National Leadership

Terri Kirsch, former EVA Vice President, Treasurer, Secretary, and Elections Commissioner, brings her expansive experience, in both the for-profit and non-profit sectors, to her current position as President.

After retiring as CEO from her special effects company, Terri has worked closely with numerous EVA chapters to educate on what it’s like to drive electric with over 190 EV events around the nation. She is a serial entrepreneur always thinking of ways to create businesses with thoughtful leadership.

Terri is the CEO of a Certified Women Owned Business Enterprise, EV Options, providing specialized outreach and education about EV ownership through private experiential events. EVO is very proud to be the third and fourth Cybertruck owners in San Diego with their two trucks named Thelma and Louise!

Terri is passionate about driving her 2023 ultra red Tesla Model S on the streets of San Diego. She is proud to say there are now nine electric vehicles in her family, including her first EV which is now driven by her 89 year-old father…creating generations of EV lovers.

Kate Kruk is the Partnership & Engagement Director for Lynkwell, where she is charged with (pun intended) educating the public and private sectors about the benefits of electric vehicles and delivering turnkey solutions to expand EV charging infrastructure across New York and beyond.

Driving electric since 2015, Kate blends her early adopter experience with her background in education to promote the benefits of green technology and support the transition to clean transportation. She currently serves on the Board of the National Electric Vehicle Association as Vice President and leads the NY Capital District EVA chapter as president. She is also City Captain for the nation’s #1 National Drive Electric Week event and co-chair of the New York State Tourism Industry Association’s Sustainability Task Force.

Beyond her EV advocacy, Kate is deeply engaged in her community. She is the retired vice president of the Schalmont Central School District Board of Education, an advisory board member for the Capital Region Business & Career and Technical Education, and an advocate for kinship caregivers as a speaker for the New York State Kinship Navigator and Kincare Coalition. She actively supports workforce development for green technology through partnerships with CTE programs, STEM high schools, and local colleges.

Kate’s leadership has been recognized nationally, earning honors such as Plug In America’s City Captain of the Year and the EVA’s Chapter Leader of the Year.

As a long-time member of the Electric Vehicle Association of Greater DC (EVADC), which serves Norther Virginia, the District of Columbia and Maryland, Elvia Thompson was Secretary of the organization and provided and delivered testimony with regard to legislation on the local, state and national levels.

Elvia brought the only National Drive Electric Week (NDEW) and Drive Electric Earth Day (DEED) EV shows to the Annapolis area beginning in 2012 and worked to bring awareness of EVs through a nonprofit she co-founded, Annapolis Green. The organization is still the voice of driving electric in the Annapolis area.

She was also an active two-year member of the Maryland Zero Emission Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Council, a state body “charged with the development of policies, recommendations, and incentives that increase awareness of Zero Emission Vehicles (ZEVs), support the ownership of ZEVs, and promote investment by the private sector in ZEVs.”

Andy Fraser is a seasoned member of the Electric Vehicle Association of Greater DC (EVADC), and one of their most active members.

Andy has worked with the local government to propose regulations allowing chargers in the right-of-way for EV owners who do not have a charging solution.

He has also worked on other state EV policies and has served on a number of other boards over the years.

He also leads E-Motion, an EV education, sales training, and support service.

EVs may be ready for the mainstream, but the mainstream is not ready for EVs. This fact is the largest impediment to accelerating the adoption of the electric vehicle, said John Higham, Vice President of Communications and Public Affairs.

His raison d'être within the parameters of the Electric Vehicle Association Board of Directors is to prepare the mainstream for EVs by working on two important topics:

First, establish the right to charge where you sleep. He volunteers for the EVCAC (Electric Vehicle Charging for All Coalition). The EVCAC is focused on charging inequity.

Second, John retired after 32 years in aerospace with the intent of using his time to help accelerate the electrification of transportation. He built his first EV and has been driving electric for more than 12 years.

Previously on the Board from 2018 to 2021, John has written letters of support and letters of opposition for the EVA. John has experience in writing proposals for the federal government and has been responsible for winning more than $1 billion in sales.

Elaine Borseth is the Electric Vehicle Association Immediate Past President.

She has inspired leaders across the globe to form local chapters all with the goal of educating their local communities about the benefits of clean transportation and driving electric.

Growing up in Detroit fueled Elaine’s love of all types of cars. Her passion for electric vehicles started after her very first EV test drive and continues today. She took her first electric cross-country trip in 2015 and has done many since then. 

Elaine works to inspire others to get involved in educating and advocating for the rapid adoption of electric vehicles wherever the road leads – in her own neighborhood or thousands of miles away from her home near San Diego. 

Elaine gives generously of her time to talk to chapter leaders and Electric Vehicle Association members about their important role in encouraging their communities to grow the adoption of electric vehicles.

Charlotte Abiodun Epee WillSuN is the founder of BlackBumble, a boutique talent placement agency and career fair operator with a heavy focus on tech and the clean energy workforce.

She also founded BIPOC Startups, a nonprofit organization focused on increasing the number of BIPOC (black, indigenous, and people of color) founders in fintech, creative tech, the clean energy sector and educating BIPOCs about clean energy.

New voices are vital to our growth, and we look forward to the contributions Charlotte will bring to the board.

Arthur Burton is the President of the Chicago Metro EVA, owner of AMB Renewable Energy in Chicago, and an EVA board member.

His work revolves around infrastructure improvements – contracting – involving the grid, and he thought the city needed more education on EV technology since the Chicago metro area is significant and has numerous collar counties.