RAY - Key Persons
Alan Anderson is Treasurer of The Ray and an Advisory Board Member for the Ray C. Anderson Foundation.
Alan is a retired designer, innovator and past Director of Boeing Company's Commercial Airplanes' Concept Center, an organization that oversees the design of passenger cabins for all models of Boeing Airplanes. During his 43 years designing aircraft interiors at Boeing, Alan created the Payloads Studio as part of the Concept Center, a place where innovation and concept development are nourished.
Alan first met Ray Anderson when Ray visited The Concept Center at Boeing to talk about the idea of using modular carpet on airplanes. The two struck up a fast friendship that lasted nearly a decade, and Alan was recruited to join the Ray C. Anderson Foundation in 2011.
Allie Kelly is Executive Director of The Ray. In that role, she leads the nonprofit organization that has built the nation's only publicly accessible, living laboratory for transportation innovation.
Allie was recruited to lead as its first Executive Director in 2015. In three years, she has helped the organization to implement and build almost a dozen ground-breaking, world-leading technology demonstrations, including the first solar road in the United States and the world's first public demonstration of a drive-through tire safety station. She is also a frequent public speaker and delivered keynote remarks about The Ray from the main stage at transportation, environmental, and technology industry conferences around the world including the U.S Transportation Research Board, AASHTO, VERGE, the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta, AREDAY and, in 2019, TedX Atlanta, WTS and MOVE. She was the recipient of the 2018 Atlanta Technology Professionals (ATP) Impact Award and was listed as one of the 100 Women to Know by Engineering Georgia in 2018 and 2019.
A Georgia native, Allie earned a B.A. in political science from the University of Georgia. She has over 15 years of experience working in public policy, first as a lobbyist for UPS in Washington, D.C., then returning to Atlanta and founding Georgia Watch, the state's only consumer watchdog organization.
In 2009, she joined former Lt. Gov. Pierre Howard at the Georgia Conservancy as its senior vice president. Allie and the Trustees of the Ray C. Anderson Foundation partnered with Georgia Tech and the Georgia Conservancy on a "net zero highway" feasibility study for the project that would become The Ray.
Allie lives in Serenbe, near The Ray, with her husband Giff and twin sons Wyatt and Gifford.
Job Titles:
- Director of Regional Programs
Beverly West currently serves as the Director of Regional Programs for The Ray. Prior to joining the team, she enjoyed at 23 year career with the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT). Most recently she served TxDOT as Section Director in the Strategic Planning Division with oversight of multiple programs: Emerging Technologies Initiatives, Business Intelligence & Performance Management, Enterprise Policy Governance, Business Continuity of Operations, and Internal Risk Management and Prevention. Her teams created, led or facilitated enterprise initiatives such as the Connected & Autonomous Vehicle Task Force (CAV), Urban Air Advisory Committee (UAM), Texas Technology Task Force (T3F), the Texas Innovation Alliance (TIA), Cooperative & Automated Transportation (CAT) program, National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) plan, TxDOT's Strategic Plan and COOP plans.
In previous roles, she was responsible for oversight and centralization of the statewide real estate leasing program, management of the saltwater pipeline leasing program, creation and establishment of the small cell telecommunication program, and creating innovative and environmental opportunities for utilization of agency land assets.
Beverly represented TxDOT on Performance Management committees for AASHTO and TRB and on the Sustainability & Resiliency Committee at Intelligent Transportation Society of America (ITSA).
Prior to joining TxDOT, she gained valuable experience in the private sector specializing in land development after graduation from Baylor University in Waco, Texas.
Job Titles:
- Director of Program Management
Christina Willingham serves as the Director of Program Management for The Ray. Prior to joining the team, she enjoyed 35-year career in public service. This included the City of Austin, TX, Travis County, Texas, the Commonwealth of Kentucky, and other agencies.
At the City of Austin, she served as the inaugural Manager of the Smart Mobility Office in the Austin Transportation Department. As part of the Smart Mobility Office, she oversaw emerging technologies as they related to transportation programming and transportation infrastructure. She also was responsible for creating and maintaining public private partnerships, public and business placemaking, public policy creation, staff management, DEI, IT project management, and systems creation. Prior to joining Austin Transportation Department, she worked for the Development Services Department in the areas of land use and organizational development, and in the Human Resources Department where she oversaw areas in workforce development and training, quality assurance, municipal civil service, executive recruitment, and community engagement.
Christina graduated with her bachelor's and master's degrees from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville.
Job Titles:
- Communications Specialist
- Communications Specialist With
Dallen McLemore serves as a Communications Specialist with The Ray and has a background in public relations consisting of event planning, media relations and written and verbal communications.
