Kristen De La Rosa

Kristen De La Rosa is director of the Advanced Vehicle Technology Competition (AVTC) program at Argonne National Laboratory, where she has organized more than 18 competitions since she started in 1997.

Previously, Kristen served as Public Outreach Manager & Interim Asst. Director for Public Education/ Media for the Alternative Fuels Research & Education Division of the Texas Railroad Commission (TRC). Kristen was first introduced to the AVTC program in 1996 when the TRC sponsored the Propane Vehicle Challenge. The experience had a profound impact on her and led her to the AVTC organizing team at Argonne, where she continues today.

Serving as a sponsor or key organizer for 20 of the 28 AVTC competitions in the program’s history, Kristen has been at the forefront of defining, executing and growing the program for almost 16 years.

Kristen leads all day-to-day activities of the AVTC program, including the current EcoCAR 2: Plugging In to the Future series. She is also responsible for establishing and managing the program’s multi-million dollar sponsorship & fundraising efforts and is the Chair of the EcoCAR Executive Steering Committee.

Kristen graduated from the University of Texas at Austin with degrees in Business/Communications and Nursing.

Nicole Lambiase

Nicole Lambiase is an AVTC Mechanical Engineer for Argonne National Laboratory’s Advanced Vehicle Technology Competition program. She served as a technical coordinator for the last two years of EcoCAR: The Next Challenge, and is continuing that role going into EcoCAR 2: Plugging In To The Future. Nicole is a former EcoCAR Electrical Team Leader from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, where she earned her Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering with a concentration in High Performance Vehicles.

Brian Benoy

Brian Benoy is the Advanced Vehicle Technology Competition (AVTC) Controls & Simulation Engineer at Argonne National Laboratory.  Brian currently holds a bachelors of science in electrical engineering from Kettering University, and will complete his masters of science in electrical engineering from Mississippi State University in May of 2012.  As a graduate student in the AVTC program during EcoCAR: The NeXt Challenge, Brian gained valuable leadership and technical experience as the controls team leader for Mississippi State University.

Patrick Walsh

Patrick Walsh serves as the Advanced Vehicle Testing and Controls Engineer at Argonne National Laboratory and a key organizer for EcoCAR 2. Patrick graduated with his master’s degree from Virginia Tech after serving as the team leader for the EcoCAR team (Hybrid Electric Vehicle Team of Virginia Tech) for two years. Prior to graduate school, Patrick worked as a powertrain analyst and calibrator at BMW in Greenville, South Carolina as a co-op during his undergraduate work at Virginia Tech. For EcoCAR 2, Patrick will serve as the event captain for the Emissions and Energy Consumption event, as well as support controls and simulation activity. When Patrick is not working for AVTC’s directly, he will be working in Argonne’s Advanced Powertrain Research Facility, testing and reporting on advanced technology vehicles.

Kimberly DeClark

Kimberly DeClark is the Advanced Vehicle Technology Competitions Communications and Logistics Manager at Argonne National Laboratory.  In that role she is responsible for communications and logistics for EcoCAR 2: Plugging In to the Future competition, which includes managing the Outreach program for EcoCAR 2 as well as overseeing the U.S. Department of Energy’s Clean Cities University Workforce Development Program.

DeClark has a diverse background in public relations, media relations and public affairs which include positions at General Motors, the White House National Advance team/White House Press Corps, and agency experience.

Previously, DeClark was Manager, Government, Policy and Technology Communications for General Motors where she managed and facilitated public policy issue communications between government relations and corporate communications functions.  Kimberly acted as spokesperson on all GM public policy issues including health care, trade, tax, safety, energy, environment and advanced technology vehicles.  She coordinated with third-party organizations and other external audiences including elected officials, community leaders, policy makers, associations and advocacy groups to support public policy initiatives.

DeClark has a master of arts degree in organizational communications and public relations, and graduated summa cum laude with a bachelor of arts degree in public relations and speech communications, both from Wayne State University.

Dana Bubonovich

Dana Bubonovich is the AVTC Communications and Logistics Coordinator at Argonne National Laboratory. Dana works on program logistics for EcoCAR 2: Plugging In to the Future and coordinates the Clean Cities University Workforce Development Program, a nationwide internship program. She received her bachelor’s degree in public relations from Penn State University in 2010, and was the former Outreach Coordinator the Penn State EcoCAR team from 2008-2010. While at Penn State, Dana was also the Chapter president of the Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA) and founded Penn State’s first student-run public relations firm, Happy Valley Communications. She can be reached at dbubonovich@anl.gov.

