Behind Aii
is a team of dozens of experts in their fields. Our Staff Leadership, Board of Directors, and Advisory Council work together to guide research and educational content that is making a lasting impact on American infrastructure.
Aii Staff & Leadership
Meet the team leading the Alliance for Innovation and Infrastructure.
Founder, Brigham A. McCown
Chairman of the Board
Brigham McCown’s career is defined through public service, entrepreneurial activities, and tireless devotion to philanthropic activities. His work also includes over three decades of foreign and domestic policy experience.
Brigham previously served as the general counsel of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) and later as the United States’ senior energy and dangerous goods transport chief at the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) within the United States Department of Transportation (USDOT).
Following retirement from public service, Brigham felt there was an educational gap, with few organizations dedicated to educating both industry decisionmakers and policymakers in a non-partisan manner, independent of trade or interest groups. Aii was created to address the expanding risks of the aging infrastructure across our country, identify America’s infrastructure deficiencies, and create higher standards by promoting innovative technologies and safer outcomes for national infrastructure projects.
As founder and chairman, Brigham’s commitment to engaging new perspectives, bipartisan collaboration, and his deep knowledge of public safety and infrastructure are imprinted on Aii.
Board of Directors
The Board of Directors is the principal governing body of the Alliance for Innovation and Infrastructure. The volunteer Directors are committed to pursuing bi-partisan problem-solving and collaboration, and include professionals with management and policy expertise in a wide variety of public service, non-profit, and private enterprise including military service, law, cybersecurity, and more. With a range of views and experiences, the board fosters intentional discourse and seeks to learn from others’ perspectives on public policy. Meet the team.
Advisory Council
The Advisory Council exists to share centuries of combined experience and insight on policy and research topics. This voluntary Council is made up of well-known pioneers in their fields and provides valuable bipartisan insight. With alumni from the Clinton, Bush, and Obama administrations, as well as academics and practitioners, this Council and its perspective is critical to Aii. Meet the team.
Christopher Hill
Christopher Hill is the Chairman of the Aii Advisory Council. A professional engineer, Hill has experience and insight into every level of infrastructure from its planning and regulatory compliance to construction safety and environmental impact. Hill holds bachelors and masters of science degrees as well as a PhD in engineering from North Dakota State University. In addition to strategic engineering and business consulting, Hill is an adjunct professor at Southern Methodist University (SMU) in Dallas, Texas.
Andrew Morriss
Andrew Morriss is a professor in the Bush School of Government and Public Service and the School of Law at Texas A&M University, where he recently served as Dean of the School of Innovation and Vice President for Entrepreneurship and Economic Development. He received his A.B. from Princeton, his J.D. and M.Pub.Aff. from the University of Texas at Austin, his Ph.D. in Economics from M.I.T., and his M.A. in Educational Psychology from Texas A&M. He previously served as dean of A&M’s law school, held the Jones Chair at the University of Alabama School of Law, was the Workman Professor at the University of Illinois College of Law, and the Roush Chair at Case Western Reserve University School of Law. He has published more than 60 scholarly works on regulatory policy, international finance, environmental law, and employment law.
Jonathan McCollum
Jonathan McCollum currently serves as a Director of Government Relations for Davidoff Hutcher & Citron LLP in their Washington, D.C. office. His prior experience includes managing numerous high-profile Democratic political campaigns across the country. Through his relationships on the Hill and within the current Administration, Mr. McCollum successfully leads the clients of Davidoff Hutcher & Citron through complicated legislative and administrative issues.
Kevin Gluba
Kevin Gluba previously served as Aii’s Executive Director. Prior to his work at Aii, he was appointed to the Department of Commerce’s International Trade Administration (ITA) by President Barack Obama in 2009, where he had the pleasure of serving in several leadership roles. He is also a seasoned political campaign veteran.
Sam G. Bonasso
Samuel G. Bonasso, PE, F. ASCE, career civil engineer, inventor, consultant, and Adjunct Civil Engineering Professor at West Virginia University. Served publicly as WV Secretary of Transportation and Deputy Administrator, Research and Special Programs Administration (RSPA)/Research and Innovative Technology Administration (RITA), TS-SCI Clearance, USDOT, Washington, DC. President, Reinforced Aggregates Company and inventor of Mechanical Concrete®.
Steve Clark
John Steven (Steve) Clark was the longest-serving attorney general in Arkansas history. Steve Clark is currently the President and Chief Executive Officer of the Fayetteville Chamber of Commerce. Steve is a graduate of Arkansas State University and the University Of Arkansas School Of Law in Fayetteville, and a veteran of the United States Army.
The Alliance for Innovation and Infrastructure (Aii) is an independent, national research and educational organization. An innovative think tank, Aii explores the intersection of economics, law, and public policy in the areas of climate, damage prevention, energy, infrastructure, innovation, technology, and transportation.
Our mission is to help foster innovative solutions to current and future infrastructure challenges. Our purpose is to support infrastructure issues providing greater awareness, influence, analysis, and assistance in formulating solutions to achieve improvements, advancements, and opportunities. We do this through nonpartisan coalitions and our the two nonprofits that form the Alliance.