Mark Dowd

Mark Dowd has extensive policy experience in transportation, technology, climate, and 
environmental matters. As a member President Biden’s Sustainability Team at the 
Council on Environmental Quality, Mark is leading the effort to transition the largest fleet 
in the world to 100% zero-emission vehicle acquisitions by 2027 (light-duty) and 2035 
(medium- and heavy-duty). He recently led an effort to transition the U.S. Postal Service 
(USPS) to 100% acquisition of electric delivery vehicles by 2026.

Prior to joining the Biden-Harris administration, he served as the first chief innovation 
officer at New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA), where he drove data 
initiatives and cutting-edge technologies across six MTA agencies.
Mark left the Obama-Biden administration in January 2017 to start the Smart Cities Lab, 
a nonprofit focused on carrying forward the work he did at DOT, where he was the 
architect of the Smart City Challenge. Both the Smart Cities Lab and the Smart City 
Challenge were committed to helping cities and communities use mobility as a solution 
to some of their most stubborn urban problems. 
Before joining DOT, Mark was a senior member of President Obama’s Auto Task Force, 
where he worked at the Treasury Department on the historic restructuring of General 
Motors and Chrysler. Mark also worked in the Obama-Biden White House at both the 
Council on Environmental Quality and the Office of Management and Budget.
Mark received numerous awards for his work in federal service, including the 
Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA’s) Gold Medal (EPA’s highest award), awards 
from both the Department of Justice’s Environment and Natural Resources Division and 
the U.S. Attorney’s Office (Southern District) for his work on the General Motors and 
Chrysler bankruptcies, and DOT’s second highest award for the Smart City Challenge.