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Futurist to deliver keynote address at Work Truck Week® 2025 technology conference
FARMINGTON HILLS, Mich. (Nov. 13, 2024) — Jennifer Brace, chief futurist at Ford Motor Company, will serve as Green Truck Summit keynote speaker on March 4, 2025. Held annually as part of Work Truck Week, Green Truck Summit (GTS) is a full-day immersion into advanced technology for commercial vehicles. New for 2025, GTS Breakout Session Tracks highlight how technology can improve vehicle productivity and efficiency in internal combustion engines and advanced fuel applications.
Work Truck Week 2025 runs March 4–7, 2025, at Indiana Convention Center in Indianapolis. More Than A Trade Show®, it encompasses Green Truck Summit, The Work Truck Show®, NTEA Annual Meeting, Ride & Drive, educational program and more. Green Truck Summit is March 4, educational sessions run March 4–6, Work Truck Show exhibits are open March 5–7 and Ride & Drive runs March 5–6. Work Truck Week, North America’s largest work truck event, is produced by NTEA – The Work Truck Association™. Register at worktruckweek.com.
Green Truck Summit debuted in 2009 in response to growing interest in hybrid and alternative fuel systems for commercial vehicles. Over the last 15 years, EVs and alternative fuel commercial vehicles have become more widely adopted, so Green Truck Summit has evolved to cover not only advanced fuels, but any technology that may impact the work truck industry’s drive toward increasing vehicle sustainability, productivity and efficiency. The 2025 program includes sessions on autonomous technology, hydrogen applications in work trucks, telematics, strategies to achieve zero-emission targets, synthetic fuel options, and more.
“As commercial vehicles become increasingly complex, it’s imperative for industry professionals to understand future technology and how it might impact their operations,” says Jennifer Mitchell, NTEA senior director of content development. “Jen Brace spends every day exploring ‘how do we think about the stuff we don’t even know we need to think about?’ This makes her a great speaker to get everyone’s mental wheels turning at the start of Green Truck Summit 2025.”
As chief futurist at Ford, Brace leads discussions on long-term thinking, planning and strategic development. By researching demographic shifts, identifying market outliers and developing data-driven scenarios for the future, she challenges her colleagues to think through a broad range of possible narratives before settling on a plan of action.
Brace has worked across the spectrum of vehicle technology in her more than 20 years with Ford. She launched multiple versions of SYNC in-vehicle technology, led user-experience research projects on autonomous vehicles, and drove mobility innovation at Ford’s Greenfield Labs research center in Palo Alto, California. She holds a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering and a master’s degree in engineering management from the University of Michigan.
Green Truck Summit 2025 follows a similar schedule and format as the 2024 event. John Davis, host/creator/managing director of MotorWeek, returns as emcee. After welcome remarks and Brace’s keynote address, there are two general sessions for all attendees. The first is Achieving Zero-Emission Targets: Real-World Strategies and Key Takeaways for the Commercial Vehicle Industry. It’s followed by Beyond the Road: Autonomous Technology Insights from Agriculture, Construction and Mining Sectors.
Following the included GTS Lunch, work truck industry leaders share their perspectives in an industry roundtable focused on advancing technology adoption. Attendees can then choose from an array of breakout sessions covering a variety of advanced vehicle and fuel technology initiatives. These are divided by topic into three tracks:
- Applied Technology: Highlighting in-market technology with real-world applications, focusing on future-forward use and evolution within the commercial vehicle industry.
- Emerging Technology: Showcasing up-and-coming technology from inside the commercial vehicle industry as well as from other industries and segments, providing potential applications and areas for advancement.
- Sponsored Updates: Featuring the latest clean vehicle product updates from industry companies.
Everyone comes back together for the Bringing It Home – Green Truck Association Closing Session during which current and past leaders of NTEA’s Green Truck Association serve as the “voice of reason,” highlighting key learnings of the day and discussing issues affecting the industry.
GTS Conference Package registration includes all GTS sessions on March 4, any WTW Breakout Sessions March 4–6, admission to Work Truck Show exhibits and Work Truck Week Ride & Drive and, new this year, a ticket to Opening Reception March 4. Registered GTS Conference Package attendees also can access some Breakout Session materials on-demand after the event.
Green Truck Summit is held at JW Marriott Indianapolis, which is attached to Indiana Convention Center.
For more information about Green Truck Summit, including a complete event schedule, session descriptions and speaker information, visit worktruckweek.com/greentrucksummit. Contact NTEA (info@ntea.com or 248-489-7090) with any questions. Join the conversation in social media with hashtag #greentrucks25.
About NTEA
Established in 1964, NTEA – The Work Truck Association™, a 501(c)(6) organization, represents more than 2,100 companies that manufacture, distribute, install, sell and repair commercial vehicles, truck bodies, truck equipment, trailers and accessories. Buyers of work trucks and the major commercial truck chassis manufacturers also belong to NTEA. The Association provides in-depth technical information, education, and member programs and services, and produces Work Truck Week, Green Truck Summit, Commercial Vehicle Upfitting Summit and Executive Leadership Summit. The Association maintains its administrative headquarters in suburban Detroit and government relations offices in Washington, DC, and Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.
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Editor’s note: Professional photos from Work Truck Week 2024 are available for download at worktruckweek.com/photosandlogos. All photos must be attributed to NTEA.