SAN DIEGO (February 28, 2022) – Former Federal Highway Administration Executive Director Frederick G. “Bud” Wright has agreed to serve as principal transportation advisor to the Center for Sustainable Energy (CSE), an independent nonprofit that manages over $1 billion in electric vehicle (EV) and EV charging incentive programs across the U.S.
In his role, Wright will apply his 40 years of experience at the epicenter of state and federal transportation planning to advise CSE and its Board of Directors Strategic Planning Committee on how to help states optimize their use of federal funding for EV charging infrastructure.
Wright served from 2001-2008 as executive director of the U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), managing daily operations of the nearly 3,000-employee agency that supports state and local governments in the design, construction and maintenance of the nation’s highway system.
He later served six years as executive director of the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO), a nonprofit, non-partisan organization that supports state departments of transportation (DOTs). In 2021, AASHTO awarded Wright its President’s Special Award of Merit, a lifetime achievement honor that recognizes exemplary contributions to the mission of the organization.
“Bud has a distinguished track record delivering complicated highway infrastructure programs, which he understands from both the federal and state perspective,” said CSE President Lawrence Goldenhersh.
“Because the addition of EV charging to our national transportation system is the type of complex infrastructure Bud has spent his career overseeing, Bud is ideally situated to provide CSE with guidance that will ensure that our software and services are optimally configured to assist state DOTs and others with the delivery of convenient, reliable, affordable, connected and equitable EV charging infrastructure nationwide,” Goldenhersh said. “We are extremely honored to have Bud serve as our principal transportation advisor and look forward to collaborating with him to make this effort a success.“
“With $5 billion available from the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, states have both an unprecedented opportunity and somewhat daunting obligation to put the U.S. on a path to a nationwide network of EV chargers,” Wright said. “I agreed to serve as CSE’s principal transportation advisor because CSE provides the type of trusted, objective data, analysis and planning technology that will be critical to the success of the EV charger deployment program.”
CSE, an independent nonprofit, manages the $500+ million California Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Project (CALeVIP), the largest EV charging infrastructure program in the nation. CSE also manages seven statewide EV purchase incentive programs as well as over $1 billion in programs accelerating the adoption of solar energy, energy storage and energy efficiency in the built environment and distributed energy grid.
About the Center for Sustainable Energy
Center for Sustainable Energy® (CSE), an independent nonprofit, is transforming markets for clean transportation through software-enabled program administration and services. Its Caret® climate tech platform uses real-world data and behavioral economics to prioritize EV charging siting based on forecasted EV adoption, travel behavior, utility infrastructure and client-determined goals. Learn more at EnergyCenter.org and EnergyCenter.org/software/caret
Contact: Chuck Colgan, Center for Sustainable Energy
