Proterra, Inc. is an American automotive and energy storage company based in Burlingame, California.

Automotive

Proterra

Richard Huibregtse is the SVP of Engineering at [Proterra](/org/proterra). Richard has over 25 years of experience in the engineering field, and has held various positions at different companies. Richard started their career at [General Motors](/org/general-motors) in 1985 as an Operations Technical Manager. Richard then moved to Delphi Automotive Systems in 1994, where they became Chief Engineer of Ignition Systems. In 1999, they became Vice President of Engineering at Remy Inc. From 2011 to 2012, they were Managing Director at Art of Engineering, LLC. In 2012, they joined [eSolar](/org/esolar) as their SVP of Engineering. Richard left [eSolar](/org/esolar) in 2017 to become SVP Engineering & President at Edisun Microgrids. Richard has been with [Proterra](/org/proterra) since 2018.

Richard Huibregtse reports to Dustin Grace, Chief Technology Officer.

Richard Huibregtse

Sara Dadyar serves as Proterra’s Chief People Officer. Dadyar brings more than 20 years of people operations and human resources experience to Proterra and joins the company after most recently serving as Executive HR Leader within General Electric’s Gas Power business. Previously, Dadyar held various HR leadership roles across GE’s financial services and power businesses. Dadyar holds a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Connecticut and a Master of Sciences in Human Resources Management from Manhattanville College.

Sara Dadyar

John Walsh has over 30 years of experience in the automotive industry. John is currently the SVP of Sales at [Proterra](/org/proterra). Prior to joining [Proterra](/org/proterra), John was the President/COO of Davey Coach Sales Inc. from February 2018 to January 2019. John has also served as the President of REV Group, Inc from June 2015 to November 2017 and as the Vice President of Sales and Marketing MV-1 at AM General LLC from October 2013 to May 2015. In addition, John has held leadership positions at ARBOC Specialty Vehicles, LLC and VPG Autos. At VPG Autos, John was the CEO and was instrumental in obtaining a rescission of the FTA Buy America Waiver for Federally Funded Minivans. John has a proven track record in leading organizations and delivering results. John is a strategic thinker who can develop and execute plans to grow businesses. John is an effective communicator and has the ability to build relationships with key stakeholders.

John Walsh graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Business Administration and Management from [Methodist University](/org/methodist-university). John then went on to earn their MBA from the [University of North Carolina](/org/university-of-north-carolina).

They work with Dustin Grace - Chief Technology Officer, Julian Soell - President of [Proterra](/org/proterra) Transit, and Karina Franco Padilla - Chief Financial Officer. Their manager is Gareth Joyce, Chief Executive Officer & Board Member.

John Walsh

Roger Nielsen joined Proterra’s Board of Directors in March 2022. He previously served as President and Chief Executive Officer of Daimler Trucks North America (DTNA) from April 2017 to April 2021, with responsibility for all aspects of DTNA and its affiliated companies in the Western Hemisphere, Australia, and New Zealand. During the same period, he also served as a member of the Board of Management of Daimler Truck AG. From May 2001 to April 2017, Nielsen served as DTNA’s Chief Operating Officer with responsibility for the company’s manufacturing network in Mexico, the U.S., and Canada, as well as all levels of operations in quality, supplier management, logistics, and application engineering.

Beginning in 2001, he also served on the boards of DTNA’s subsidiaries, Thomas Built Buses and Freightliner Custom Chassis Corporation, serving as the Chairman of both entities from April 2017 to April 2021. From 2001 until their divestitures in 2003 and 2005, respectively, Nielsen was Vice-Chairman of Orion Bus Industries and American LaFrance.

Nielsen is a member of the Board of SafeAI, a privately held company that retrofits heavy equipment for autonomous applications in mining and construction; a member of the Board of Nodar, a privately held company that develops software for autonomous driving applications; and a member of the Advisory Board of GPR, a privately held company that provides ground-penetrating radar systems for autonomous driving applications. Nielsen earned a Bachelor of Science in Industrial Engineering from Oregon State University.

