This sponsored session was presented by MEDC at MIT Technology Review’s 2024 EmTech MIT event.

Michigan is at the forefront of the clean energy transition, setting an example in mobility and automotive innovation. Other states and organizations can learn from Michigan’s approach to public-private partnerships, actionable climate plans, and business-government alignment. Progressive climate policies are not only crucial for sustainability but also for attracting talent in today’s competitive job market.

Read more from MIT Technology Review Insights & MEDC about addressing climate change impacts

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About the speaker

Hilary Doe, Chief Growth & Marketing Officer, Michigan Economic Development Corporation

As Chief Growth & Marketing Officer, Hilary Doe leads the state’s efforts to grow Michigan’s population, economy, and reputation as the best place to live, work, raise a family, and start a business. Hilary works alongside the Growing Michigan Together Council on a once-in-a-generation effort to grow Michigan’s population, boost economic growth, and make Michigan the place everyone wants to call home.

Hilary is a dynamic leader in nonprofits, technology, strategy, and public policy. She served as the national director at the Roosevelt Network, where she built and led an organization engaging thousands of young people in civic engagement and social change programming at chapters nationwide, which ultimately earned the organization recognition as a recipient of the MacArthur Award for Creative and Effective Institutions. She also served as Vice President of the Roosevelt Institute, where she oversaw strategy and expanded the Institute’s Four Freedoms Center, with the goal of empowering communities and reducing inequality alongside the greatest economists of our generations. Most recently, she served as President and Chief Strategy Officer at Nationbuilder, working to equip the world’s leaders with software to grow their movements, businesses, and organizations, while spreading democracy.

Hilary is a graduate of the University of Michigan’s Honors College and Ford School of Public Policy, a Detroit resident, and proud Michigander.

This sponsored session was presented by Ford Pro at MIT Technology Review’s 2024 EmTech MIT event.

A decarbonized transportation system is a necessary pre-requisite for a sustainable economy. In the transportation industry, the road to electrification and greater technology adoption can also increase business bottom lines and reduce downstream costs to tax payers. Focusing on early adopters such as first responders, local municipalities, and small business owners, we’ll discuss common misconceptions, barriers to adoption, implementation strategies, and how these insights carry over into wide-spread adoption of emerging technology and electric vehicles.

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About the speaker

Wanda Young, Global Chief Marketing & Experience Officer, Ford Pro

Wanda Young is a visionary brand marketer and digital transformation expert who thrives at the intersection of brand, digital, technology, and data; paired with a deep understanding of the consumer mindset. She gained her experience working for the largest brands in retail, sports & entertainment, consumer products, and electronics. She is a successful brand marketer and change agent that organizations seek to drive digital and data transformation – a Chief Experience Officer years before the title was invented. In her roles managing multiple notable brands, including Samsung, Disney, ESPN, Walmart, Alltel, and Acxiom, she developed knowledge of the interconnectedness of brand, digital, and data; of the importance of customer experience across all touchpoints; the power of data and localization; and the in-the-trenches accountability to drive outcomes. Now at Ford Pro, the Commercial Division of Ford Motor Company, she is focused on helping grow the newly-launched division and brand which only Ford can offer commercial customers – an integrated lineup of vehicles and services designed to meet the needs of all businesses to keep their productivity on pace to drive growth.

Young enjoyed a series of firsts in her career, including launching ESPN+, developing Walmart’s first social media presence and building 5000 of their local Facebook pages (which are still live today and continue to scale), developing the first weather-triggered ad product with The Weather Company, designing an ad product with Google called Local Inventory Ads, being part of team who took Alltel Wireless private (which later sold to Verizon Wireless), launching the Acxiom.com website on her first Mother’s Day with her daughter on her lap. She serves on the board of or is involved in a number of industry memberships and has been the recipient of many prestigious awards. Young received a Bachelor of Arts in English with a minor in Advertising from the University of Arkansas.