Press Release: Dr. Bill Sowell Elected as Chairman of the International Road Federation (IRF Global)
ALEXANDRIA, Virginia USA, November 1, 2022 – The Executive Committee of the International Road Federation (IRF Global) has unanimously elected Dr. William (Bill) Sowell, MBA, PhD to the position of Chairman of IRF Global for a two-year term.
IRF Global is a not-for-profit organization, headquartered in Washington, DC since 1948 and active across more than 70 countries. IRF Global serves a network of public, academic and private sector members through knowledge resources, advocacy services, and continuing education programs which together offer a global marketplace for best practices and industry solutions.
Significant milestones in IRF Global’s 75-year history include the establishment of the IRF Fellowship Program for graduate students of engineering and transportation, the first IRF World Meeting in Washington DC, the IRF Global Road Achievement Awards recognizing meritorious projects & innovations, and recently the creation of an IRF Global Virtual Training Institute enrolling more than 5,000 road & mobility professionals every year.
Dr. Bill Sowell is a global industry leader of Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS), Connected & Autonomous Vehicles, and the development of new ITS technologies. He is an industry sector veteran who has designed, developed, or sold ITS systems and solutions in 185 countries on all seven continents. Dr. Sowell earned MBA and PhD degrees in Business Management from the University of Southern California (USC), and MBA and PhD degrees in International Business & Marketing from the University of Oklahoma. He served as an Adjunct Professor at LA City Junior College, USC, the University of Oklahoma, Florida State University and Al-Ghaurir University in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
Accepting the Chairmanship of IRF Global, Dr. Bill Sowell remarked “Our global fraternity has expanded significantly from the traditional roadway construction and surfacing sectors when the IRF was founded, now to all aspects of roadway safety, Traffic Engineering & Consulting Services, Intelligent Transportation Systems, Road User Charging, Smart Mobility, Smart Cities, Big Traffic Data, Advanced Video Analytics, Cloud Computing, Connected & Autonomous Vehicles, Electric Vehicles, and others yet emerging. Under my chairmanship IRF Global will continue providing access to the finest and largest portfolio of knowledge-based resources, training programs, and technical committees, allowing transportation professionals everywhere, at whatever stage of their career, to acquire the essential technical, and leadership skills needed to succeed”.
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