The Center for Automotive Research (CAR) welcomes its newest hires Dr. K. Venkatesh Prasad, Mark Garrison, and Carolyn Mozheev, effective January 1, 2023.  

Dr. K. Venkatesh Prasad has been appointed Senior Vice President of Research and Chief Innovation Officer (CINO). Prasad comes to CAR after a 26+ year career at Ford Motor Company. During his tenure at Ford, he held a broad range of leadership roles in R&D and innovation acceleration across Ford’s global Vehicle Components & Systems Engineering organization, and most recently in Corporate Strategy. During that time, he co-founded and led Ford’s Silicon Valley Labs in Palo Alto, California. “I’m excited to be part of CAR and honored to serve with an exceptional set of colleagues and to provide industry-driven research insight to our public and private stakeholders,” said Prasad.   

Prior to joining Ford, Prasad was a Senior Research Scientist at the Ricoh California Research Center. Prasad earned his Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering from Rutgers University and an M.S. in Electrical Engineering from Washington State University, both with an emphasis in computer engineering.  He earned an M.S. in Electrical Engineering from the IIT Madras, and a B.E. in Electronics and Communications Engineering from NIT Trichy, University of Madras, where he received a distinguished alum award. “I am very excited to have Prasad join the CAR team and lead the research organization. Prasad’s skills and experiences significantly enhance CAR’s breadth and scope of strategic thinking in areas such as connected car, advance driver assist systems, propulsion, and software defined vehicle,” said Alan Amici, President and CEO of CAR.  

Mark Garrison has been named Vice President of Marketing and Communications. Garrison has nearly 20 years of experience in marketing strategy and communications in the political, education, small business, and non-profit sectors. For the past 10 years, Garrison has led the marketing efforts and events planning for the Industrial & Systems Engineering Department at Wayne State University where he has helped expand their programs and industry relationships.   

Carolyn Mozheev has been named Senior Marketing and Affiliates Program Manager. Mozheev has nearly 6 years of experience in managing client and partner relationships and leading new marketing strategies in the non-profit, education, and small business sectors. Her projects have included work in videography, advertising, graphic design, and digital media marketing.  

Together, Garrison and Mozheev will manage the Center for Automotive Research’s marketing and communications, Affiliate Program, and oversee CAR event activities. “Mark and Carolyn bring a wealth of knowledge and experience to the CAR team. Collectively, Mark and Carolyn have a broad range of skills and capabilities that will enable CAR to better serve the automotive ecosystem using a combination of digital channels, multimedia platforms, and thoughtful in-person events,” said Amici.   

All three will be active in the planning of CAR’s Management Briefing Seminars (MBS) an exceptional forum to hear from industry leaders as they deliver compelling talks and engage in stimulating panels about the future of the global automotive industry. MBS 2023 will be held Monday, July 31-Thursday, August 3, 2023 at the Grand Traverse Resort and Spa in Traverse City, MI. This year’s theme will be “Confronting the Challenges of Automotive’s Future” and each day will address a different industry question that is on everyone’s mind. Make sure to save the dates on your calendar as early bird registration will open in mid-March.