Leadership

Meet Our Team Leaders

Our leadership team is committed to the mission of “Saving Lives through Improved Mobility.”

Abbas Mohaddes

Chairman, Advisory Board

Abbas Mohaddes

On December 13, 2022, Mr. Mohaddes was appointed Chairman of the Advisory Board, European Transport Solutions, S.a r.l. As Chairman, he directly oversees Econolite Group, Inc. and PTV Group, GmbH (Mobility), and all affiliated companies and their management operating under the unified brand, Umovity. Prior to that, he served as Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and as President and Chief Operating Officer (COO) of Econolite Group, Inc. where he helped transform the organization into a premier and robust technology organization focused on Traffic management products and services. Mr. Mohaddes has over 30 years of experience in the application of technology in transportation systems, including traffic management, communication, traveler information, systems integration, transit, and Connected and Automated Vehicles (CAV). He is a recognized expert in Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) and has over 70 publications and presentations at industry organizations around the world.

After serving the City of Dallas, Texas as a Traffic Engineer, and several years of consulting practice, Mr. Mohaddes co-founded Meyer, Mohaddes Associates in 1991. This Los Angeles-based firm focused on the application of technology in traffic management and systems planning, which later merged with Iteris, Inc. As the former CEO of Iteris, Mr. Mohaddes helped take the company public (AMEX:ITI, now NASDAQ:ITI) and led the transformation and substantial growth of the company into a software-based traffic management information technology organization through organic growth and acquisition.

Mr. Mohaddes is a founding member and former Chairman of ITS America, where in 2015, he was inducted to its hall of fame. He is a member of the Transportation Research Board (TRB) and a former member of its Executive Committee. For the Mineta Transportation Institute (MTI), Mr. Mohaddes is a former Chairman and member of its Board of Trustees. He is an Institute of Transportation Engineers (ITE) Fellow as well as a member of the University of California Irvine, Chancellor’s CEO Roundtable. Mr. Mohaddes is a member of the Advisory Board for National Operations Center of Excellence (NOCoE). He is also serving as a member of the Board of Directors for ITS World Congress.

Mr. Mohaddes holds a Master’s degree in Transportation Engineering and a Bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering, both from the University of Nebraska (Lincoln, NE). He also completed the Advanced Technical Management Program at the University of California, Los Angeles, Anderson School of Management.

Christian U. Haas

CEO

Christian U. Haas

Mr. Haas serves as Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Econolite Group, Inc. and PTV Group, GmbH. Econolite and PTV Group are united under the brand Umovity. Prior to becoming CEO of PTV Group, the global leader in transportation modelling and simulation software, he served as CEO of a European provider of digital solutions for financial services. There, he initiated and significantly advanced the company’s transformation from a traditional software supplier to a SaaS company based on Artificial Intelligence (AI) applications.

Previously, Mr. Haas was Executive Vice President, Europe, at FIS, one of the leading global providers of financial technology solutions. He began his career at Dresdner Kleinwort Benson and Deutsche Bank. Mr. Haas is a member of the Corporate Partnership Board of the ITF International Transport Forum. He also serves as an Advisory Board member of the Panthéon-Sorbonne University of Paris, the WHU Otto Beisheim School of Management, and the YellowFox, GmbH.

Mike Doyle, J.D.

Chairman (Econolite)

Mike Doyle, J.D.

Mr. Doyle was appointed Econolite’s Chairman on June 8, 2022, and currently serves as an Observer on the Advisory Board which oversee the Umovity brand. Prior to that, he served as Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Econolite Group, Inc., a position he had held since acquiring the company in January 1978 as part of a private partnership acquisition. Under Mr. Doyle’s leadership, Econolite expanded to meet the demands of many aspects of the transportation market, offering innovative products and services from Econolite, Econolite Canada, Econolite Systems, and CAVita.

Mr. Doyle is a former Chair of the Intelligent Transportation Society of America (ITSA) and spent many years serving on the ITSA Board of Directors and Leadership Circle. In 2013, he was inducted into the ITSA Hall of Fame. Outside of the Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) industry, Mr. Doyle spent many years as Chair of the Huntington Medical Research Institute in Pasadena, CA. He is also a founding partner in the law firm Stone & Doyle (Pasadena, CA). Mr. Doyle is licensed to practice law before the State Bar of California and is a member of the State Bars of Georgia, Ohio, and Wisconsin.

Prior to acquiring Econolite, Mr. Doyle was a partner with Alexander Grant & Company (now Grant Thornton, Chicago, IL), a leading global independent audit, tax, and advisory firm. Mr. Doyle holds a Juris Doctorate (JD) from Salmon P. Chase College of Law (Cincinnati, Ohio). He earned his Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from the University of Cincinnati (Cincinnati, OH).

