MMI Senior Fellows
2024
Laura Fox
Laura speaks on mobility, city, and climate topics globally, and is on ‘Transportation Power 100’ and ‘Top Women in Mobility’ lists. She is the Co-Founder and Managing Partner of Streetlife Ventures, a seed-stage venture fund investing in urban climate solutions to transform sectors including mobility, buildings, energy, waste, and water.
Previously, Laura was the General Manager of Citi Bike at Lyft and built it into a $100M ARR business and one of the country’s largest transportation systems, led diligence on urban climate tech companies at Sidewalk Labs, launched new mobility products with Boston Consulting Group’s digital ventures team, and advised Bloomberg Philanthropies on their urban investment strategy.
Laura also teaches MBA strategy courses at NYU Stern, and is on the board of Governors Island, which will be the test bed for climate innovation in NYC. She is a Senior Fellow with MIT’s Mobility Initiative, and on the urban-focused Expert Taskforce for the World Economic Forum (WEF).
Fun fact: Laura’s friends call her ‘20 Questions’ since she loves getting to the heart of a good idea - and she’s given a TED Talk on the topic.
Alex Mitchell
Alex Mitchell is a seasoned investor at the intersection of cleantech and mobility. He currently serves as a Senior Advisor at Los Angeles Cleantech Incubator and authors the Su$tainable Mobility newsletter. While Alex was SVP at Los Angeles Cleantech Incubator (LACI) he oversaw startup recruiting, incubation programs and was responsible for venture capital investments. Alex raised and deployed the LACI Cleantech Debt Fund, a first-of-its kind lending solution for cleantech startups that was the subject of a Stanford GSB case study.
Previously, Alex worked at Peugeot (now Stellantis) as the VP of Corporate Strategy, where he focused on vehicle autonomy and electrification. His previous work experience includes McKinsey, Toyota, and the World Economic Forum (WEF). Alex holds a BA from Stanford University and an MBA from The Wharton School. A lifelong car enthusiast, Alex is one of the rare but growing number of Los Angeles residents who are car free by choice.
Mary Skelton Roberts
Mary Skelton Roberts is a board member at the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) and brings extensive experience with transportation policy to advance climate solutions and foster thriving communities. She is currently the President of the Climate Beacon Conference and Senior Advisor to the Climate Beacon Project, a newly established non-profit committed to ensuring Massachusetts achieves an equitable energy transition, and also on the Governor’s Latino Empowerment Council. Skelton Roberts previously served as Senior Vice President at the Energy Foundation where she oversaw the strategic implementation of a $140 million grant making budgets aimed at reducing carbon emissions throughout the United States.
Prior to that, she spent over a decade as Co-director of Climate at the Barr Foundation, based in Boston, where she developed strategies focused on transportation, climate resilience, and land-use, all critical levers for reducing emissions and protecting those most vulnerable to the impacts of climate change. In Massachusetts, Skelton Roberts serves on the Point32Health Foundation (formerly Tufts Health Plan Foundation), on Governor Maura Healey’s Council on Latino Empowerment, is on the Board of Directors of the Boston Girls and Boys Clubs of Boston and of Amplify Latinx. She previously served on the board of directors for Hispanics in Philanthropy and was on the Massachusetts Governor’s Latino Advisory Commission. Mary earned her B.A. from the University of Southern California, and her Master’s degree from Massachusetts Institute of Technology. She holds mediation and facilitation accreditations from Harvard Law School’s Program on Negotiation and from the Center for Dispute Resolution in London, England. She is a native Spanish speaker with roots in Cuba.
David Zipper
David Zipper examines the interplay between transportation policy, technology, and society. A Contributing Writer at Vox & Bloomberg CityLab, David’s writing has been published in outlets including The Washington Post, The Atlantic, Slate, and Vox. His articles focus on topics including road safety, climate change, the uses of transportation data, and the future of American public transit.
David was previously the Managing Director for Smart Cities and Mobility at 1776, a global entrepreneurial hub with over 1,300 member startups. Earlier in his career he served as the Director of Business Development and Strategy under two mayors in Washington DC, where he led support for the region’s first startup incubators and guided the city’s response to the emergence of ride hail. Before moving to Washington, David served as Executive Director of NYC Business Solutions in New York City under Mayor Bloomberg.
David holds an MBA with Highest Honors from Harvard Business School, an M.Phil in Land Economy (Urban Planning) from Cambridge University, and a BA with High Honors from Swarthmore College. He has been selected as a Truman Scholar, a Gates Scholar, and a Baker Scholar.
