High-tech vet named new Proterra CLO/head of gov. relations

Proterra announced that JoAnn Covington will serve as chief legal officer and head of government relations Wednesday.

Covington's role with the transportation manufacturer will involve creating new business models that allow for greater adoption of heavy-duty electric transit vehicles throughout North America. She will also grow Proterra's commercial leasing program for battery-electric transit vehicles.

Covington has a background in high-tech legal consultation, intellectual property, and strategic policy development. She has worked as a consultant in private and public sectors. Covington worked as the senior VP and general counsel at Rocket Fuel Inc., an advertising and marketing firm geared toward artificial intelligence. Prior to her tenure at Rocket Fuel Inc., she served as division counsel for video game company Electronic Arts' Maxis Label.

The Silicon Valley Business Journal and San Francisco Business Times awarded Covington with the Corporate Counsel Award for General Counsel for a Public Company in 2015. In 2016, the National Diversity Counsel named Covington on of the Top 50 Most Powerful Women in Technology.