He previously served as a Public Relations Specialist for the Talking Dog Agency for 3 years, and represented clients ranging from small event centers and local restaurants to large agencies such as Nebo Agency in Atlanta while learning as an undergraduate and graduate student at Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication at the University of Georgia. Additionally, he served as a Public Relations Intern with Blume Photography, providing all copy and public relations content for the launch of their Photoflix video tutorial platform.
Dallen graduated from the University of Georgia with his M.A. in Integrated Public Relations and Advertising and his B.A. in Public Relations, as well as an A.S. in General Science from Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College.
David Peters currently serves as the Western Regional Manager for The Ray. Prior to joining the team, he worked in various roles as the American Association for State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO). Most recently he served as the Associate Program Manager for Resilience and Sustainability as a member of the Policy & Government Relations team. At AASHTO, David supported two committees: the Committee on Environment and Sustainability, and the Committee on Transportation System Security and Resilience. He also managed the Electric Vehicle Practitioners Working Group, which consists of state DOT employees working on EV infrastructure implementation in their respective states. As a staff liaison to these groups, David provided technical assistance and policy analysis related to transportation electrification, sustainability, and resilient infrastructure. This included working with members on National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) program planning and development, along with work on state Resilience Improvement Plans (RIPs) as part of the new Promoting Resilient Operations for Transformative, Efficient, and Cost-Saving Transportation (PROTECT) program. He previously worked with the Committee on Funding and Finance where he provided analysis on state and federal transportation funding programs.
Prior to joining AASHTO, David was a member of the Energy, Infrastructure, and Environment Division at the National Governors Association (NGA), working closely with Governors' staff on energy and infrastructure policy.
He holds a B.A. in Interdisciplinary Studies and a Minor in Sustainable Management from American University in Washington, DC.
Harriet Anderson Langford is the Founder and President of The Ray and a Trustee of the Ray C. Anderson Foundation.
In 2014, Harriet secured a memorial highway designation on I-85 in memory of her late father and corporate sustainability pioneer, Ray Anderson. She quickly realized the incompatibility of "the greenest CEO's" name on a highway - a disproportionate contributor to global carbon pollution. In righting that wrong, Harriet founded The Ray which she spearheads towards the goal of a zero carbon, zero waste, and zero death highway.
Prior to founding The Ray, Harriet spent over 30 years serving in numerous nonprofit leadership roles in her local community. She is a past board member of the Georgia Conservancy and Sustainable Atlanta and a past member of the Troup County Strategic Planning Committee. Harriet also serves on the board of the Biophilic Institute. In addition to her roles in the nonprofit world, Harriet owned a specialty printing business in her hometown of LaGrange, Georgia.
Like her father before her, Harriet feels passionately about sharing her experience and has taken the main stage at conferences like Verge and has given a TEDx talk. In 2018 Harriet received the Red Cross "Hometown Hero Award" in recognition of her lifelong efforts in her community.
Job Titles:
- GIS Specialist
- Information Systems ( GIS ) Specialist
Heyward Stober currently serves as a Geographic Information Systems (GIS) specialist for The Ray. His work includes processing and analyzing geospatial data for the purpose of developing the geographic element of technologies at the Ray. This analysis includes The Ray's Solar Right-of-Way Project.
Heyward is a recent graduate of the University of West Georgia where he earned his Bachelors of Science in Geography with a concentration in GIS, and a Minor in Biology.
When he is not working with GIS software he enjoys all things outdoors, especially rock climbing and trail running.
Jessie Hong-Dwyer, Ph.D. currently serves as the GIS Manager for The Ray. Before joining the team, she was a professor of geography, teaching introduction to advanced-level GIS courses and conducting numerous GIS research projects for more than ten years at the University of West Georgia.
She collaborated with the Georgia Department of Education, Cobb County School District, and the National Geographic Society as a GIS professional. She is a published author of 35+ scientific articles and a presenter of 25+ papers at regional, national, and international professional conferences.
She holds a Ph.D. in geography from the University of Colorado Boulder, an M.S. in geography from San Diego State University, and a B.S. in geography from The Ohio State University.
John Picard is Vice President of The Ray and an Advisory Board Member for the Ray C. Anderson Foundation.
John understood the "internet of things" long before connectivity became the driver that it is today. Celebrated for his keen understanding of the innovative principles of natural systems designs, John connects visionary thinking with emerging technologies to drive successful projects for corporations, commercial buildings, college campuses, and even entire towns.
One of John's most personal and profound experiences was with Interface, Inc., the company founded by Ray Anderson, who was inspired in 1994 by John's sea-changing question, "what is Interface doing for the environment?" John was an integral part of the team that helped the petroleum-dependent company imagine a future without oil and chart a course towards it, and he was recruited to join the Ray C. Anderson Foundation in 2011.
