The American Center for Mobility (ACM) connected and automated vehicle (CAV) technology testbed in Michigan has announced that former Intel executive Michael Noblett has been selected as its president and chief executive officer (CEO) following a national search.
Noblett joins the ACM team from multinational computing technology giant Intel, where he served as the global segment lead of automotive industry sales. He is internationally recognized as an expert in automotive electronics and wireless communications and is a leader in the intelligent transportation systems (ITS) industry having helped pioneer multinational activities to advance connected vehicle technologies, advanced safety transportation systems, and location-based service delivery.
Noblett will oversee the strategic direction of the award-winning proving grounds and work with the board of directors to accelerate the center’s development. He takes over from former Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) director Kirk Steudle, who was appointed as interim-CEO of ACM by the board of directors in mid-2018, and will now transition oversight of the company to Noblett.
Noblett will spearhead the center’s program innovation and economic development initiatives. As he manages the strategy and overall direction for ACM, day-to-day operational tasks have been assigned to Mark Chaput, who was recently promoted to chief operating officer from vice president of operations and construction. Completing ACM’s executive leadership team moving forward is Jeff Rupp, who joined the team in May 2018, and serves as chief technical officer as well as chief safety officer.
“The board believes Michael Noblett is the ideal leader for ACM as it transitions from a startup into a mature organization,” said Doug Rothwell, president and CEO of Business Leaders for Michigan and chair of the ACM board of directors. “Michael, along with Mark Chaput and Jeff Rupp, give us a leadership team that will solidify ACM’s position as a world-class test facility and resource for advanced technology research.”
Since opening, additional infrastructure has been added to the more than 500-acre site in Ypsilanti Township, including two state-of-the-art garages housing 13 vehicle and commercial truck bays, two new testing environments and a corridor designed to replicate bicycle and pedestrian traffic.
In September 2018, ACM was awarded a US Department of Energy (DOE) grant to examine fuel-efficient platooning in mixed traffic highway environments, communication systems reliability in adverse weather scenarios, and validate simulation models.
The proposed scope of the study has not been attempted before; if completed successfully, it will be the first of its kind in the country. ACM is also collaborating with its 23-member Academic Consortium to convene additional technical training programs, as well as coordinating efforts to develop a new research study on workforce development trends.
Steudle commented, “The interest from industry and demand for greater programing at ACM hasn’t slowed since the doors opened in December 2017. As ACM moves into this new phase, I am confident Michael is the right leader to ensure forward movement and growth in the years to come.”