Roger Nielsen

Jan Hauser joined the Proterra board in June 2022. Ms. Hauser served as Vice President and Chief Accounting Officer of GE from April 2013 to November 2018, where she led a global controllership team of more than 3,000 professionals before retiring from GE in early 2019. Prior to GE, Ms. Hauser was a senior consulting partner in the national office of PriceWaterhouseCoopers LLP, serving as a senior technical resource on multiple topics. She led diversity efforts for PwC’s national office and served on its U.S. Partner Admissions Committee. Ms. Hauser served as PwC’s representative on the Financial Accounting Standards Board’s Emerging Issues Task Force and on FASB’s Financial Accounting Standards Advisory Council. Ms. Hauser serves on the board of directors of Enfusion, Inc. since September 2021. She is a licensed certified public accountant and holds a Bachelor of Business Administration degree in accounting from the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater.

Jan Hauser

Jack Allen serves as Non-Executive Chairman on Proterra’s Board of Directors. He previously served as the company’s Chairman and Chief Executive Officer from March 2020 to December 2021. Allen is a results-focused leader who has spent his career defining the commercial truck industry. He has more than three decades of experience in the driving core businesses at Navistar International Corporation, where he successfully strengthened its core businesses, improved quality and customer satisfaction, drove profitability, and delivered value to shareholders. He most recently served as Navistar’s Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer and before that as President of Navistar’s North America truck and parts division. Allen also served as President of Navistar’s engine group, where he led major business initiatives including the acquisition of Brazilian engine producer MWM and a partnership with MAN of Germany. Allen also has served as Vice President and General Manager of the company’s parts organization. He holds a bachelor of science degree from the Milwaukee School of Engineering and an MBA from the Illinois Institute of Technology. Allen serves on the boards of the Milwaukee School of Engineering’s Board of Regents and Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago.

Jack Allen

Julian Soell serves as President of Proterra Transit. Julian brings nearly 30 years of automotive and operational experience to Proterra and joins the company after most recently serving as Chief Operating Officer at Repairify, a high-growth global leader in automotive service, technology and business insights solutions. Previously, he held engineering leadership roles at automotive companies including Mercedes Benz USA and Harley-Davidson Motor Company. Outside of the automotive industry, Julian has also held large operational and customer service roles at Delta Air Lines. Julian holds a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from Lehigh University, a Master of Science in Mechanical Engineering from the Ohio State University, and a Master of Business Administration from the University of Michigan.

Julian Soell

JoAnn Covington

Chris Bailey is President of Proterra Powered & Energy. He previously served as Senior Vice President of Proterra Energy. Prior to joining Proterra, Bailey spent 17 years at Hubbell Incorporated where he most recently served as Vice President of Product Innovation and Technology Strategy. Bailey has multiple patents granted and pending in the fields of mechanical, electronics, optical, and human-machine interface design. Bailey holds a bachelor’s degree in Integrated Studies, with an emphasis in Computer Science & Business Administration from Middle Tennessee State University.

Chris Bailey

Karina Franco Padilla joined Proterra as Chief Financial Officer in 2022. She most recently served as Senior Vice President of Finance, North America Chief Financial Officer at JELD-WEN. At JELD-WEN, Padilla also served as Senior Vice President of Finance, Corporate Planning and Analysis, and Investor Relations. Prior to joining JELD-WEN, Padilla also held leadership positions at Ingersoll Rand, including as Interim Chief Financial Officer of the Latin America business unit and Vice President of Finance, Corporate Planning, and Analysis. Padilla also held a variety of leadership roles at Dell Technologies, including as Director of Investor Relations and an international assignment in Mexico City as Chief Financial Officer of Dell Mexico with teams across Mexico and Central America. Padilla holds a Bachelor of Business Administration in Accounting from the University of Texas at Austin and a Master of Business Administration from St. Mary’s University. She is a certified public accountant.

Karina Franco Padilla

Dustin Grace is the Chief Technology Officer at [Proterra](/org/proterra), responsible for Energy Storage and Power Systems development programs. He joined [Proterra](/org/proterra) five years ago to establish and build the engineering team located at [Proterra](/org/proterra)’s Silicon Valley headquarters.  Since completion of [Proterra](/org/proterra)’s first generation high voltage battery program in 2017, he is now leading future developments projects which adapt [Proterra](/org/proterra) battery technology into heavy duty OEM vehicle applications, second life stationary storage, and fleet scale high power charging systems.  He brings nine years of powertrain development expertise from Tesla Motors prior to joining the [Proterra](/org/proterra) team.

