TheBridge profile: Melissa Froelich
Name: Melissa Froelich
Current city: Pittsburgh, PA
Current job: Senior Director, Aurora
Past job: Chief Counsel, Subcommittee on Consumer Protection and Commerce, Energy and Commerce
Q. Favorite spot for a coffee meeting? Peet's in DC. DiAnoia's in Pittsburgh.
Q. Describe how a skill you learned in a previous job helped you in your current job. I learned early in my career to take a step back from an issue and see the forest through the trees. Not to get so caught up in details that you miss the bigger picture, or worse, cannot quickly explain your issue to someone who is not an expert. I'll spend my career refining this skill and it has served me well in every job.
Q. Job advice in three words? Fail daring greatly.
Q. How are you (or your company, org, nonprofit) currently bridging the gap between innovation and regulation? Aurora's mission is to deliver the benefits of self driving technology safely, quickly, and broadly. Self driving technology is an area where policy makers at all levels of government are crucial partners. We believe the status quo where we lose almost 40,000 Americans every year on our highways is unacceptable. We are building the Aurora Driver and want to work with regulators to keep everyone safe and encourage innovation. We are working with bipartisan champions who see this technology as an opportunity to save lives, improve mobility, and enhance our communities.
Q. What can innovators learn from policymakers? The value of working across communities and building coalitions.
Q. What can policymakers learn from innovators? How important curiosity and imagination are to a brighter future.
Q. Favorite book/podcast/long-form article you recommend? "It's What I Do: A Photographer's Life" by Lynsey Addario is a perennial favorite and I've been enjoying the She Said / She Said podcast with Laura Cox Kaplan recently. A little off the beaten path, there's an app called "Dry Bar" with clean comedy videos of famous comedians. Taking a few minutes to laugh can change your whole perspective.
Q. Looking back, what advice would you give yourself in the beginning of your career? It's ok to say no sometimes.
Q. What's one piece of advice you are still trying to master? It's ok to say no sometimes. Have an alternative suggestion ready to go.
Q. Last time you were completely unplugged? August 2019. After I left the Hill and before I started at Aurora, I went out to Utah to visit friends. For the first time in years I only had one phone and I left it behind for several hikes in the canyons. I cannot recommend enough taking time to recharge between jobs.
Q. Startup to watch? Aurora. We're hiring, come join us!
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