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Canoo appoints former NASA CTO Deborah Diaz and EV leader James Chen to board of directors

February 28, 2024

Canoo Inc. announced the appointment of two new members to its Board of Directors, Ms. Deborah Diaz and Mr. James Chen, both with extensive experience in electric mobility, public policy, clean energy, technology, and cybersecurity.

Deborah B. Diaz has previously served as the Chief Technology Officer and Deputy Chief Information Officer at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and CIO for Science and Technology at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. Currently, she serves on the board of directors of Archer Aviation, Primis Financial, and ZeroAvia, and is the Chief Executive Officer of Catalyst ADV, a technology and strategic growth advisory firm.

James C. Chen has held positions as the Vice President of Regulatory Affairs & Deputy General Counsel at Tesla and Vice President of Public Policy & Chief Regulatory Counsel at Rivian Automotive. He is currently a shareholder at the law firm of Babst, Calland, Clements and Zomnir in the firm’s transportation technology and energy practice.

In addition to these appointments, Ms. Josette Sheeran and Mr. Rainer Schmueckle are resigning from the Board of Directors. Ms. Sheeran will transition from her role as President to become a strategic advisor to the CEO.

The current independent members of the board include Thomas Dattilo, Claudia Romo Edelman, Arthur Kingsbury, Foster Chiang, and Debra von Storch.