Dustin Grace

Gareth Joyce serves as Chief Executive Officer and Board Member at Proterra. He joined Proterra in 2020 as President of Proterra Powered and Energy and then was promoted to President of Proterra before assuming his current role. He previously served as Chief Sustainability Officer for Delta Air Lines, overseeing Delta’s $1 billion commitment toward becoming carbon neutral and leading the airline’s Global Sustainability team. His responsibilities included building on Delta’s industry-leading voluntary sustainability efforts to expand the airline’s carbon reduction and removal work, while engaging with partners and other stakeholders to advance global sustainability.

Prior to joining Delta, Joyce held a variety of senior leadership positions with Mercedes-Benz throughout South Africa, Europe, and North America – his last role being CEO of Mercedes-Benz Canada. Prior to his time at Mercedes-Benz, Joyce held positions with IQ Business Group, Standard Bank South Africa, Blick PLC, Austen Security, and Deloitte & Touche.

A resident of Atlanta, Joyce has also served on the board of the American Cancer Society since 2016. The society’s investment into cancer research and treatment is second only to the United States government and has contributed to a 29% decrease in the overall US cancer death rate since 1991.

Joyce holds a Bachelor of Science in Engineering from the University of Witwatersrand and a Master of Commerce in Business Management from the University of Johannesburg.

Gareth Joyce

Jeannine Sargent has served as a member of the Proterra board of directors since October 2018. Since November 2017, Sargent has served as a Senior Advisor at Generation Investment Management LLP, an investment firm focused on sustainable companies. From January 2012 to October 2017, she held multiple leadership roles at Flex Ltd., a leading contract design, engineering, and manufacturing company, including President of Innovation and New Ventures and President of Flex’s Energy business. Previously, Sargent served as Chief Executive Officer at both Oerlikon Solar AG, a thin-film silicon solar photovoltaic module manufacturer, and Voyan Technology, an embedded systems software provider. Sargent has been a member of the board of directors of Cypress Semiconductor Corporation since December 2017 and Fortive Corporation since February 2019. She currently serves on the boards of directors of various private companies and organizations and on the board of trustees at Northeastern University. Sargent holds a Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering from Northeastern University.

Jeannine Sargent

Joan Robinson-Berry has served as a member of [Proterra](/org/proterra)’s board of directors since April 2021. Previously, Robinson-Berry served in a variety of positions for The Boeing Company, a publicly held multi-national aerospace manufacturing corporation, and its subsidiaries for over 20 years. Robinson-Berry served as the Vice President and Chief Engineer of Boeing Global Services, Inc. between September 2019 and July 2020 and as the Vice President of Engineering of Modifications and Maintenance of Boeing Global Services, Inc. between March 2018 and September 2019. Prior to these roles, Robinson-Berry served as the Vice President and General Manager of Boeing South Carolina for The Boeing Company, as the Vice President of Supplier Management and Chief Procurement Officer for The Boeing Company’s Shared Services Group business unit, and as the Director of Supplier Management and Chief Procurement Officer of Boeing Phantom Works, an operating division of The Boeing Company. Robinson-Berry currently serves on the board of directors of Valmont Industries, Inc. a publicly held American manufacturer of Valley center pivot and linear irrigation equipment. Robinson-Berry earned a Bachelor of Science in Engineering from California State Polytechnic University and an MBA in Engineering and Industrial Management from [West Coast University](/org/west-coast-university).

Joan Robinson-Berry

Mike Smith

Brook Porter

Constance Skidmore is a board member at [Proterra](/org/proterra). Constance previously served on the advisory board at WFFConnect and as a board member at The V Foundation and Ivis Technologies. Skidmore was also the audit committee chair at Sensata Technologies and ShoreTel.

Constance Skidmore attended Stanford Law Directors College for their directors college education, Duke Fuqua Executive Education for their executive education, Golden Gate University for their masters in taxation, and [Florida State University](/org/florida-state-university) for their B.S. in psychology.

Proterra

Org chart

Teams

Board of Directors

Leadership Team

CEO and Executive Team

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