Johnson will lead the state’s Office of Future Mobility and Electrification, succeeding Kathryn Snorrason, who served in the post on an interim basis, and Trevor Pawl, the state’s first chief mobility officer. Pawl assumed the post in July 2020, before stepping down in January of this year to take a one-year break from his career and spend more time with family, according to his LinkedIn profile.
“Under Justine’s leadership, we’ll continue to put the world on notice that if you seek a place to research, innovate, test and deploy the next generation of mobility technologies, we welcome you to make it in Michigan,” said Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, in a statement.
Johnson formerly served on the Los Angeles County Aviation Commission, where she advised the Board of Supervisors on the operation of the five airports within L.A. County, which includes the Los Angeles International Airport. She has also served as director of member engagement for the California Mobility Center in Sacramento, Calif., which helps early stage transportation companies get a footing in the state.
The Office of Future Mobility and Electrification has helped to lead projects like the electric road system (ERS), a one-mile stretch of in-road wireless charging for electric vehicles; partnerships with Canada to explore drone delivery operations; and autonomous sidewalk bot delivery pilots, among others.