Alice Cook

General Counsel

Alice Cook

Ms. Cook serves as General Counsel for Econolite Group, Inc. responsible for partnering with the Company’s business unit leaders to enhance business strategies while managing and mitigating legal risks. She oversees legal affairs throughout the organization, provides internal legal guidance and support, and acts as a liaison with outside counsel. Ms. Cook is a member of the State Bar of Colorado and is a Registered In-House Counsel with the State Bar of California. Ms. Cook has multi-functional and diverse legal experience, most recently in her role as Econolite’s Associate General Counsel, and formerly as co-owner and in-house counsel for Swis Tire & Automotive, Inc. (Denver, CO), as well as a litigator for the international law firm, Morrison & Foerster (Denver, CO). In addition, Ms. Cook was a member of the board of directors for a privately-held community bank and has served on boards for various non-profit organizations.

Ms. Cook holds a Juris Doctorate (Sturm College of Law) and a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science, both from the University of Denver in Denver, Colorado. In addition, she earned a professional mediation certificate through the University College, University of Denver. She is a member of the Orange County Bar Association (Construction Law, Intellectual Property Law, and In-House Counsel Sections) and the American Bar Association (Public Contract Law Section).

Charles Toth

COO (Econolite Canada)

Charles Toth

Charles Toth has served as Chief Operating Officer for Econolite Canada, Inc. since 2006 and is responsible for leading all operational aspects of Econolite Canada, including the satellite offices. Working with the overall objectives of Econolite, Mr. Toth oversees the operational controls, administrative programs, quality assurance procedures, and resource planning to effectively grow the organization on a sustainable path. Mr. Toth is based at Econolite Canada’s headquarters in Markham, Ontario, Canada.

Mr. Toth joined Econolite Canada in 2001, and most recently held the position of Chief Financial Officer. Before Econolite Canada, Mr. Toth held various senior executive and management positions in the Tier 1 and Tier 2 Automotive industry. Mr. Toth holds a Certified Management Accountant (CMA) designation and a Bachelor of Commerce, Accounting degree from Concordia University (Montreal, Canada).

Snehasis “Sunny” Chakravarty

VP, Engineering - Anaheim

Snehasis “Sunny” Chakravarty

Mr. Chakravarty serves as Vice President of Engineering for Econolite Control Products, Inc. He is responsible for providing leadership in planning, establishing, and directing all aspects of the company’s engineering policies, along with influencing and executing the technology roadmap for the company.

Prior to joining Econolite, Mr. Chakravarty served as Vice President of Engineering at Beyond Limits (Glendale, CA) responsible for the overall engineering strategy and the design, development, support, and operations for the company’s portfolio of AI-based products and solutions. Prior to that, he was Director of Engineering at Trustwave (Chicago, IL) and M86 Security (Irvine, CA). At Trustwave and M86 Security, Mr. Chakravarty led the engineering and program management activities for the company’s Web security, filtering, and analytics products, along with running a globally distributed Security Labs team.

Mr. Chakravarty has also held senior-level Engineering positions with increasing responsibilities at Symantec Corp. (Mountain View, CA) and HCL Technologies (Noida, India).

Mr. Chakravarty has a Bachelor of Science degree in Statistics from Presidency University (Kolkata, India) and a Master of Science degree in Statistics from the Indian Statistical Institute (Kolkata, India).

Persephone Oliver

Office of the Chairman |
VP, Customer Relations

Persephone Oliver

Ms. Oliver supports the Office of the Chairman and serves as Vice President, Customer Relations for Econolite Group, Inc. In her current role, she is responsible for expanding and strengthening external relationships through various aspects of industry and customer relations, as well as assisting the Chairman of the Board with corporate strategic programs for the Umovity brands.

Ms. Oliver actively contributes to the ITS industry through her participation in advisory committees. She is a current member of Women in Transportation (WTS), an International organization dedicated to building the future of ITS through the advancement of women. She also previously served as Co-Chair of the Demonstrations and Technical Tours Committee for the 2020 World Congress on ITS, Co-Chair for the Intelligent Transportation Society of America’s Exhibitor Advisory Committee, as well as Chair of the Programs Sub-Committee for ITS Americas Chicago Complete Streets Symposium. Ms. Oliver also served as the Sustaining Members Secretary for the International Municipal Signal Association (IMSA), as well as Co-Chair for the IMSA Sustaining Exhibitor Advisory Group (SEAG).

Ms. Oliver holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Management, as well as a Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree. She has an accreditation in Traffic Signal Operations from Georgia Institute of Technology, and a Management and Team Building certification from the University of California, Irvine.

Sue Burns

VP, Human Resources

Sue Burns

Ms. Burns serves as Vice President of Human Resources for Econolite Group, Inc. and is responsible for all human resources programs, including talent acquisition, employee development, training, performance management, rewards and recognition, employee engagement and benefits. She is also responsible for ensuring organizational and employee policies develop and evolve congruently with Company growth. Ms. Burns has three decades of human resources management experience and is a certified Senior Professional Human Resources (SPHR®), as well as a training facilitator and coach for development programs with DDI, and Continuous Process Improvement.

