BYD announced the appointment of a key corporate staff addition in its North American headquarters in downtown Los Angeles. Bringing proven experience and strong industry recognition, the new BYD team member Sam Jammal will serve as the Senior Manager, Government Relations, for the Western U.S.
“As BYD continues to advance its state-of-the-art, battery-electric, zero-emission bus technology and expand to communities across North America, we are continuing to invest in the hiring of experienced professionals,” said Patrick Duan, vice president, operations, BYD. “We are pleased to welcome Sam to our BYD team.”
With more than a decade of legislative, policy and clean energy experience, Jammal will be leading BYD’s engagement with state and local governments and partner organizations in the western U.S. He most recently served as Director for Policy and Electricity Markets & Regulatory Counsel for SolarCity, and later Tesla, where he focused on state policy campaigns and community relations. Before working in clean energy, he held senior roles in government where he served as a chief of staff in the U.S. House of Representatives, counsel in the U.S. Senate and as an Obama Administration presidential appointee at the U.S. Department of Commerce Bureau of Industry and Security as special assistant to the Under Secretary of the U.S. Department of Commerce Bureau of Industry and Security.
Jammal began his career as a civil rights attorney at the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund (MALDEF).
Licensed to practice law in the State of California, he is a graduate of The George Washington University Law School and received his Bachelor of Arts in political science from the University of Southern California. Reporting to Zach Kahn, Director of Government Relations for BYD, North America, Jammal’s hire expands BYD’s strategic outreach for climate change and innovation in the transportation sector.
BYD continues to invest in America, both in terms of facilities and the development of its American workforce. The firm has created more than 820 American manufacturing jobs at its BYD North America Lancaster (Los Angeles County), California plant. BYD is the first electric bus manufacturer with an all-union workforce at its cutting-edge facility. The company has invested more than $250 million in the United States, including some $53 million in its Lancaster, California, manufacturing facilities to date. BYD continues its expansion plans with the purchase of an additional 150 acres of land near its Lancaster plant; and is planning service/maintenance centers across the U.S.
