Smart Mobility in CO and Japan Panelists

Betsy Markey

Betsy Markey was appointed by Governor Jared Polis to his cabinet as Executive Director of the Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade in January 2019. She has over 30 years of leadership experience in government and the private sector. She has served as a Member of Congress, a senior federal executive, and the co-founder and CFO of a high-tech company. While serving as a Member of Congress representing Colorado’s 4th Congressional district, she was appointed by the President to serve as the Assistant Secretary for Intergovernmental Affairs for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) in Washington DC. She facilitated the direct line of communication between the department and governors and mayors across the country on all DHS mission areas, including cyber security, terrorism prevention, transportation security, immigration enforcement, border security and disaster assistance.

Yaezou Shiotsuki

Shiotsuki-san joins us from Japan where he has worked at Panasonic since 1983. He graduated from the Department of Electrical Engineering at Tokyo University Agriculture and Technology and joined Matsushita (Panasonic) upon graduation. He has worked in a variety of capacities at Panasonic over the years including as General Manager and Director of the Multimedia Business Unit of Panasonic Automotive Company, Executive Vice President of Panasonic Automotive Company of North America, Director of the Automotive Development Center, Panasonic AVC Network Company, Associate director of R&D, Panasonic Automotive Company, and now as Executive Staff in the Mobility Business Strategy Office of Panasonic Headquarters. We are honored to have him join us and truly wish we could welcome him in person to Colorado as originally planned.

Chris armstrong

Chris Armstrong is Vice President of Panasonic’s Cirrus by Panasonic™/V2X business, where he is leads a dynamic team of software developers, designers, solution architects, and engineers who develop and deploy V2X technology that improves the safety and mobility of Panasonic’s customers. He also provides program and technical direction for Panasonic’s partnerships, helping transportation departments in Utah, Georgia, and Colorado deploy Panasonic’s connected vehicle data management ecosystem on their respective roadways.

Prior to joining Panasonic, Chris served in a variety of roles including Departments of Transportation of several states as well as the U.S. Department of Transportation.

Chris delivered the first U.S. prototype of a self-driving application that integrates wirelessly broadcasted (via dedicated short-range communications) traffic signal information with automated vehicle control. In July 2014, he served as a thought leader and key engineering manager in a cutting-edge research environment visited by President Barack Obama to highlight the importance of transportation innovation to the country.

Chris earned a Bachelor of Science degree in civil engineering from Virginia Polytechnic Institute.

baptiste le poittevin

Baptiste Le Poittevin is EasyMile’s North American Customer Solution Architect.

With a strong background in Embedded Systems Engineering and Business Development, Baptiste focuses on assisting clients in designing and sizing ambitious projects with autonomous vehicles. Prior to his current position at EasyMile, Baptiste was working as Trade Advisor at the French Embassy Trade Commission in Australia, assisting innovative French companies in expanding their business in Australia and New Zealand. Baptiste also worked at Airbus in a Research & Technology department before joining a startup in the “Internet of Things'' sector as a Business Development Manager. Baptiste holds a MSc in Electronic and Control Engineering, as well as an Engineering Masters in Business Development from the French National Institute of Applied Sciences.

Jim Siedlecki

Jim Siedlecki will be the Moderator for this event. Jim is the Deputy County Manager for Adams County, Colorado. Prior to becoming Deputy County Manager, he served as Director of Communications for the county for six years. Jim’s backgournd is in broadcast news and he has served as News Director and Anchor for over 15 years in markets in Missouri and Nebraska. Jim has served on the Board of Directors for Japan America Society of Colorado since January 2020.

Tyler svitak

Tyler Svitak has built his career solving problems at the intersection of technology and urbanism. Tyler has held strategic roles advancing connected, automated, and electric mobility initiatives at the City and County of Denver, Colorado Department of Transportation, and American Lung Association in Colorado, where he led or contributed to some of the most innovative smart mobility projects and policies in the country.

Tyler became the Executive Director of the Colorado Smart Cities Alliance in 2019, which is the first and only statewide coalition of public, private, academic and research organizations committed to advancing smart cities initiatives across sectors and jurisdictions. Tyler leads the membership-based organization as it develops a new model for project identification, replication, and scale.

Keita yasuda

Keita Yasuda is Vice President of Strategic Planning for Panasonic’s Smart Mobility business, where he leads growth strategy, development and drives strategic initiatives. Keita also serves as a liaison for Panasonic Corporation in Japan to help accelerate global business collaboration and execute strategic business objectives in the mobility industry.

Keita’s twenty year career at Panasonic began with his tenure in Product Planning with Panasonic Electric Works LTD, in new product development, sales and promotion for the Japan market. He has also served on the Panasonic Worldwide Olympic Marketing team, supporting corporate initiatives at the Beijing 2008 and Vancouver 2010 Olympic Games and the Brand Communications team. Prior to his current leadership role on the Smart Mobility team, Keita was the Director Corporate Planning with Panasonic Corporation of North America where he worked closely with the CEO on business strategy, global initiatives, and corporate structure.

Keita earned a Bachelor of Science degree in International Affairs from University of Colorado at Boulder.