Keynote Speaker

David Zipper

We are excited to welcome David Zipper as our luncheon keynote speaker. 

David Zipper is a Senior Fellow at the MIT Mobility Initiative, where he examines the interplay between transportation policy, technology, and society. A Contributing Writer at Vox and Bloomberg CityLab, David’s writing has also been published in outlets including The Washington Post, The Atlantic, Slate, and Fast Company. His stories have examined topics including America’s failures around road safety, transportation’s role in climate change, and tactics to expand transit ridership. He coined the phrase “car bloat” to describe increasingly oversized SUVs and pickups.

From 2013 to 2017, David was the Managing Director for Smart Cities and Mobility at 1776, a global entrepreneurial hub and venture fund. He previously served as the Director of Business Development and Strategy under two mayors in Washington DC, and as Executive Director of NYC Business Solutions in New York City under Mayor Michael Bloomberg.

David holds an MBA with Highest Honors from Harvard Business School, an M.Phil in Land Economy (Urban Planning) from Cambridge, and a BA with High Honors from Swarthmore College. He has been selected as a Truman Scholar, a Gates Scholar, and a Baker Scholar.