Tonia Buell

Tonia is the project development manager for Innovative Partnerships for the State of Washington. Her interest in plug-in cars was first sparked in 2009 during her maiden drive behind the wheel of a zero-emission vehicle. That eye-opening experience ignited a career shift focused on advancing electric vehicles and providing the charging infrastructure that drivers need to re-energize their vehicles. Tonia co-created the West Coast Electric Highway, a network of public DC fast chargers along I-5 and other major roadways from British Columbia to Baja California. She discovered her clan of passionate PEV advocates when she first presented the initiative at a Seattle Electric Vehicle Association meeting. Tonia is one of the founding members of the World Wide WEV (an international group of Women of Electric Vehicles).