranging from Harvard Business Review to the L.A. Times, the Journal of Industrial Ecology and Salon.com. His book Getting Green Done: Hard Truths and Real Solutions from the Front Lines of the Sustainability Revolution, will be published in February of 2009 by Public Affairs.

David Cramer - Fiberforge

David Cramer is CTO and COO of Fiberforge Corporation, an advanced-composite manufacturing technology company focused on cost-effective lightweighting solutions for mobility applications, including air and ground transportation. Previous to Fiberforge, David co-founded RMI spin-off, Hypercar, Inc., where he focused on technology partnerships and software and electronics integration to achieve system energy efficiency and light weight. Prior to Hypercar, Inc., David worked as a senior research associate at Rocky Mountain Institute. At RMI, David co-authored reports on the application of lightweight materials to automobiles and managed the formation of the 17-member consortium, The Hypercar Project, which was the precursor to Hypercar, Inc. David received a BA magna cum laude from Dartmouth College, majoring in Engineering Science, and was a Presidential Scholar and Steffanson Fellow. He then earned a BEng with High Honors, and was awarded the Faculty Award for Academic Excellence, the Woodhouse Environmental Engineering Prize, and the Colligan Memorial Prize for Excellence in Materials Science.