Marisa Paula Walker

As Senior Vice President for Infrastructure, Marisa Paula Walker focuses on the intersection of economic development, infrastructure and transportation innovation. Ms. Walker leads several initiatives on behalf of the ACA, including Institute of Automated Mobility (IAM): A public-private consortium focused on defining the safety standards science and policy required for a future of ubiquitous automated transportation in Arizona and the nation.

The IAM is currently working on identifying a safety assurance methodology and the specific safety metrics to evaluate the performance of ADS-equipped vehicles. The IAM also includes an Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) initiative, AZSkyTech, which facilitates a robust ecosystem of strategic partnerships to position Arizona as the most advantageous location for research, testing and safety in deploying these aerial vehicles.

Ms. Walker began her professional career at the University of Arizona, where for more than a decade she held positions that advised the University’s Associate Vice President for Economic Development on Arizona-Mexico and NAFTA issues; analyzed border economic development opportunities and competitive advantages; and organized forums and symposiums on trilateral collaborations among academic institutions in Canada and Mexico in the areas of university research parks, agricultural biosciences and optical sciences-photonics. She has authored several reports on subjects including cross-border economic integration and development, targeted industry assessments of Arizona’s Bioscience and Software Industries, and women entrepreneurship and business ownership in the state.

Ms. Walker also served as the Executive Director for the Arizona Governor’s CANAMEX Task Force where she was responsible for managing projects and priorities regarding transportation and telecommunication infrastructure; technology and process enhancements for cross border shipments; and international trade policy.