Prior to joining Econolite, Ms. Burns served as Assistant Vice President of Human Resources for Primedia (now Source Interlink Companies), one of the largest publishing companies at the time. She managed a full range of human resource functions that addressed an employee base of more than 1,000. Prior to Primedia, Ms. Burns managed the human resource program for the Orange County Register newspaper, a three-time Pulitzer Prize-winning daily newspaper that serves 34 cities and 300,000 subscribers. Ms. Burns holds a Master of Arts degree in Management degree from the University of Redlands (Redlands, CA) and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Organizational Leadership from Chapman University (Orange, CA).

Jim Madden

Vice President, US Sales

Jim Madden

Mr. Madden was appointed Vice President, Eastern Sales in 2022 and has been with the firm since 2003. He previously served as Regional Sales Director of Econolite’s Eastern Regional Sales Team where he led a cohesive and solutions-focused sales force. His core responsibilities revolve around strategic territory development, technology roadmaps, and customer care. Mr. Madden has over 24 years of experience in the transportation industry serving in a wide range of sectors including construction, technical support, systems integration, communications, sales, and leadership.

In 2014 he was promoted to a District Sales Manager with additional territory responsibilities in Virginia and New England, besides the Carolinas. Serving in this role he was responsible for developing and implementing new sales strategies to the targeted territories, working with both Econolite sales staff as well as channel partners.

Mr. Madden is a current member of the Institute of Transportation Engineers (ITE) and is International Municipal Signal Association (IMSA) certified.

Ryan Bullock

VP, OPERATIONS

Ryan Bullock

Mr. Bullock serves as Vice President of Operations for Econolite Control Products, Inc. with responsibility for manufacturing, supply chain, traffic cabinet engineering and product management, mechanical design, document control, and cabinet estimating. He joined Econolite in June of 2014, where he most recently served as Vice President of Cabinet Product Management. As Vice President of Cabinet Product Management, Mr. Bullock was responsible for driving year over year double-digit growth for the Company’s traffic Cabinet and Signal product lines.

Prior to Econolite, Mr. Bullock managed an Engineering Department at Lantronix and was responsible for the company’s hardware design, documentation, certifications, and manufacturing support processes.

Mr. Bullock earned a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering and a Master of Business Administration, both from the University of California, Irvine. Additionally, he has an APICS Certification in Production and Inventory Management and is a member of the Society of Manufacturing Engineers and Institute of Transportation Engineers.

David Spinney

VP, Systems

David Spinney

Mr. Spinney serves as Vice President for Econolite Systems, Inc. and has been with the firm since February 2020. He is a transportation professional with a proven reputation of program implementation and delivery, developing business, introducing innovation, providing solutions, and driving performance. With more than 39 years of public and private sector experience in the transportation industry, he has worked closely with transportation, Information Technology (IT), and business professionals to develop and facilitate successful projects and provide innovative solutions by leveraging business strategy, business process innovation, and cutting-edge IT technologies. Mr. Spinney directs software development for Econolite’s enterprise software systems including the Centracs Mobility Platform and Centracs Priority, provides program management and implementation expertise, and contributes business development leadership for the Integration business unit.

Mr. Spinney has a Bachelor of Science degree in Computer Science (Software Engineering) and a Bachelor of Science degree in Computer Science (Artificial Intelligence), both from Southern College of Technology, Marietta, GA. He also completed Executive Management Curriculum at the University of Oxford, Saïd Business School.

Stephanie DeFazio, PE

VP, FIELD SERVICES

Stephanie DeFazio, PE

Ms. DeFazio serves as Vice President of Field Services for Econolite Systems, Inc. and has been with the firm since March 2016. She has over 25 years of professional experience in the Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) industry and is experienced in project management, ITS maintenance, project evaluations, specifications development, construction inspection, Advanced Traffic Management Systems (ATMS) software, and ITS design for freeways, arterials, and rural applications.

Ms. DeFazio serves as the Managing and Engineering Lead for various traffic signal systems, networking, and ITS design, construction, integration, and maintenance projects for Econolite’s Eastern Region. Ms. DeFazio is a registered Professional Civil Engineer in Virginia and Florida. She has a Masters of Science degree in Transportation Engineering from Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, and a Bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, VA.

Dana McCombs

Director, Marketing

Dana McCombs

Ms. McCombs serves as Director of Marketing for Econolite Group, Inc. and has been with the firm since December 2020. She has over 20 years of experience in corporate marketing and proposal management, with a strong background in graphic communications. Ms. McCombs oversees Econolite’s corporate marketing initiatives as well as manages the company’s proposal and bid activities. She has worked in the transportation space since 2014, having previously served as Proposal Manager overseeing the development and execution of strategic pursuits throughout the U.S with Iteris, Inc. and as a Global Marketing Manager with AMCOL International, a global minerals company.

Ms. McCombs holds a B.F.A. in Graphic Communications from California State University, Fullerton. She is also a member of the Association of Proposal Management Professionals (APMP®) and is Foundation-level certified in Proposal Management through the APMP.

Cabinets

Traffic Controllers

Systems Deployed

Sensors Installed