Ian Fried (He/Him)

Lead Project Manager, School Bus Electrification
Brooklyn, NY/EST (GMT-5)

Work History

Ian has a background in school bus electrification, having come from Unique Electric Solutions, a medium- and heavy-duty vehicle repower company. Prior to that, he worked in sustainability and environmental education, so his role at CALSTART brings together his interest in education, sustainability, and large vehicles. His current role focuses on school bus deployment projects, and he acts as a consultant to help guide school districts and school bus operators through successful transitions to electric school buses. While at CALSTART, he has authored and coauthored many papers, most recently, in collaboration with utility Exelon, The Electric School Bus Transition: Accelerating Equitable Deployments through Understanding Grid Impacts and Policy Solutions.

Ian is currently providing project management and oversight for NYSERDA’s Electric School Buses in the Bronx and Beyond (ESB3) project. He is acting as technical support and supplying fleet electrification plans for vehicle deployment and operations for six school districts in Massachusetts through MassCEC’s ACT School Bus funding.

Education & Certifications

• BS in Environmental Science from Emory University
• MA in Teaching from Relay Graduate School of Education

Work Approach

I am driven by my passion for implementing sustainability initiatives across the United States and beyond.

I strive to be a resource for project teams and prioritizes two-way communication built around low-stakes, high-frequency feedback. This maximizes stakeholder engagement and ensures that the project is always on track.

I have built my career on the belief in the transformative potential of sustainability being implemented in the transportation and education sectors.