Kanan serves as the GIS specialist for The Ray. Her work focuses on delivering geo-spatial analysis, planning, and recommendations to state transportation agencies that relate to the utilization of transportation right-of-way for solar panel installation.
She is a recent graduate from the University of North Texas, where she studied Geography with a specialization in Geographic Information Systems. Kanan especially enjoys working on GIS analysis, data visualization and story maps. She holds another master's degree in Environmental Science from India. Prior to pursuing her master's in geography, Kanan worked in the field of disaster management, where she developed her passion for GIS.
In her free time, Kanan loves photography, trekking, and exploring new cuisines through cooking.
Prior to joining The Ray, Laura was an Environmental Program Manager at the Maryland Department of Transportation (MDOT) for six years. She led the environmental stewardship, sustainability, and energy policies and programs across all MDOT transportation business units including highways, tolls, ports, airports, transit, and motor vehicles. In addition, she oversaw and coordinated environmental management activities in transportation planning, design, construction, operations and maintenance.
Before joining MDOT, Laura worked in the federal and private sectors on environmental management and sustainability issues. She spent two years at the Department of the Army at Arlington National Cemetery where she developed their environmental programs, four years with a private environmental consulting firm working on multi-media environmental compliance and management programs around the U.S. and Europe, and two years as an Air Quality Enforcement Officer with Maricopa County in Arizona.
She received her B.S. in Justice Studies from Arizona State University.
Phil Langford is a trustee of The Ray and the Ray C. Anderson Foundation.
Phil recently completed a 30+ year career in commercial construction and development, retiring as president of Langford Construction Company in 2012. Langford's firm worked on a number of renovations and new building projects for sustainable, high-performance buildings in West Georgia including: the Ray C. Anderson Manufacturing Facility in West Point, GA; David Oakey's Pond Studio in LaGrange, GA; the LEED® Certified Columbus Recycling and Sustainability Center in Columbus, GA and the LEED® Certified Cecil B. Day Butterfly Center at Callaway Gardens in Pine Mountain, GA.
Langford has a long history of community involvement in LaGrange, Georgia. He is a past member of the LaGrange Academy Board of Directors, where he served as Vice President, and as a member of the Development Committee.
Phil has served on Stran Steel's President's Council and he is a founder and past president of the West Georgia Boys and Girls Club, and he is a recipient of the Boys and Girls Club Medallion Award. He has served on the LaGrange-Troup County Board of Directors, and he was also a member participant in Leadership Troup. He has also served on the Highland Country Club Board of Directors and he was a volunteer softball coach for 18 years while his daughters were growing up in LaGrange.
Phil is interested in all things related to sustainability and enjoys conducting research for Foundation projects, with special emphasis on The Ray. He is a member of the local Sierra Club chapter and he is a supporter of Georgia Interfaith Power & Light and Friends of the Earth. His is also especially interested in the work of Greenpeace and The Story of Stuff with special emphasis on the impact that today's decisions have on the future for "Tomorrow's Child."
A native of LaGrange, Georgia, Phil attended Auburn University. He resides in LaGrange, Georgia with his wife, Harriet who is President of The Ray and Trustee for the Ray C. Anderson Foundation. They have two daughters, Melissa Heflin and McCall Langford, and three grandchildren, Bailey, Brooks and Banks Heflin. When Phil is not working on Foundation projects, he enjoys playing with the grandchildren, reading, golf and fishing.
Job Titles:
- Director of Communications
Rachel Alex Crist serves as the Director of Communications for The Ray. An interdisciplinary artist, urbanist, and strategist, she has a 15-year career in marketing and communications.
Before joining, she was Head of Advertising and a Strategic Digital Director for Iron Light, a marketing agency empowering purpose-driven brands to change the world. Rachel also has a decade of public sector experience at the City of Austin as a Public Information Officer, Marketing Representative, and Education Coordinator. Her academic research and expertise is in climate change, housing policy, international affairs, social justice, and urban planning. As a Director, she manages advertising, community engagement, public relations, and strategic planning.
Rachel received her MA from The New School in International Affairs, concentrating in Cities and Social Justice and Global Urban Futures. Additionally, she holds a BFA from Florida State University in New Media Design and Communications.
Stewart Massey is from Valley, Alabama and is Studying Public Relations at Southern Union in Opelika. Stewart previously held the position of Community Ambassador as an Intern for 4 years in which he participated in local events around The Ray Highway to promote The Ray's mission of Zero Carbon, Zero Waste and Zero Deaths, and build partnerships with local entities.
Stewart's current role as The Ray's STEAM Associate consists of partnering with local middle and high schools to bring students to The Ray Highway. This program aims to promote STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics) education by building onto a movement towards STEAM careers in order to create a strong workforce that is ready for the future of sustainable transportation and energy in West Georgia.