Michael Joseph

Michael joined CALSTART in 2022 as Project Manager for Innovative ZEV Infrastructure Solutions. He works on the EnergIIZE project, the California Energy Commission’s first-of-it’s-kind effort to publicly fund clean-fuel supportive infrastructure projects at scale, and also coordinating funding for infrastructure to support the infrastructure needs of the California Air Resources Board’s HVIP program. He aims to develop ways to accelerate clean vehicle infrastructure planning and delivery through key program design and process improvements, as well as enabling knowledge sharing and accessibility, all of which he hopes will ensure these efforts support market growth and community empowerment.

Prior to joining CALSTART, Michael worked for Caltrans and the California Transportation Commission, in efforts to plan and fund major medium- and heavy-duty vehicle infrastructure projects, including EV charging infrastructure. He is proud of his work supporting administration of California’s $1.6 billion Trade Corridor Enhancement Program, and aligning it with emerging climate policy frameworks adopted by state agencies, regional and local governments, and new goals supported by the transportation industry and innovative startups in the mobility space. He also worked at Transportation Alternatives and other advocacy organizations as Research Manager, analyzing mobility transformations and their potential support for equity initiatives and energy transitions. He is passionate about translating between the technical, policy, and infrastructure project management spheres, and making research inform practice. He draws continually on his experience as a researcher in media studies at Princeton, where he studied the discourse of the built environment and the information ecology economic development initiatives; he still works on developing collaborative planning practices for these fields which unlock the tools of the history of media and information, science studies, and the historiography of socio-technical systems. Michael holds a Masters of Community and Regional Planning and a Masters of Arts in English.