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Keynote Speakers

Greg Winfree, JD

Agency Director | Texas A&M Transportation Institute

Greg Winfree

Since 2016, Mr. Greg Winfree has been the Agency Director of the Texas A&M Transportation Institute, a state agency, and the largest and most comprehensive higher education-affiliated transportation research institute in the United States. He is also an Adjunct Professor at the Texas A&M School of Law. Previously, Greg served for almost seven years in the Office of the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Transportation, most recently as Assistant Secretary of Transportation overseeing the department's research and technology agencies. Greg also served as Corporate Counsel for several Fortune 500 corporations over 17 years. He is a member of the National Space-Based Positioning, Navigation and Timing Board sponsored by NASA, as well as the Texas Connected and Automated Vehicle Task Force established by Texas Governor Greg Abbott. Greg received a Juris Doctor degree from Georgetown University and a Bachelor of Science degree from St. John's University.

Dr. Rory Cooper

Founder, Director, & CEO | Human Engineering Research Laboratories, University of Pittsburgh

Greg Winfree

Dr. Rory Cooper is the founder, director, and CEO of the Human Engineering Research Laboratories (HERL), a joint venture of the University of Pittsburgh, the US Department of Veterans Affairs and the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. Dr. Cooper also serves as Assistant Vice Chancellor for Research for STEM and Health Sciences Collaboration and FISA/PVA Distinguished Professor in the Department of Rehabilitation Science and Technology at the University of Pittsburgh. He is also Professor in the Bioengineering, Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation, and Orthopedic Surgery departments at the University of Pittsburgh, and holds adjunct professorships at the Robotics Institute of Carnegie Mellon University and the Department of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation of the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences. He was awarded an Honorary Professorship at Hong Kong Polytechnic University and an Honorary Doctorate at Xi'an Jiatong University in Xi'an, China. He has dedicated his career to improving mobility, function, and quality of life for people with disabilities through advanced engineering in clinical research and medical rehabilitation.