SAE International Government/Industry Meeting Slated for Jan. 25-27 in Washington, D.C.

WARRENDALE, Pa., Jan. 4, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The SAE 2012 Government/Industry Meeting is set to begin Jan. 25 at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Washington, D.C. The event kicks off with the opening address at 9 a.m. on Jan. 25, and runs through the final technical sessions at 12:30 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 27.

SAE Internationals Government/Industry Meeting brings together the leading technical authorities from government, industry, and academia to discuss the regulation, legislation, and technical issues impacting the future, including energy conservation, the environment, and safety. The 2012 Government/Industry Meeting provides a professional, neutral forum where participants showcase achievements, share technological solutions, and discuss recent regulations and pending legislation.

The event is designed to provide networking opportunities for individuals driving advanced automotive technology, and those regulating or legislating key safety, environmental, and energy issues.

The keynote speakers for the SAE 2012 Government/Industry Meeting are:

• Wednesday, Jan. 25 at 9 a.m.: David L. Strickland – As the 14th administrator of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), Strickland oversees a broad range of vehicle safety and policymaking programs. Strickland is committed to supporting NHTSA's longstanding mission of reducing crash-related injuries and fatalities while ensuring the highest standards of safety on the nation's roadways. Strickland has overseen the development of the first national fuel efficiency program, helped establish ejection mitigation requirements for automakers, and brought national public focus to child passenger safety issues, including the threat of heat stroke from hot cars and back-over deaths and injuries.
• Wednesday, Jan. 25 at 12:30 p.m.: Phil Gott –The managing director for IHS Automotive, Gott has more than 35 years automotive industry experience assessing technical, business, regulatory and societal trends to help senior management improve decision making. Gott employs the scenario approach to help management improve the competitiveness of their business. He has served the automotive industry since 1975 and has assisted a number of automobile and truck manufacturers, many global suppliers, NGOs and government agencies such as the U.S. Department of Energy, the U.S. EPA, NASA and the European Commission.
• Thursday, Jan. 26 at 12:30 p.m.: David Shepardson – The Washington bureau chief of The Detroit News and covers the automobile industry. Shepardson began writing for The Detroit News in 1995. He covered a variety of beats in Detroit, including the federal courts, before moving to the Washington Bureau in 2006. Shepardson won the Gerald Loeb award for excellence in business journalism in 2009 for coverage of the auto industry, and was a finalist on two prior occasions. He has won a number of other journalism awards and regularly appears on the PBS "Newshour."
• Friday, Jan. 27 at 9 a.m.: Henry Kelly – Kelly serves as the acting assistant secretary and principal deputy assistant Secretary for the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) at the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), where he oversees a broad energy portfolio, helping hasten the transition to a clean energy economy. Prior to joining DOE, Kelly served as the president of the Federation of American Scientists, leading a team that conducted analysis and advocacy on science, technology, and public policy, including global security issues, energy policy, and education technology.

In addition, Jason Vines, a senior vice president for Fleishman-Hillard International Communications, will moderate the plenary session panel discussion at Thursday morning at 8:00 a.m.  Panel participants include:

• Mitch Bainwol, CEO, Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers
• Roland Hwang, Transportation Program Director, Natural Resources Defense Council
• Adrian Lund, President, Insurance Institute for Highway Safety
• Ronald Medford, Deputy Administrator, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
• Margo Oge, Director, Office of Transportation & Air Quality, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
• David Sargent, Vice President, Global Automotive, J.D. Power and Associates
• Heather Zichal, Deputy Assistant to the President for Energy & Climate Change Policy, The White House

Reporters interested in covering Government/Industry should contact Shawn Andreassi, Corporate Communications Manager of SAE International, at 1-724-772-8522 or [email protected].

For the ease of journalists wishing to cover both the 2012 SAE International Government/Industry Meeting and the Washington Auto Show, registration for the Washington Auto Show provides press access for both events. Visit http://www.regisys.com/auto12c (Password: Energy 12) for press registration.

SAE International is a global association of more than 134,000 engineers and related technical experts in the aerospace, automotive and commercial-vehicle industries. SAE International's core competencies are life-long learning and voluntary consensus standards development. SAE International's charitable arm is the SAE Foundation, which supports many programs, including A World In Motion® and the Collegiate Design Series.

- www.sae.org -

Contact: Shawn Andreassi of SAE International, 1-724-772-8522 or [email protected]

SOURCE SAE International