Office of the Assistant Secretary for Research and Technology
U.S. Department of Transportation

Mark K. Dowd is the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Research and Technology at the Department of Transportation.  He also serves as the Senior Advisor to the Secretary.  Mark has extensive policy experience in transportation, technology, energy and environmental matters, and is leading the Department on a number of innovative initiatives including the Smart City Challenge.

Before joining the Department of Transportation, Mark was a senior member of President Obama's Auto Task Force where he worked on the historic restructuring of General Motors and Chrysler from 2009 to 2011.  Mark received EPA's Gold Medal and awards from Department of Justice (ENRD) and the U.S. Attorney’s Office (Southern District) for his work on the bankruptcies.  More recently, he served as a senior advisor to both the White House Council on Environmental Quality in 2012 and the Hurricane Sandy Task Force in 2013.     

Prior to joining the Department, Mark was a Director and Assistant General Counsel at the Association of Global Automakers from June 2013 to June 2015.  Mr. Dowd practiced law for thirteen years in New York City at the law firm of Schulte Roth & Zabel, specializing in transactions, restructuring, litigation, and regulatory matters as they relate to environmental and energy issues.