May Mobility announces appointment of Jennifer Keesmaat to board of directors

ANN ARBOR, Mich. – May Mobility announced today the appointment of former city of Toronto Chief Planner Jennifer Keesmaat to its Board of Directors. A Registered Professional Planner and a member of both the Canadian Institute of Planners and the Congress for New Urbanism, Keesmaat spent nearly fifteen years as a founding partner of Toronto-based planning and urban design firm Office for Urbanism in addition to being a founding partner of multi-disciplinary design organization, Dialog.

“Jennifer understands cities’ transportation challenges first-hand,” said Edwin Olson, CEO of May Mobility. “Her knowledge and experience will help us create products and services that better meet the needs of transportation planners.”

Keesmaat’s recognitions include a Distinguished Visitor in Residence Emeritus at the University of Toronto, a seat on the Advisory Board of the Urban Land Institute, Toronto, and is a member of the International Panel of Experts, Singapore Urban Redevelopment Authority. Keesmaat was also named one of the “most powerful people in Canada” by Macleans, one of the “most influential” by Toronto Life, and one of the top Women of Influence in Canada.

ANN ARBOR, Mich. – May Mobility announced today the appointment of former city of Toronto Chief Planner Jennifer Keesmaat to its Board of Directors. A Registered Professional Planner and a member of both the Canadian Institute of Planners and the Congress for New Urbanism, Keesmaat spent nearly fifteen years as a founding partner of Toronto-based planning and urban design firm Office for Urbanism in addition to being a founding partner of multi-disciplinary design organization, Dialog.

“Jennifer understands cities’ transportation challenges first-hand,” said Edwin Olson, CEO of May Mobility. “Her knowledge and experience will help us create products and services that better meet the needs of transportation planners.”

Keesmaat’s recognitions include a Distinguished Visitor in Residence Emeritus at the University of Toronto, a seat on the Advisory Board of the Urban Land Institute, Toronto, and is a member of the International Panel of Experts, Singapore Urban Redevelopment Authority. Keesmaat was also named one of the “most powerful people in Canada” by Macleans, one of the “most influential” by Toronto Life, and one of the top Women of Influence in Canada.

“I am looking forward to serving in this role for May Mobility,” said Keesmaat. “How we move around in cities is fundamental to their success. We are in a moment in history where we have the opportunity to embrace new options and May is at the forefront of accelerating those options, with best-in-class leadership. Safer, greener and more accessible cities are within our reach, and May Mobility has both the aspiration and the technical expertise to deliver.”

Keesmaat has a Combined Honours degree in Philosophy and English from the University of Western Ontario, and a Masters in Environmental Studies, Politics and Planning, from York University. As a Registered Professional Planner, her work has been repeatedly recognized by professional associations, including as the recipient of the 2016 President’s Award of Excellence, from the Canadian Institute of Planners; the 2016 Bryden Alumni Award, York University, the 2017 City Builders Award from EDIT/the Design Exchange; the International Placemaking Award, City of Lyon, France 2017; and most recently, the 2019 The Edmund N. Bacon Award from the Center for Architecture and Design, Philadelphia.

Keesmaat joins existing board members Yoshinori Fukuoka of Toyota Motor Corporation, Benjamin Birnbaum of Keyframe Capital, Ray Cheng of Millenium Technology Venture Partners and May Mobility CEO Edwin Olson.

About May Mobility

May Mobility is a leader in autonomous vehicle technology development and deployment. With more than 270,000 autonomous rides to date, May Mobility is committed to delivering safe, efficient and sustainable shuttle solutions designed to complement today’s public transportation options. The company’s ultimate goal is to realize a world where self-driving systems make transportation more accessible and reliable, the roads safer, and encourage better land use in order to foster more green, vibrant, and livable spaces. For more information, visit maymobility.com.