Mark Dowd

Mark K. Dowd is the founder and Executive Director of the Smart Cities Lab. The Lab is nonprofit committed to helping cities apply technology, innovation and data as tools to help solve stubborn urban challenges. He is working with a cohort of lighthouse cities committed to collaboration. Mark is also a Visiting Scholar at UC Berkeley.

Prior to standing up the Smart Cities Lab, Mark was a Senior Advisor at the Office of Management and Budget at the White House. Before joining OMB he spent two years leading the U.S. Department of Transportation on a number of innovative initiatives including creating and executing the Smart City Challenge. Mark has extensive policy experience in transportation, technology, energy and environmental matters.

Before joining the Department of Transportation, Mark was a senior member of President Obama's Auto Task Force where he worked on the historic restructuring of General Motors and Chrysler from 2009 to 2011. Mark received EPA's Gold Medal and awards from Department of Justice (ENRD) and the U.S. Attorney’s Office (Southern District) for his work on the bankruptcies. He also served as a Senior Advisor to both the White House Council on Environmental Quality in 2012 and the Hurricane Sandy Task Force in 2013.

[Programming descriptions are generated by participants and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of SXSW.]