Pat Davis

Patrick Davis is the Program Manager of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy’s Vehicle Technologies Program Office at the U. S. Department of Energy. The Vehicle Technologies Program supports over $200 million in annual research funding for hybrid drivetrains, advanced batteries, lightweight materials, advanced combustion and fuels, vehicle systems integration, and deployment activities. He is responsible for two major government industry partnerships, the FreedomCAR and Fuel Partnership and the 21st Century Truck Partnership. He also serves on the Board of Directors of the American National Standards Institute.

Formerly he served as a senior advisor for transportation technologies in the office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy and as DOE coordinator of the President’s 20-in-10 Initiative to reduce gasoline usage in the United States by 20 percent in the next 10 years. He previously served as the Acting Program Manager of the Office of Hydrogen, Fuel Cells and Infrastructure Technologies, Team Leader for Hydrogen Production, Team Leader for Fuel Cell Technology, co-chair for two FreedomCAR and Fuel Partnership Technical Teams, and the U.S. representative to the International Energy Agency’s Hydrogen Implementing Agreement.

Mr. Davis is a Chemical Engineer with 25 years of experience in the development of vehicle, alternative fuel, and electrochemical technologies.

Connie Bezanson

Connie Bezanson manages the Education and Outreach activities within the U.S. Department of Energy’s Vehicle Technologies Program Office. In addition to managing the Advanced Vehicle Technology Competition activity, she manages the Graduate Automotive Technology Education and a portfolio to support the transition to advanced electric transportation systems. She received a BS in mechanical engineering from The Catholic University of America.

Steven Boyd

Steven Boyd is a Technology Development Manager for the Vehicle Technologies Program in the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy. Steven manages projects to develop improved components and systems for electric drive vehicles with national laboratories and industry partners. He received his MS in mechanical engineering from Virginia Tech in 2006, and has participated in Advanced Vehicle Technology Competitions as either a student or organizer for more than 10 years.

Kent Helfrich

Kent Helfrich is the Executive Director of Electronic Controls and Software at General Motors. He is responsible for all global powertrain and vehicle software and controls engineering at GM. He was previously Director of Powertrain and Chassis Software and Controls Engineering. Kent is GM Powertrain’s co-executive leader of the EcoCAR Challenge. He is a licensed professional engineer and a member of SAE and IEEE.

John Haraf

John Haraf is currently the General Motors Director of Hybrid Vehicle Integration and Controls. In this position, he is responsible for vehicle-level hybrid system integration and controls development for all of GM’s hybrid, extended-range electric, and electric vehicles. John began his career with GM in 1979 as an engine calibration engineer in the Cadillac Motor Car division and has held a wide range of leadership positions in GM’s Powertrain organization including Premium V Engine Calibration manager, Diesel/Big Block Truck Engine Integration manager, Director of Engine Management System hardware design/release, and Director of Engine Development, Calibration, and Verification for all of GM’s North American vehicle applications.

Dan Mehr

Daniel Mehr (Dan) got his bachelors of science from the University of Wisconsin in 2008 after participating in the FutureTruck and ChallengeX advanced vehicle technology competitions. Upon graduating, Dan joined General Motors as an energy storage system integration engineer. After working on three PHEV applications and completing a masters of engineering at the University of Michigan, he now is an energy storage systems analyst at GM’s advanced vehicle design center, working on future programs.

While working at General Motors, Dan has continued to support AVTCs.  In addition to his current assignment, Dan has served as GM’s Mentor Lead and is one of the GM Technical Leads for the EcoCAR 2 program.


Steve Gurski

Steve Gurski is an Algorithm Design Engineer in General Motors’ Hybrid and Electric Systems Engineering group. Before joining GM, Steve was a lead engineer for the Advanced Vehicle Technology Competition program at Argonne National Laboratory. Steve is a former FutureTruck team leader from Virginia Tech, where he earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in mechanical engineering.

Lynda Palombo

Lynda Palombo is Senior Manager, Business Strategy for the, Transportation Energy Technologies at Natural Resources Canada. Lynda is responsible for strategic planning, reporting, and business development for alternative transportation energy technologies. She has worked on the U.S. Department of Energy’s Advanced Vehicle Technology Competitions for more than 11 years and is a member of the EcoCAR Steering Committee.

Niklas Ekstrom

Niklas Ekstrom is a Research Officer with the Transportation Energy Technology group at Natural Resources Canada. Niklas provides technical advice and manages projects related to alternative transportation. His current focus is the quality and engine performance of biofuels, but he has also been involved in fuel cell and other electric drive related projects. Niklas is a member of the EcoCAR 2 Technical Steering Committee.